What strategies are used by British soap operas to attract large audiences

Soaps will use current events as a major point for viewing. Events such as teenage pregnancy, death of a friend or family member, or domestic violence for example, will be used to relate to the audience. In turn the audience themselves can use the storylines and characters to empathise and find solutions to their own problems which they see on television. With these plots, the producers will try to ensure realism and make the plot believable. Should the barrier be crossed, the audience will no longer feel that the soap has a serious message to convey. The realistic nature of the program is kept by 'everyday' occurrences and the overall focus on the working class, which make up the majority of society. The viewers will become emotionally involved in the program due to its realism, therefore blurring the lines between fiction and reality to a certain extent.

The plot and characters provide the viewers with what they want to see. Due to a soaps' continuation, ultimate plot resolution never occurs. The program will use this particular tool as a hook for the next episode, using a cliff hanger, to cut off the action at a critical point. This will create suspense and leaves the audience with many questions, which may end up having several different answers. A cliff hanger will not be used at the end of every episode though, with a humorous ending, or something thought-provoking may be used to even up the more serious and gritty drama. The characters will have a particular audience following. Some viewers may particularly like one character or family and watch specifically to see them. Because of this, the script writers and producers will vary the storylines and will make sure the audience eventually get what they want. For instance a 'bad' character will eventually be killed off or seriously harmed. The opposite does not always occur for 'good' characters as they will generally not have particularly successful and happy lives, but a balance will be struck when both good and bad characters get what they deserve, which the audience will want to see.

Another reason is that they are about the daily activities of ordinary people, and they usually centre on a small community or a large family. It allows the scriptwriter to create a complicated plot, with five or six different storylines all running at the same time. The stories are usually based on problems within personal relationships and family life, so the viewers can easily identify with the feelings and opinions of the characters. They can see that the lives of the people on the screen are not so very different from their own.

They write letters to their favourites, giving them advice and offering their own opinions, and sometimes copy their styles of dress and behaviour. Events like births, weddings or deaths in soaps are always followed with great interest. If favourite character is unfairly treated, this usually provokes strong reactions.

Soaps may also be popular because they offer easy, undemanding entertainment. Viewers do not have to concentrate very hard to follow the story. The same characters are seen every day, and the stories move along quite slowly. If viewers are forced to miss their favourite soap for a prolonged period of time, there's no need to worry. This is because the script constantly refers back to past events, and because each storyline takes a long time to develop.

Some viewers say they enjoy gossiping about the soap as much as they enjoy watching the actual programme. As well as trying to predict what is going to happen, they like to analyse the behaviour and motives of the characters, and make comparisons with their own lives.

The media institutions producing the soap will use all of these particular strategies to gain a maximum audience share. They will make sure all of these points will be followed and other examples of the past implementation of them will be used as evidence of their success. Also some of the strategies such as cliff hangers, continuing plots and focus on a particular character will ensure that viewers will continue to watch and not become bored or lose interest. This then will mean the soap will become an important part of evening viewing and its popularity will grow.

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