A soap opera, daytime drama, or soap for short, is typically a long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers. The term was preceded by "horse opera", a derogatory term for low-budget Westerns.
Home and Away (H&A) is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, New South Wales, where he noticed locals were complaining about the construction of a foster home and against the idea of foster children from the city living in the area. The soap opera was initially going to be called Refuge, but the name was changed to the "friendlier" title of Home and Away once production began.
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 7,900 episodes and 32 years. It is one of the most watched television programmes in New Zealand.
Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell are fictional characters and a supercouple from the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Scott was portrayed by Jason Donovan, and Charlene was portrayed by Kylie Minogue.
Arcade is an Australian television soap opera which aired on Network Ten from 20 January 1980 to 29 February 1980. Following the broadcast of the 76-minute premiere episode, the series then ran five nights a week, Mondays to Fridays, as a 25-minute serial. It was produced solely by Network Ten with a start-up budget of almost $1 million. Arcade was set in a fictitious shopping mall in the northern suburbs of Sydney. The show dealt with the lives and loves of the characters who worked at the various stores within the shopping complex. It is regarded as one of the least successful dramas in the history of Australian television.
Punishment is an Australian television soap opera made by the Reg Grundy Organisation for Network Ten in 1981.
Scott Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. He was created by Reg Watson as one of the serial's twelve original characters. Originally played by Darius Perkins, he made his debut during the first episode broadcast on 18 March 1985. Perkins was 20 years old when he received the role of teenager Scott. He felt some anxiety about his audition performance and did not think anything was going to come from it, until the production company contacted him a month later to sign on as Scott. When production moved to Network Ten in 1986, producers wanted "a more upfront" Scott and the role was recast to Jason Donovan, who joined the cast following his graduation from school. He made his debut on 12 February 1986, and producers hoped Donovan's blond hair and blue eyes would increase the character's appeal. Perkins later said that he had been physically and mentally exhausted after filming for nine months, and felt unable to continue in the role of Scott.
Charlene Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Kylie Minogue. Charlene was introduced to the show along with several new characters, as part of a revamp by Network Ten to increase ratings. Minogue auditioned for the role in 1985, shortly after finishing her high school exams. She attended the audition dressed as the character and casting director Jan Russ cast her in the role. Minogue was initially contracted for a week, but this was later extended through to mid-1988. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 April 1986.
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap Sons and Daughters. Although successful in Melbourne, Neighbours underperformed in the Sydney market and was cancelled by Seven four months after it began airing. It was immediately commissioned by rival Network Ten for a second production season, which began screening on 20 January 1986. Neighbours became the longest-running drama series in Australian television history. In 2005, it was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.
Bruce Samazan is an Australian actor. He perhaps best known for being the only male actor to have played regular roles in Australia's "Big Three" soap operas of the 1990s: E Street, Neighbours, and Home and Away. He won a Logie Award in 1992 and released a rap single in 1993. After he gave up acting in 2000, Samazan worked as a real estate agent.
The following is a list of soap operas from Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States that have aired in Australia over the years, in daytime and primetime slots on both free-to-air and pay television.
Out of the Blue is an Australian serial drama commissioned by the BBC, and produced by Australia's Southern Star Entertainment. It began screening on BBC One on weekday afternoons on 28 April 2008. The programme attracted lower than desired ratings figures, prompting the broadcaster to shift it to its second channel BBC Two from 19 May 2008. The BBC eventually decided not to commission a second series, and the final episode aired on 29 January 2009. The rights to show the first series in Australia were purchased by Network Ten, while in the UK, Channel 5 has picked up the repeat rights to Out of the Blue, and began airing all 130 episodes on digital sister channel Fiver in February 2009.
The Ramsay family is a fictional family from the Australian soap opera Neighbours. The family were one of three central families created by Reg Watson and introduced in the first episode of Neighbours in March 1985. Watson wanted the Ramsays to be humorous and rougher than the Robinson family. Ramsay Street, a cul-de-sac which is the central setting of the series, is named after the family. In 2001, the last Ramsay, Madge, departed the series. Eight years later, a new generation of the Ramsay family was introduced.
Heath Braxton is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Dan Ewing. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 February 2011. Ewing confirmed his departure in December 2013 and Heath made his on-screen exit on 29 July 2014, but made a brief appearance on 23 September 2014 for his brother Casey Braxton's funeral. Heath and his wife Bianca Scott made a return in 2016 and departed on 3 February 2017. Ewing reprised the role for one episode on 3 February 2021.
Jason Herbison is an Australian television producer, screenwriter and novelist, most recently serving as the executive producer of the soap opera Neighbours. He has written scripts for numerous television serials, and has published several novels.
Neighbours is a long-running Australian television soap opera created by television executive Reg Watson. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985 and currently airs on digital channel 10 Peach. Since its inception, several spin-offs have been produced, including books, music, DVDs and internet webisodes. Several annuals and books by pulp fiction writer Carl Ruhen were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Barry Crocker's version of the theme tune was the first music release from the show, which also has included a Christmas album and the show's love theme. Two potential television spin-offs have reached the pilot stage, while five DVD box sets of Neighbours episodes from the beginning have been released. In 2013, Neighbours launched their first webisode series Steph in Prison. Several other webisode series have since been released. Other merchandise includes official video and board games, stationery and clothing.
Dean Thompson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Patrick O'Connor. The character made his first screen appearance on 1 February 2018. The character was introduced as one of Home and Away's new River Boys, who are a fictional criminal gang that reside in Mangrove River. The show had previously included actors playing the River Boys in their regular cast, most notably the Braxton brothers. They became popular with viewers and were led by actor Steve Peacocke as Darryl Braxton. When O'Connor joined the show he felt pressured to live up to the "legacy" Peacocke had created on the show. He watched old episodes and researched the role with two former cast members who played River Boys.
Colby Thorne is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Tim Franklin. The actor learned from his agent that he had secured the role on his 27th birthday. He had previously made a guest appearance in the series as Azza Mason in 2015, but Colby is his first full-time television role. Franklin began filming in August 2017, and he made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 6 February 2018. The character was introduced as a replacement for Kat Chapman, who died in the season finale, and his arrival was publicised in a trailer showcasing upcoming 2018 storylines.
