Coronation Street Analysis

I felt it was necessary to analyse another Soap Opera other than Eastenders so I chose Coronation Street, the longest running Soap Opera on British television. Firstly the narrative within the episode is similar to that of Eastenders. Coronation Street adheres to the conventions of a soap, thus having multiple narratives running parralell within one episode. For example the builder is having two seperate relationships with two different women which are known as parallel storylines which run concurrently with eachother. These narratives then branch out into other narratives, possibly creating new ones such as the final scene in the episode where the archetypal fiesty young female (Kylie) steals from the pub, whilst the owner is distracted by the builder. This coincides with soaps being deeply community based and usually having a central meeting point (typically a pub) where all the characters meet. These meeting points are typical in every episode and often the setting for major events, otherwise known as central narratives. This particular episode ended in a cliff hanger which is dramatic thus making the viewer anticipate next episode where the next episode will continue from where they left off. For example there is a continuity between episodes such as the young man going to prison, despite the assault was in a previous episode as a new viewer i easily assimilated in the world of Coronation Street a instantly began to become familiar with the multiple narratives. 

The episode begins with a family having breakfast and ends very late at night within the world of the soap, despite this being very basic it helps establish the realism necessary and gives a sense of real time to the narrative. Aspects of realism within this episode include the adolescent behaviour with Kylie which is typical of her age thus allowing younger members of the audience such as the youth to empathise with this behaviour.Everyday situations such as pregnancy is a prominent theme within the media in contemporary society such as teenage pregnancy, thus worried about son, therefore stealing which creates a dramatic ending. Social class representations are accurate such as the individuals or groups within the cafe are primarily working class. Therefore Coronation Street features archetypal characters such as the builder who is of a working class background which is relatable to the majority of viewers as the target audience consists primarily of working class people.

In conclusion i found that both Eastenders and Coronation Street include the majority of soap opera conventions therefore i feel comfortable to proceed further into my advanced production.