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'Secrets of the Soap Super Brands' Panel with DTC; Edinburgh Television Festival video, essential viewing
Topic Started: 8 Sep 2015, 17:07 (8,009 Views)
Planck
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I don't know if anyone else caught this but I was intrigued when Kellie and DTC mentioned something about Linda and some storyline involving pills. I wonder if this was a reference to Lee's depression storyline. Maybe Lee starts taking anti-depressants and Linda does or doesn't like it.
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Mrs Peel
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Ennui
8 Sep 2015, 18:30
Was there a dream sequence where Pat was Kathy's prison warder?

I don't remember that! :D
The episode where she left.It started out with a dream sequence.
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MrSunshine
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Planck
8 Sep 2015, 22:03
I don't know if anyone else caught this but I was intrigued when Kellie and DTC mentioned something about Linda and some storyline involving pills. I wonder if this was a reference to Lee's depression storyline. Maybe Lee starts taking anti-depressants and Linda does or doesn't like it.
I reckon it was to do with Linda's conversation with Stacey about whether or not Stacey should keep taking them.
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Planck
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MrSunshine
8 Sep 2015, 22:23
Planck
8 Sep 2015, 22:03
I don't know if anyone else caught this but I was intrigued when Kellie and DTC mentioned something about Linda and some storyline involving pills. I wonder if this was a reference to Lee's depression storyline. Maybe Lee starts taking anti-depressants and Linda does or doesn't like it.
I reckon it was to do with Linda's conversation with Stacey about whether or not Stacey should keep taking them.
That makes sense :P .
Edited by Planck, 8 Sep 2015, 22:29.
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ian
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MrJames
8 Sep 2015, 22:01
Cam
8 Sep 2015, 18:51
"I think we're healthier than we've ever been!"

Oh Dom, you seem like a great guy... but no. Just no.
I think what he says about some of the abysmal acting in the old days of soap is absolutely on the money though. Nobody can ever question that the Jean Alexanders and the Sue Tullys of the world are fantastic in any context. But I've watched many old episodes of all of the soaps, and I am often alarmed by the poor quality of some of the acting.

Again, that doesn't mean that poor soap actors have evaporated all together as there are still more than a few knocking about, but take Emmerdale as an example. Some of the actors in the old days were entirely faceless and tended to simply meander along in their scenes... fast forward to the current day when they are in the fortunate position of having an absolutely rock steady cast of actors. I think there is a noticeable difference between a lot of today's soap actors who seem to relish any bit of character-driven material that is thrown their way, to some of the soap actors of old who seemed to turn up, do their job and go home... and I only speak from the experience of having watched old episodes. Just like athletes, I think each new generation of soap actors is better *overall* than they last, because every new generation is more aware of what came before them and have a wider appreciation for their craft.

I also think soaps have had a rise, a fall and a rise again over the course of their run. You had the days when Corrie was essential viewing & EastEnders were a pop culture phenomenon, then you had the days when soaps were seen as being tacky & throwaway and now, I honestly think that soaps are more well regarded as a genre of genuine quality than they were ten/fifteen years ago... in that respect, I think they're in a healthy position. Soaps break their own boundaries on a regular occasion and appear to the audience more often as a 'drama' rather than as a 'cheesy soap'. I think all of the soaps have produced fantastic material at every stage of their time on air - it's just that the definition of 'fantastic' has evolved and moved on.

I'm still very young in comparison to how long the big three soaps have been running so excuse me if I've been too general but I also like to think that I've done my research.
I agree with you about the acting - watch 80s EastEnders and apart from a few standouts, the overall standard is much worse. But in an odd way, the slightly dodgy acting and the lower production values actually add to the feel of authenticity that is sadly missing these days.

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TellyAddict
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I keep replaying the "Don't take that tone" moment. A sign that I should probably go to bed.
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BigApe
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WalfordFanatic
8 Sep 2015, 21:25
This was an absolute treat. I definitely consumed a lot of tea and biscuits while watching this.

I think Daran came across very well but it seems his heart lies with Corrie. Maybe this has always been the case though.
Something sticks out in my mind about Daran Little. I recall coming across an old newspaper cutting on a Coronation Street site and it was about a young man (Daran) who could recall even minor details about Corrie. But the interview said he did actually want to work in/preferred EastEnders more. Although that was the 80's so things change.
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Planck
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BigApe
8 Sep 2015, 22:47
WalfordFanatic
8 Sep 2015, 21:25
This was an absolute treat. I definitely consumed a lot of tea and biscuits while watching this.

I think Daran came across very well but it seems his heart lies with Corrie. Maybe this has always been the case though.
Something sticks out in my mind about Daran Little. I recall coming across an old newspaper cutting on a Coronation Street site and it was about a young man (Daran) who could recall even minor details about Corrie.
So basically Daran Little is Mrs Peel but for Coronation Street :P .
Edited by Planck, 8 Sep 2015, 23:06.
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ChrissieW
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I do think if the top job at Coronation Street was offered to Daran Little he'd take it. Although perhaps they'd go for Kate Oates, she must be highly regarded at ITV for the work she's doing on Emmerdale.

As for the perception of soaps, I think it's pretty much the same now as it was five years ago, ten years ago, fifteen years ago. As DTC himself pointed out, that snobbery is still there and I think it always will be. I think soaps are still seen as generally tacky and throwaway, certainly compared to proper dramas but with occasional moments of genuine quality. Generally they are praised when tackling issues (Bianca terminating her pregnancy, Kat's child abuse, Stacey's Bipolar, Shabnam's stillbirth; all highly praised) and it is widely acknowledged that there are some good actors working on soap just as it was five, ten, fifteen years ago, but I don't feel the overriding perception of the genre has changed. Certainly I haven't noticed it changing. For example, actors in soap are still often referred to as "soap actors" rather than "actors" and that's still as pejorative a term as it always was.

I would say there is less media interest in soaps than there used to be. Whilst still popular in terms of ratings they are no longer seen as "water cooler" TV and with less media interest comes less scrutiny. In fact even within the last five years there's been a slight shift. If a baby swap story was attempted now I don't think the media would care, whereas if they tried to bring Kathy back from the dead five years ago I think it would have been completely ridiculed. If anything I think there is a greater indifference towards soaps now rather than a great respect. That's partially what made Live Week such a great achievement from a marketing perspective. Soaps don't really create buzz anymore and I don't think ever will on a consistent basis, yet for one week EastEnders was a talking point again.
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Jade
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Planck
8 Sep 2015, 23:05
BigApe
8 Sep 2015, 22:47

Quoting limited to 2 levels deep
So basically Daran Little is Mrs Peel but for Coronation Street :P .
Unless of course a correction gets edited ;)
Your approval is neither desired nor required.

Julia Smith "We decided to go for a realistic, fairly outspoken type of drama which could encompass stories about homosexuality, rape, unemployment, racial prejudice, etc., in a believable context. Above all, we wanted realism".

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Amazee-Dayzee
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Shamelessness
8 Sep 2015, 21:16
MrJames
8 Sep 2015, 21:14
That said, Liam is absolutely untouchable when it comes to legacy characters and look at him.
Five years time, when the money and jobs have dried up for Patsy Palmer/Sid Owen/Charlie Brooks, he'll be back, recast, and it will be spectacular.
Didn't Sid Owen PERMANENTLY retire from acting? If so, I don't think we'll see Ricky ever again.
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MitchellMember4Eva
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Can I add that I was in the front row for this session. Black jumper if you can spot me. I was behind the story editor of EastEnders and a writer on Hollyoaks. Nice people.

But it was a good panel. Really enjoyed it. Got to meet DTC afterwards and he was really nice.
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DirtyDen
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DirtyDen(ise)
Amazee-Dayzee
9 Sep 2015, 01:36
Shamelessness
8 Sep 2015, 21:16

Quoting limited to 2 levels deep
Didn't Sid Owen PERMANENTLY retire from acting? If so, I don't think we'll see Ricky ever again.
I believe he's opened a restaurant in France and lives there now.
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*Betty*
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I loved this.

I wish it was just Kate Oates and Dom tho.

Daran was quite cold and unprofessional in the way he discussed the actor who was sacked (I'm assuming it's Martin Platt) and he clearly dislikes Stuart Blackburn. I think he would jump ship at the drop of a hat to be the Corrie producer. He probably knows just how bad the show is. Sally Ann is fab though. A real asset to that show.

So who do we think was supposed to die? Cindy, Dean, Carol or Lola I would say. It was nice to hear Kellie talk so openly about her involvement with Linda. In regards to the pill issue I think it's probably more to do with Linda's stereotyping. She will probably object to Lee taking medication, rather than about her reaction to Stacey.

Dom is so passionate about the show, I loved how open he talked about Kathy's return. Even relating back to Corrie's story. And the Avengers Assemble. He is such an EE geek.

Kate Oates is actually amazing. I'd love to see her actually jump ship and be Dom's replacement.

Bryan Kirkwood is delusional. He actually insults his audience by saying they have no interest in realism and have short attention spans. It was almost as bad as Stuart Blackburn's if I didn't do these things then I'd deserved to be sacked speech. You do deserve to be sacked, you fool.

Brilliant video.
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BigApe
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I might check out the video and just tolerate Stuart Blackburn's presence although if I organised that event he would be only there to serve food and drink.
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BigApe
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Oh dear. Stuart Blackburn started boasting. I'll watch this later.

DTC is a great guy though despite some of his dubious decisions and it must also be noted that David Liddiment is a former soap producer and did a documentary ten years ago about the soaps which I'll try and dig out of my video collection. Listening to these two talking and then hearing SB giving us typical management "the boss is coming look busy" style jargon complete with passionate body language really exposes who has the right to vocal chords in that room. Even the audience member that briefly looks round to see if he's on camera part way through contributed more to the discussion than Blackburn.

By the way I'm not implying the rest of the participants are rubbish talkers. I simply only got as far as DTC, David Liddiment and Boy Blunder.
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BigApe
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Watched a little bit more. Interesting that they mention ghosts because Corrie had a ghost featured in 1975. Betty heard Martha Longhurst who died before she arrived in the Street. And of course Vera Duckworth came back as a ghost.

And they remember Kathy's dream sequence but Phil's nightmare in Get Johnny Week is also an example of that.
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Mrs Peel
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ChrissieW
9 Sep 2015, 00:13
I do think if the top job at Coronation Street was offered to Daran Little he'd take it. Although perhaps they'd go for Kate Oates, she must be highly regarded at ITV for the work she's doing on Emmerdale.

As for the perception of soaps, I think it's pretty much the same now as it was five years ago, ten years ago, fifteen years ago. As DTC himself pointed out, that snobbery is still there and I think it always will be. I think soaps are still seen as generally tacky and throwaway, certainly compared to proper dramas but with occasional moments of genuine quality. Generally they are praised when tackling issues (Bianca terminating her pregnancy, Kat's child abuse, Stacey's Bipolar, Shabnam's stillbirth; all highly praised) and it is widely acknowledged that there are some good actors working on soap just as it was five, ten, fifteen years ago, but I don't feel the overriding perception of the genre has changed. Certainly I haven't noticed it changing. For example, actors in soap are still often referred to as "soap actors" rather than "actors" and that's still as pejorative a term as it always was.

I would say there is less media interest in soaps than there used to be. Whilst still popular in terms of ratings they are no longer seen as "water cooler" TV and with less media interest comes less scrutiny. In fact even within the last five years there's been a slight shift. If a baby swap story was attempted now I don't think the media would care, whereas if they tried to bring Kathy back from the dead five years ago I think it would have been completely ridiculed. If anything I think there is a greater indifference towards soaps now rather than a great respect. That's partially what made Live Week such a great achievement from a marketing perspective. Soaps don't really create buzz anymore and I don't think ever will on a consistent basis, yet for one week EastEnders was a talking point again.
Daran Little has always been forthright about his love of Corrie. He was behind Corrie the year it trounced EastEnders (2003) at the Soap Awards with such storylines as Dickie Hillman (the first soap serial killer), Peter Barlow's bigamy and Todd Grimshaw coming out (based on Little's own experience). He's also maintained close friendships with many of the actors on Corrie, many of whom were on the show when he was there.

His disdain of Stuart Blackburn was palpable. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he were approached and accepted the job as EP when Blackburn departs. Blackburn is Corrie's Kirkwood.

As for soaps tackling relevant social issues, it's very safe to say that both EastEnders and Corrie took their lead from Brookside in the early 90s, which was the first soap to make social issues their forte - until tits and arse took over, which heraled its end.
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Mrs Peel
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*Betty*
9 Sep 2015, 22:45
So who do we think was supposed to die?
I wonder if the death was supposed to be Carol, dying from cancer? The storyline was supposed to centre around he BRCA gene and was supposed to feature Bianca and Sonia, especially Sonia who had the gene. I do think Carol was supposed to die, and then the storyline would focus on the two sisters and how they dealt with the situation. After all, Lindsay Coulson originally was supposed to leave at ChristmaS 2013, but DTC talked her into staying on for the cancer storyline.

Of course, that storyline was blown apart by Patsy Palmer leaving. Even Terry Alderton said the storyline had to be changed to accommodate her departure. Now, the gene aspect of the storyline isn't even mentioned. Sonia could have been such a different character if this had proceeded.
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DirtyDen
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DirtyDen(ise)
Mrs Peel
10 Sep 2015, 10:23
*Betty*
9 Sep 2015, 22:45
So who do we think was supposed to die?
I wonder if the death was supposed to be Carol, dying from cancer? The storyline was supposed to centre around he BRCA gene and was supposed to feature Bianca and Sonia, especially Sonia who had the gene. I do think Carol was supposed to die, and then the storyline would focus on the two sisters and how they dealt with the situation. After all, Lindsay Coulson originally was supposed to leave at ChristmaS 2013, but DTC talked her into staying on for the cancer storyline.

Of course, that storyline was blown apart by Patsy Palmer leaving. Even Terry Alderton said the storyline had to be changed to accommodate her departure. Now, the gene aspect of the storyline isn't even mentioned. Sonia could have been such a different character if this had proceeded.
I can confirm that it wasn't Carol. I bumped into DTC yesterday and asked him outright.
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