Compare the representation of ethnicity in a range of popular mainstream TV programmes or soap operas.

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Unsa Akhtar

Media Coursework

Compare the representation of ethnicity in a range of popular mainstream TV programmes or soap operas.

Soap opera was a phrase that people used in the 1930s in USA. It was to describe radio series. The opera came from the fact that they were about dilemmas and real life situations that people have on a daily basis. As the radio series popularity grew, they became televised in the 1950s. Soon it was spread around the world and it grew and grew so more people of different ethnic backgrounds had to be introduced to the soaps. Coronation Street is the longest running TV soap in the world. After the successes of Dallas (among others) in America, soap started to suddenly became more popular in the '80s. This caused the beginning of new British soaps such as Brookside and EastEnders. Also, the success of Australian soaps like Neighbours and Home and Away caused British soaps to reconsider their target audience and therefore, their characters. Programmes now portray multi-racial communities to represent the different races in society. In soaps, producers try not to stereotype other ethnic minorities so as not to cause offence to their multi-racial viewers. The number of ethnic minorities is increasing so this could be their way of helping them integrate within the community. The soaps try not to make all of their multi-racial characters members of the working class as this could cause offence.

Soaps seem realistic so that they convey issues in the real world; such as those their viewers are experiencing. Some viewers feel that their life is better than compared to some of the storylines in soaps, which are exaggerated. Viewers are sometimes influenced by what they see in the soaps they watch; therefore it is vital to convey how different ethnicities overcome their problems by working together. Ethnic minorities are not seen on British TV as much as they are in the “real world” with Asian and Chinese people particularly under-represented, a report says. Soaps sometimes stereotype people e.g. in EastEnders, they made Patrick’s son (a black man) a drug dealer. This could create stereotypes in society against black people. Most soaps try to make their storylines realistic so they can reflect real life accurately. Some TV programmes are more successful in achieving this than others.

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EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985 and continuing to date. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in Albert Square, a Victorian square of terraced houses, a pub, a street market and various small businesses, in the East End of London. The programme does not accurately reflect that area, as London is the most multi-racial city in Britain and EastEnders currently only has one Asian character. EastEnders has remained significant in terms of the BBC's success and audience share tackling many controversial ...

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