The Guardian view on EastEnders at 40: a midlife crisis | EastEnders

“IT is not just like looking at Homer’s Home or resorting to the first page of war and peace, but you have to say NBC did his best to start the start of its new soap twice a week. I stated The trustee television critic in 1985. The review concluded that it would take a year, to see if the show is a pioneer. Eastenders this week celebrated the fortieth anniversary of its founding.
But as with every celebration in Albert Square, a less cheerful story lurks in the background, despite a juvenile full Direct editionDocumentary films nostalgia and The best menus. The Rating giant once in the BBC, which drives 30 million viewers on Christmas Day 1986, suffers from a middle -aged crisis. The Christmas show numbers for this year were 4.39 million people. It is a similar image on ITV, where Coronation Street and Emmerdale will return next year from hour to hour 30 minutes rings.
Reality TV, broadcasting, budget discounts, “Prestige” drama, changing viewing habits, Amnesty International – There are more new players in queues to kill British soap more than there were suspected Phil Mitchell shooters in 2001. For ridiculous stories. Again when the largest glasses on the coronation street were to Deirdre Barlow, the writer Paul Abbott described the excitement of writing a Experimental scenario on Jack Daklith. It will not make the pieces today.
Unlike Dallas, the shoulder and strain in the United States, British soap has always been more blurry celebrations of the families of the working class and life. Korean came out of the kitchen drama in the fifties. Estenders He was born in the changing scene in London Tatcher. The worlds they depicted no longer exist. The idea of the pub as the heart of society is dated like Babycha – the Queen will definitely be from the stomach now.
But soap gave a voice to people who did not speak with radio dialects 4, and it is rarely seen roles for people on our screens, not the least older women. Albert Square belongs to a long group of mothers with large hearts and larger earrings. from The first gay kiss in British soap In Eastenders in 1989, these offers also played an important role in tabing taboos.
Today, TV programs are part of our cultural DNA, such as Dickens’s novels (often cited as soap sects): Elsie Tanner and Dirty den as familiar like Miss Havisham or The Artful Dodger. Simon Mai “DOOF” Eastenders theme Tune (I voted more than the national anthem in 2008The soundtrack was for countless TV dinner. The sad editorial indicated to Korean, written to capture the feeling of sunlight that explodes through clouds, to the end of the day for generations. Regardless of the disasters that occurred in Walford or Weatherfield, they promised comfort and escape from our lives. There are very little sunlight across TV schedules these days.
While the display of numbers will never match with their numbers, these offers are still loved by millions. BBC invested 87 million pounds sterling On a new group for Eastendens, the expansion plans were in the Tawjoj Street group It was announced in 2022Therefore, they will not join the crossroads, Brookside and neighbor On soap SCRAPHEAP any time soon. Will they survive until the next important birthday? Dooof, dof …
-
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you want to provide a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered to be published in our Messages Please section Click here.