Best British soap by far! (Hollyoaks)

Member Name: girliesogroovy23

Product:	Hollyoaks
Date:	15/07/08 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to follow, good storylines

Disadvantages: needs to be watched a few times before you appreciate it!

It's not the best t.v show in the world, but I love it, and you'll quickly become addicted to it! I never miss an episode and have been watching Hollyoaks for years now.

The show was first aired in 1995, and is set in the fictional village of Hollyoaks in Chester. It was originally created by the same guy that brought us Grange Hill and Brookside. It's mainly aimed at the younger generation, although the storylines covered do affect many different age groups. I've been watching it since I was around 12, and religiously since I was about 15 (I'm 20 now!).

The performances of the actors often leave a lot to be desired. To put it bluntly, they're not the best actors, and sometimes the performances are laughable. But, it adds to the charm of the show for me, and it just wouldn't be the same without them!

The show often receives criticism for having a cast that is far too good looking! In my opinion, yeah the girls look perfect all the time, and the guys are all pretty hot. The show probably wouldn't do as well as it does if the actors weren't so aesthetically pleasing, and the casting directors obviously know what the audience wants to see!

Broadcasting

Hollyoaks is broadcast on Channel 4 each weekday at 6:30pm. You can catch up with the previous day's episode on E4 at 4:30pm, and have a first look at the next days episode at 7:00pm. An omnibus is aired on E4 on a Saturday and Channel 4 on a Sunday. You can also catch up with the episodes on the www.channel4.com/watchonline or on 4OD. Each episode lasts approximately 25 minutes.

Characters

The show includes a number of different characters, who are frequently changing. It mainly revolves around various families, and each individual family member is given their own storylines at different points in time. Tony Hutchinson is now the only original character to still be in the show today.

My favourite character has to be Tom Cunningham played by Ellis Hollins. He's only 8 years old but has already proved himself to be a great actor. He's cute too!
Storylines

The show is famous for it's real-life storylines that cover many issues surrounding young people's lives today. There are always a number of storylines going on at once in the show, but it's very easy to follow each one without getting confused. The show tends to include issues that are often thought of as controversial in real life. It has covered issues like anorexia, murder, arson, carbon monoxide poisoning, gambling, teacher/student relationships, teenage pregnancy, financial problems, domestic violence, homosexuality, rape, incest and shoplifting. The details of support groups relating to the current issue in the show are displayed at the end of the episodes.

Some issues covered have been too extreme to air the programme's normal time-slot, so late-night spin off episodes are created to allow the storyline to be fully explored.

The most recent storyline that has received a great deal of media attention was the death of Max Cunningham, who had been in the show since the beginning. I must admit that I did cry when watching the episodes surrounding his death! Sad, or what?

The storylines, like in most soaps, are often extreme. There are numerous major disasters that happen in the village, but it's not reality, it's a soap!

I guarantee that if you watch the show a few times you will be hooked! Once you get past the poor acting skills of the majority of the cast it's a really enjoyable show to watch. The soundtrack is usually pretty good too and uses a lot of current chart music.

Summary: If you want a soap that covers issues that other shows don't, this is the one to watch!