“Are there some stories that are just too sensitive for soap operas to cover?”

Morgan Murphy,George Brittain,

Kate Collins, Natalie Down

Yes and no. It can be argued that because Soap Operas are a family time show that sensitive stories should not be covered. However aren’t Soap Operas supposed to portray real life?

“The viewer’s take soap opera seriously, and consider that the characters and problems portrayed are highly realistic and personally involving, has implications for issues of media and effects.”

We are going to use Hollyoaks as an example. They have an audience demographic of generation y (young adults) and air their show on channel 4 around dinner time.

But they also have Hollyoaks later where they show more sensitive stories or more graphic stories around 11pm.

In 2000, Hollyoaks later showed a story about gay rape. The assault of Luke

Despite this being shown at 11pm, it still had complains and was still considered quite offensive. The clip is very graphic and detailed.

The reason this was shown on Hollyoaks later and not normal Hollyoaks is because of the manner in which this story line was handled and portrayed. It would be far from acceptable to put it on normal diner time TV. Though showing it at 11pm didn’t make much of a difference.

National Viewers and Listeners Association director John Beyer said this on the Assault of Luke Storyline which was shown at a later time: "This is a most inappropriate storyline for a programme of this kind, which is watched by young people, and any idea that just because it is being shown at 11pm makes it right is just nonsense."

Under what circumstances is it okay to cover such sensitive stories on Soap Operas shown at dinner time?

Hollyoaks learnt from their earlier mistake on how they showed the gay rape story line. However, this hasn’t stopped them from doing it again. January 9th 2014 another gay rape story line has emerged on Hollyoaks. Only this time it is shown on their normal dinner time show.

Although still raising questions, this rape story wasn’t as concerning as the original back in 2000. Showing that maybe soap opera can cover sensitive story lines, they just need to be careful how they show them.

Use of Sex and Violence in Soap Opera’s ‘within the genre can be a positive force for the imparting of information which might not otherwise be known.’

‘The issues have to be included in a way that is acceptable to the audience so that they do not become alienated from the content and refuse to watch the programmes.’

Thank you for listening.

Bibliography• http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Hollyoaks+under+fire+for+male+rape+plot.-

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The Assault of Luke

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABBicEO1JKk

John Paul Rape Scene

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpb8ani6eug

• Hobson, D. (2003) Soap Opera, Cambridge: polity press

• Why People Watch Soap Opera: An Analysis of The Explanations of British Viewers (1988) European Journal of communication, 1, 55-80