Holy Soap

Last updated
Holy Soap
Type of site
Television, entertainment
Available in English
Owner Channel 5
URL http://holysoap.channel5.com/
RegistrationFree
Launched25 June 2005
Current statusInactive

Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours , which are broadcast on the channel. The site allows users to watch full episodes of the soaps on the day they are broadcast, as well as providing additional information about the cast and characters. Holy Soap also includes news and features from four British soap operas that are not broadcast on Channel 5. On 30 June 2011, Holy Soap announced that it was closing.

Contents

Format

In June 2010, Channel 5 launched Holy Soap and it became the official UK website for the two Australian soap operas, Home and Away and Neighbours. [1] Holy Soap replaced the programmes' stand-alone sites in the UK. [2] The website allows viewers to watch full episodes of the soaps on the day they are broadcast, as well as previous episodes up to thirty days after they have aired. [3] The site also includes news, gossip and video spoilers from British soap operas; EastEnders , Emmerdale , Coronation Street and Hollyoaks . [3] Links to full episodes of the British soaps are also included. [4] Images, cast and character profiles and exclusive interviews are available on the site for each of the soaps. [3]

The site does not have any branding, so it attracts viewers who are interested in soaps on different channels. [1] [2] It was designed by Taglab and developed by Unboxed Consulting. [1] Five Sales sell the video advertising around the episodes and previews of Home and Away and Neighbours, while digital media agency Unanimis, sell the display advertising on the site. [1] Holy Soap forms part of Five's Digital Media Group platform, which also includes FiveFwd, a website aimed at fans of cars and gadgets. [5]

On the launch of the site, Channel 5's head of digital media, Jonathan Lewis said: "We're not precious. We know that soap fans have voracious appetites and that many of the same people who love Neighbours and Home and Away love the soaps on the other channels, too. So it makes sense to construct a destination where individuals can share their love of all the big soaps on TV". [1]

On 30 June 2011, Holy Soap announced that it was closing that day and the Australian soap operas, Neighbours and Home and Away, were being moved to a new online home at channel5.com. [6]

Reception

Gavin Reeder of Media Week reviewed the website and said that it "doesn't realise its potential" and that it "needs to have more personality and sense of humour". [7] He added "There are some nice little snippets and gems about future storylines. However, it feels like it lacks the editorial investment required to become a portal for soap news and doesn't differentiate itself from the tabloids and TV mags with a range of video content or the immediacy that only online can deliver". [7] Since its launch in 2009, between 25% and 30% of the traffic to the site is to the non-Five programmes. [8] In December 2009, it was announced that Holy Soap, combined with FiveFwd and Five Casino, formed the "fastest growing group of websites among all major UK broadcasters". [5]

Related Research Articles

A soap opera, daily soap 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.

<i>Home and Away</i> Australian television soap opera

Home and Away 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC UKTV</span> Australian pay television channel

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<i>Hollyoaks</i> British soap opera

Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. From 2005 to 2023, episodes have aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4. In 2023, it was announced that Hollyoaks had been removed from Channel 4's schedule, but would remain on E4 and streaming, and it would be added to YouTube.

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<i>Neighbours</i> Australian soap opera (1985–)

Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera, which 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5Star</span> British digital television channel

5Star is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. It originally launched as the female-orientated Five Life on 15 October 2006, and was relaunched as Fiver on 28 April 2008 with a revised version of the same concept. The channel later re-branded as 5* on 7 March 2011, and later to its current name on 11 February 2016. The network focuses on documentaries, comedy and drama, with a range of original content such as Rich Kids Go Skint and Young, Dumb & Banged Up in the Sun, along with some American and Australian imports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringo Brown</span> Fictional character

Ringo Brown is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Sam Clark. Clark was given the role after he entered and won a Dolly magazine competition. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 January 2007. Ringo's storylines have included his ongoing battle with an eating disorder, a bus crash, a relationship with an older woman, the collapse of a warehouse roof at an illegal dance party and his on-off relationship with Donna Freedman. In July 2010, it was announced that Clark had decided to leave Neighbours. He filmed his final scenes at the end of the month and Ringo made his last credited appearance on 1 October 2010, but was killed off-screen in the next episode.

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.

<i>Out of the Blue</i> (2008 TV series) Australian TV series or program

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Freedman</span> Fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Donna Freedman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Margot Robbie. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 2 June 2008. Donna was initially introduced as a guest character, but Robbie was promoted to the regular cast shortly after she made her debut. Donna was originally portrayed as an obsessive fan of musician Ty Harper and someone who had a desire for friends and acceptance. After befriending the teens of Ramsay Street, Donna changes her ways and matures into a warm, loveable girl. She has been described as being fiery, beautiful, kooky and confident.

"Who Pushed P.R.?" is a storyline from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, which began on 27 August 2010, the soap's 6000th episode, when the character Paul Robinson was pushed from the Lassiter's Hotel mezzanine by an unseen assailant. The storyline aired as part of the show's 25th anniversary and Dennis's character was made the focus of the storyline as he was the only remaining member of the original cast. The storyline was initially going to see Paul being shot, but the show's G rating prevented the production team from going ahead with it. Events leading up to and following the attempted murder put several characters in the frame, in the style of a whodunit mystery.

Channel 5 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel launched in 1997. It is the fifth national terrestrial channel in the United Kingdom and is owned by Channel Five Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global, which is grouped under the Paramount Networks UK & Australia division.

Channel 5 airs a wide variety of programming that covers various genres and themes, with programmes about farming, trains and royalty being popular.

Episode 523 is the 523rd episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours. It premiered on Network Ten on 1 July 1987. The episode was written by Ray Harding, directed by Rod Hardy, and executively produced by the serial's creator Reg Watson. Episode 523 focuses on the wedding of popular couple Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell. The storyline was devised by the producers after some viewers became outraged by the idea of an unwed couple moving in together. They also believed that the wedding would be "the perfect climax" to the character's long-running relationship and an instant ratings hit.

Episode 6646, also known as "The Eclipse", is the 6646th episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours. It premiered on Eleven on 20 May 2013. The episode was written by Jason Herbison and directed by Laurence Wilson. Episode 6646 revolves around an annular eclipse, which changes the lives of several Ramsay Street residents. It was first teased by executive producer Richard Jasek in January 2013. The episode saw several storylines play out with Kyle Canning sustaining serious damage to his eyesight, a child kidnapping, the introduction of a new family and the return of two former characters; Mark Brennan and Brad Willis.

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' has since been released, with the most recent series SheilaTV becoming available from December 2018. Other merchandise includes official video and board games, stationary and clothing.

This is a timeline of the history of British television network Channel 5.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Holmwood, Leigh (25 June 2009). "Channel Five launches soap website featuring rival channels' shows". The Guardian . Guardian News and Media Limited . Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  2. 1 2 Bearne, Suzanne (25 June 2009). "Five launches soaps site". Marketing Week. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Kimberley, Sara (25 June 2009). "Five launches dedicated soap website Holy Soap". Media Week. Haymarket Group . Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "Five launches online soap portal". Campaign. Haymarket Group. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Long-form content deal between YouTube and Five to expand reach of broadcaster's programmes". Google Press Centre. Google. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Holy Soap is closing". Holy Soap. Channel 5. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. 1 2 Reeder, Gavin (28 July 2009). "Five's Holy Soap website doesn't quite hit the mark". Media Week. Haymarket Group . Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  8. ↑ "Five's multimedia sweatshop". Royal Television Society . Retrieved 28 June 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
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