UK Soap Press Clippings Thread

[Spells & Karma]

I’m seven episodes in and I can see where Acorn Antiques borrowed from it. There’s lots of “You forgot my sweetener” style scene ends and the latest episode that I watched ended with the cliffhanger of someone forgetting to pick up a bottle of tonic from the doctors, reminiscent of “After last Friday’s exciting cliffhanger, let’s see if they’re any further on with mending that umbrella stand”.

It’s a charming little show and an easy watch.

That sounds wonderful. I'm sure I'd enjoy it.

Despite Crossroads' reputation I thoroughly enjoyed that series and ended up thinking it was actually a good series that was (mostly) unfairly maligned, so I have no aversion whatsoever when it comes to un-cliffhangery cliffhangers.

 

[AndyB2008]

View attachment 53855
This time 29 years ago, an even shorter lived BBC soap was in the middle of its summer run of 24 episodes. Castles was unusual in that it was a Granada soap produced for the BBC. While Granada had produced programmes for other channels before, this was the first time one of their soaps hadn’t aired on ITV (Corrie, The Practice, Albion Market, Families, Revelations were all made for ITV). Going out twice a week (initially on Tuesday & Thursday evenings), Castles was created by Corrie writer Peter Whalley and featured Sally Wainwright (future creator of Happy Valley) on the writing staff.

Tony Doyle was later cast to play Patsy Palmer's father in McCready and Daughter, the latter's post EastEnders vehicle. (I think his casting was because the BBC wanted a more known actor as they felt Patsy couldn't carry the show herself, and they had got cold feet after the failures of The Hello Girls and Crime Traveller, both with ex EastEnders stars).

He died before McCready and Daughter went into production, and the role was recast with Lorcan Cranitch (again, another known actor) for the pilot and series.

Ref The Hello Girls, it was originally axed due to poor ratings, but given a 2nd chance by the new BBC1 controller at the time, Peter Salmon, as he felt it had potential. The revived series saw a time jump from 1959 to 1961, but again the series flopped.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

While soaps have dipped their toes into the Sunday schedules (afternoon omnibuses, Corrie’s Sunday evening episode 1996-2008 & Emmerdale 2004-2008), there’s been very few that originated on Sunday evenings. Albion Market is one of the exceptions. A Granada soap that was supposed to be a companion piece to Corrie, it launched in what were regarded as graveyard slots on Friday & Sunday evenings in August 1985. Bad reviews and poor ratings prompted some ITV networks to shift the Sunday episode to an afternoon slot, while others gave up on the Friday screening altogether, airing episodes as a double bill at Sunday teatime. Attempts to revive the show by bringing in “names” including 60’s pop singer Helen Shapiro as tough hairdresser Viv Harket and Till Death Us Do Part star Tony Booth as pub landlord Ted did little to increase ratings and the market shut up shop after one year and 100 episodes. Having watched some episodes a few years ago, I can see why it didn’t last. It was utter cack. The setting was drab, the storylines boring and the characters badly written. The only positive thing I can say about it is that the theme tune was catchy. The bulk of the episodes are out there if anyone is looking for something to send them to sleep at night.

 

[Spells & Karma]

The setting was drab, the storylines boring and the characters badly written.

I don't ever remember actively watching an episode, but I know I did see some of it and it never really grabbed me. I do remember finding it drab (though I think that aspect would appeal to me more today), and I have an idea that I might also have thought the market setting too obvious an attempt to emulate that aspect of EastEnders.

It's a shame that the writing wasn't so good on the episodes you watched. The two main writers of the opening batch of episodes were Peter Whalley who wrote a lot for Corrie and Andrew Lynch who did some great work on Brookside. Add Bill Podmore's name and it all suggests a higher standard than it seems the final product had.

The only positive thing I can say about it is that the theme tune was catchy.

Yes. I had it on a TV themes tape back in the day (an official ITV one with the original themes instead of synthesised covers) and played it quite a lot. I haven't heard it in years, but still remember it with the catchy harmonica. It reminded me of George Fenton's themes for Shoestring and Bergerac.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I do remember finding it drab (though I think that aspect would appeal to me more today)

I like gritty, kitchen sink drama but this doesn’t even fall into that category. It was just a boring setting. At least with EastEnders, the market was part of a number of settings whereas everything in Albion Market (as the title would suggest) was set on the market. This may have changed over time but there’s only so much drama that you can mine from stall holders gossiping and battling for a pitch.

The two main writers of the opening batch of episodes were Peter Whalley who wrote a lot for Corrie and Andrew Lynch who did some great work on Brookside. And producer Add Bill Podmore's name as producer and it all suggests a higher standard than it seems the final product had.

The show had a great pedigree behind the scenes. Even that final episode posted above had David Liddiment as a producer and Kay Mellor as storyliner. In front of the cameras too, there were some great actors. I’m only going on what I’ve read, as I was a toddler when it premiered, but I think it was doomed to fail from the outset due to the timeslots and lack of interest from some ITV networks. It might’ve worked as a more cheaply made daytime soap because, as discussed before, ITV had form for unambitious soap settings in their daytime dramas.

 

[Spells & Karma]

everything in Albion Market (as the title would suggest) was set on the market. This may have changed over time but there’s only so much drama that you can mine from stall holders gossiping and battling for a pitch.

Very true. It's actually a very specific premise, bordering on niche, and there's little room for long-term development.

It's also very limiting in terms of potential friction. EastEnders had its cheery stallholders huffing into fingerless gloves mingling with more middle-class Dagmar-inhabiting invaders that represented the gentrification of the East End. Brookside had a similar tension. But I can't really envisage any middle class characters appearing on this series bar the occasional walk-on, so it could all end up feeling very one-note.

Thinking about it, since we've discussed Acorn Antiques on this thread recently, I wonder how much of Victoria Wood's follow-up, The Mall was inspired by Albion Market's setting. It always looked so very much like an Eldorado spoof that I never even thought of the Albion Market connection with the retail premise.

I think it was doomed to fail from the outset due to the timeslots and lack of interest from some ITV networks.

This is where ITV could really struggle. I imagine it took a lot of coordination for a series to make any kind of splash. All it takes is one or two big regional networks to lose interest and any series would take a hit.

It might’ve worked as a more cheaply made daytime soap because, as discussed before, ITV had form for unambitious soap settings in their daytime dramas.

I wonder if continuing in this way was ever considered.

I was rather shocked to read in the article that Albion was "the costliest soap opera made in Britain" at the time. I've read that the exterior signage was still present for many years afterwards, but is it known what happened to the set afterwards? You'd think Granada would want to recoup the most from their investment.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Thinking about it, since we've discussed Acorn Antiques on this thread recently, I wonder how much of Victoria Wood's follow-up, The Mall was inspired by Albion Market's setting. It always looked so very much like an Eldorado spoof that I never even thought of the Albion Market connection with the retail premise.

In the episodes of Albion Market that I watched (I think I may have managed ten) I didn’t see anything that I’d tie in with The Mall but there could have been from later episodes.

This is where ITV could really struggle. I imagine it took a lot of coordination for a series to make any kind of splash. All it takes is one or two big regional networks to lose interest and any series would take a hit.

There’s a short interview with producer David Liddiment here where he mentions that the series was basically created for LWT as a big Granada soap for the weekend, but it never rated well in London and that was the death of it. TVS apparently weren’t fond of it either. I think it may have been a case of one Northern soap too many for the viewers in the south, considering they already had Corrie, Emmerdale and Brookside.

I wonder if continuing in this way was ever considered.

This gets a mention in the interview too. It apparently would’ve been too costly to Granada (something to do with points) to keep it going as a daytime soap.

I was rather shocked to read in the article that Albion was "the costliest soap opera made in Britain" at the time. I've read that the exterior signage was still present for many years afterwards, but is it known what happened to the set afterwards? You'd think Granada would want to recoup the most from their investment.

I was quite surprised by this too. I’d read (although it may have been written tongue in cheek) that the set was just Granada’s old prop store, tarted up as a covered market. I’m not sure if any of the set was eventually absorbed in Coronation Street but there’s apparently a hotel built on the site now.

 

[AndyB2008]

In the episodes of Albion Market that I watched (I think I may have managed ten) I didn’t see anything that I’d tie in with The Mall but there could have been from later episodes.

There’s a short interview with producer David Liddiment here where he mentions that the series was basically created for LWT as a big Granada soap for the weekend, but it never rated well in London and that was the death of it. TVS apparently weren’t fond of it either. I think it may have been a case of one Northern soap too many for the viewers in the south, considering they already had Corrie, Emmerdale and Brookside.

This gets a mention in the interview too. It apparently would’ve been too costly to Granada (something to do with points) to keep it going as a daytime soap.

I was quite surprised by this too. I’d read (although it may have been written tongue in cheek) that the set was just Granada’s old prop store, tarted up as a covered market. I’m not sure if any of the set was eventually absorbed in Coronation Street but there’s apparently a hotel built on the site now.

The Mike Scott who David Liddiment talks about in the interview is the same Mike Scott who originally presented The Time.... The Place.

 

[AndyB2008]

In the episodes of Albion Market that I watched (I think I may have managed ten) I didn’t see anything that I’d tie in with The Mall but there could have been from later episodes.

There’s a short interview with producer David Liddiment here where he mentions that the series was basically created for LWT as a big Granada soap for the weekend, but it never rated well in London and that was the death of it. TVS apparently weren’t fond of it either. I think it may have been a case of one Northern soap too many for the viewers in the south, considering they already had Corrie, Emmerdale and Brookside.

This gets a mention in the interview too. It apparently would’ve been too costly to Granada (something to do with points) to keep it going as a daytime soap.

I was quite surprised by this too. I’d read (although it may have been written tongue in cheek) that the set was just Granada’s old prop store, tarted up as a covered market. I’m not sure if any of the set was eventually absorbed in Coronation Street but there’s apparently a hotel built on the site now.

Emmerdale never rated as well in the south either - when Carlton took over in London, they were rumours they planned to drop Emmerdale and replace it with their own soap opera (something they promised in their winning application).

Hence why Yorkshire TV started to make changes - bringing in the Windsors (hence why Darryl Stubbs had to be recast on Birds of A Feather)and McAllisters to appeal to southerners, and bringing in Phil Redmond, culminating in the infamous plane crash, which got them a massive audience but was pretty controversial as it aired close to the 5th anniversary of the Lockerbie attack.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Emmerdale never rated as well in the south either - when Carlton took over in London, they were rumours they planned to drop Emmerdale and replace it with their own soap opera (something they promised in their winning application).

Carlton would eventually launch their own soap, London Bridge, in 1996.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

On the very same weekend that Albion Market began, the BBC launched its own Sunday night saga. Alongside EastEnders, which had started a few months prior, Howards’ Way was part of the BBC’s push to be “more populist” in the face of a ratings war with ITV. Originally titled The Boat Builders, I’m presuming the above is from some sort of BBC promo material that was issued in a press pack, prior to it being renamed.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

It was sailing metaphors galore when the retitled Howards’ Way took off. The early family dramas involving relationship breakdowns and indecision about what to do with one’s life, soon gave way to high octane shenanigans involving exploding boats, fashion empires and millionaires hopping from helicopters to yachts.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

the cliffhanger of someone forgetting to pick up a bottle of tonic from the doctors, reminiscent of “After last Friday’s exciting cliffhanger, let’s see if they’re any further on with mending that umbrella stand”.

On The Cedar Tree cliffhanger front, a recent episode ended with the Bournes discovering that their new GP is (shock horror) a Catholic!

For all its frivolity, there are some serious moments thrown in. A seemingly fluffy scene where Helen reads aloud a letter from their youngest daughter who’s in school in Germany, is peppered with mentions of her friend joining Hitler Youth. Commander Bourne even agrees with the ethos of the Hitler training camps that the boys are sent off to. So for all of the charm and cosiness of Larkfield Manor, the shadow of what’s to come later in the decade is lurking on the sidelines.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Originating as a half hour, twice a week soap airing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Dream Team became a Sunday night staple when it was reworked as an hourlong show and broadcast weekly from its fourth series onwards. Later overshadowed by Footballers Wives, which is now arguably the better remembered football soap from that era, Dream Team actually ran for much longer (1997-2007). Amidst an ever changing cast, club owner Lynda Block (Alison King) and star player Karl “Fletch” Fletcher (Terry Kiely) are probably the most recognisable characters from the series. Alison King has gone on to achieve Corrie icon status as Carla Connor while Kiely had the misfortune of joining Family Affairs as part of its revamped cast, just before the show was axed in 2005. Despite being killed off in Dream Team, Fletch would return briefly in 2007 as a ghost, after being summoned via ouija board (as you do). Other names to don the Harchester United kit include Ricky Whittle (Hollyoaks, American Gods), Robert Kazinsky (EastEnders, Pacific Rim, Captain Marvel) and Jamie Lomas (EastEnders, Hollyoaks).

 

[AndyB2008]

View attachment 53905
Originating as a half hour, twice a week soap airing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Dream Team became a Sunday night staple when it was reworked as an hourlong show and broadcast weekly from its fourth series onwards. Later overshadowed by Footballers Wives, which is now arguably the better remembered football soap from that era, Dream Team actually ran for much longer (1997-2007). Amidst an ever changing cast, club owner Lynda Block (Alison King) and star player Karl “Fletch” Fletcher (Terry Kiely) are probably the most recognisable characters from the series. Alison King has gone on to achieve Corrie icon status as Carla Connor while Kiely had the misfortune of joining Family Affairs as part of its revamped cast, just before the show was axed in 2005. Despite being killed off in Dream Team, Fletch would return briefly in 2007 as a ghost, after being summoned via ouija board (as you do). Other names to don the Harchester United kit include Ricky Whittle (Hollyoaks, American Gods), Robert Kazinsky (EastEnders, Pacific Rim, Captain Marvel) and Jamie Lomas (EastEnders, Hollyoaks).

Frances Ruffelle (Eurovision representative for the UK in 1994) also featured, as did Stefan Dennis and Shane Lynch.

Jon Morrison, aka Kenny from Vera, also appeared. He was the one who crashed into the team coach in one season cliffhanger.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Frances Ruffelle (Eurovision representative for the UK in 1994) also featured, as did Stefan Dennis and Shane Lynch.

Jon Morrison, aka Kenny from Vera, also appeared. He was the one who crashed into the team coach in one season cliffhanger.

I remember Shane Lynch being on it but I’d completely forgotten about Stefan Dennis’ stint. Ramon Tikaram from This Life also showed up at one stage, as a dodgy agent or manager if I remember correctly.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Print ads for the UK soaps are something of a rarity. I think Brookside may have done some (in addition to billboards) but the majority of promotion was done through articles in the likes of TV Times, Radio Times and the soap mags. Family Affairs was one of the exceptions. The soon to be launched Channel 5 ran a plethora of print and billboard ads ahead of its opening night on Easter Sunday 1997, including magazine ads for its flagship soap (like the one above).

 

[Werewillie Oleson]

View attachment 53893
I’m presuming the above is from some sort of BBC promo material that was issued in a press pack, prior to it being renamed.

That looks very obscure. Great find!

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

A TV guide listing for Family Affairs’ premiere episode, starring a number of soap veterans (Corrie’s Ken Farrington, Brookside’s Annie Miles & Together’s Delena Kidd) as well as a host of new talent (including a future Hollywood star).

 

[AndyB2008]

View attachment 53947
A TV guide listing for Family Affairs’ premiere episode, starring a number of soap veterans (Corrie’s Ken Farrington, Brookside’s Annie Miles & Together’s Delena Kidd) as well as a host of new talent (including a future Hollywood star).

Liz Crowther also part of the cast (Leslie's daughter), and Ian Cullen (writer of Tyne Tees children's show The Paper Lads).

Ian Ashpitel nowadays plays Ernie Wise on stage alongside Jonty Stephens as Eric Morecambe.