Soaps have been a major part of British and World televison. Soap operas started on BBC Radio 4, which has been running since 1951. But since the 1960s, soaps like Coronation street revolutionised British television with their gritty storylines and phenomenal ratings. But since the 1990s, a new genre called Teen soaps, have broken through and has had me (personally) glued to the television.

Teen soaps like Hollyoaks, Skins and Family Affairs often revolve around the lives of 16-25 year olds. The soaps are often set in working or middle class environments, and the characters are shown to be ‘normal’ or ‘the average’ person, so we, the viewers, can familiarise ourselves with them and their situations. The common situations deal with family life, personal relationships, sexual dramas, emotional and moral conflicts; some coverage of topical issues; set in familiar domestic interiors with only occasional excursions into new locations, such as the recent forest setting of Hollyoaks. In most teen soaps, the main characters are students who attend the local high school or college (e.g.. Roundview of Skins), however, the stereotype of a student is to be a ‘nonstop party goer’ therefore, a local hangout , club or Student Union is often a common setting whilst the students are away from school. The props used in the teen soap, are not very specific as they are shown according to the environment, for example, a school bag if in school, or alcohol bottle if in a club/bar.

The lighting used in teen soaps, is often very natural, realistic and relevant to the seasons as the teen soaps portray the typical British weather. However, although, some lighting is artificial to capture the perfect light, most Teen soaps are sets are real with real sunlight, such as the Village in Hollyoaks (Chester) and the College in Skins (College Green, Bristol).

Finally, the editing in teen soaps is like any other programme as conversations between two or more characters are shot using multiple cameras, to capture the characters face and lines, and then edited together, so their faces are shown as they speak. This is effective as it enables us ,the viewers, to feel like we are in the actual conversation.