Omnibus (broadcast)

Last updated

An omnibus (or omnibus edition) is a compilation of several television or radio episodes into a single instalment. An omnibus is similar to, but distinct from, what is called a marathon in other countries; In an omnibus, individual episodes are edited together (with the first episode having its closing credits removed, the final episode having the opening credits removed, and each episode in between lacking any credits whatsoever) into a single programme, whereas in a marathon the episodes are aired separately but in sequence. The term has been most frequently used in the United Kingdom, though it has also been used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Contents

Brookside was the first television soap to have what was called an omnibus edition, in 1991; it continued until the series ended in 2003. EastEnders introduced the equivalent of an omnibus edition starting in the 1980s, but the term "omnibus" was not used until the 1990s.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, many soap operas have been regularly repeated in omnibus format; For example, both EastEnders [1] [2] and Hollyoaks [3] [4] air on weekends in an omnibus edition that compiles episodes previously aired during the week. Serials such as The Sarah Jane Adventures [5] and Dead Set [6] have been presented as complete storylines in this format.

Omnibus formatting has also been used on home video; for example, the first home video releases of Doctor Who from BBC Studios Distribution re-formatted each serial into a "feature-length adventure". [7] [8]

Programmes that are or have been transmitted in omnibus format in the UK include:

Television:

ProgrammeYearsChannel(s)
Brookside 1991–2003 Channel 4
Coronation Street 2006–present ITV2
Doctor Who 1971–1977
2008
2013
2015
BBC One,
Drama
EastEnders 1994–2015
2016–2018
BBC One,
W
Emmerdale 2000–present
2004–present
ITV2,
ITV3
Hollyoaks 1995–present,
2001–present
Channel 4 (part of T4),
E4
Home and Away 1999–2000,
1999–2002,
2001–2005,
2006–present
2015
ITV2,
UK Living,
Channel 5,
5Star
Viva
Neighbours 1993–2001,
2008–2022,
2015
UK Gold,
5STAR,
Viva

Radio:

Internet:

Other countries

United States

SoapNet in the United States also utilized the omnibus format for weekend re-airings of their major soap operas until its December 2013 demise; however, the term used in that case is as a marathon (the more common term for omnibus used by North American broadcasters) as all five weekday programmes aired by a soap per week were aired consecutively without editing them together. As all four current American soaps also carry their episodes either via Hulu or through network websites, omnibuses and marathons are no longer maintained for the format on any cable or broadcast network.

In the 2006–07 television season, the new network MyNetworkTV launched with four telenovelas, formatted with five episodes airing each weekday (two in the fall, two in the winter), then a 'highlights', or 'recap' omnibus episode on Saturday evenings. However, the entire debut format flopped, and by the time the network started its third cycle of telenovelas, they were reduced to weekly episodes, negating the need for an omnibus episode altogether.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Coronation Street</i> British TV soap opera (1960–)

Coronation Street is a British television soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced street in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Greater Manchester. The location was itself based on Salford, the hometown of the show's first screenwriter and creator.

<i>EastEnders</i> British soap opera

EastEnders is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Within eight months of the show's original launch, it had reached the number one spot in BARB's television ratings, and has consistently remained among the top-rated series in Britain. Four EastEnders episodes are listed in the all-time top 10 most-watched programmes in the UK, including the number one spot, when over 30 million watched the 1986 Christmas Day episode. EastEnders has been important in the history of British television drama, tackling many subjects that are considered to be controversial or taboo in British culture, and portraying a social life previously unseen on UK mainstream television.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliffhanger</span> Plot device used in fiction

A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or before a commercial break in a television programme. A cliffhanger is intended to incentivize the audience to return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma.

A miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. "Limited series" is a more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. As of 2021, the popularity of miniseries format has increased in both streaming services and broadcast television.

Mal Young is a British television producer, screenwriter and executive producer.

Jesse Birdsall is an English actor, known for his roles as Marcus Tandy in the BBC1 soap opera Eldorado (1992–1993), Nick Beckett in the adventure series Bugs (1995–1999), football manager Roger Webb in Footballers' Wives (2003–2006), and Fraser Black in Hollyoaks (2013–2014) as well as for villain Ron Gregory in a few episodes of The Bill.

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, Hollyoaks was removed from Channel 4's early evening schedule, but remains on E4 and Channel 4's on demand service with episodes now uploaded to YouTube. At its inception, the soap was targeted towards an adolescent and young adult audience but it has since broadened its appeal to all age groups. Hollyoaks has covered various taboo subjects rarely seen on British television, for which it has received numerous awards. It has won the award for Best British Soap twice, in 2014 and 2019; its first win broke the 15-year tie between rival soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street. Beginning with a cast of 15 characters, it now has 37 regular cast members. The longest-serving actor is Nick Pickard, who has portrayed Tony Hutchinson since the first episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikki Sanderson</span> British actress (born 1984)

Nikki Sanderson is an English actress and former glamour model who is known for playing Candice Stowe in the television soap opera Coronation Street, Dawn Bellamy in Heartbeat and Maxine Minniver in Hollyoaks. During her time at Coronation Street and since, she has also been a television presenter on programmes such as CD:UK, Junior Eurovision: The British Final and Ministry of Mayhem.

Graeme Richard Harper is a British television director. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series Doctor Who, for which he is the only person to have directed episodes of both the original run (1963–89) and revived run (2005–present) of the programme. Doctor Who Magazine has described him as "the longest-serving crew member on Doctor Who."

Lysette Anne Chodzko, known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film Husbands and Wives (1992), as Princess Lyssa in the 1983 fantasy epic Krull, Christa Norris in the first series of the ITV comedy-drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983), Angie Tyler/Trenchard in the BBC1 sitcom Three Up, Two Down (1985–1989), and her role as Marnie Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks (2016–2022).

This is a list of British television-related events in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemma Bissix</span> English actress (b. 1983)

Gemma Bissix is an English actress. She has been acting since the age of 9. Her most prominent roles have been in soap operas, as Clare Bates in EastEnders and Clare Devine in Hollyoaks ; she was awarded with two British Soap Awards for the latter role. Away from soap opera, Bissix has appeared in various television programmes and she competed in the 2009 series of Dancing on Ice. She has appeared in various pantomimes. Bissix returned to Hollyoaks in 2013.

This is a list of British television-related events from 1996.

This is a list of British television related events from 1986.

<i>EastEnders: E20</i> British internet soap opera (2010–2011)

EastEnders: E20 is a British Internet soap opera, which began airing on 8 January 2010. A spin-off from the established BBC soap EastEnders, it is set in EastEnders' regular setting of Albert Square, a Victorian square in the fictional borough of Walford, in the East End of London. Each series follows a group of teenage characters: Zsa Zsa Carter, Leon Small, Fatboy and Mercy Olubunmi in series 1; Asher Levi and his brother Sol, Naz Mehmet, and Stevie Dickinson in series 2; and Ava Bourne, Donnie Lester and Faith Olubunmi in series 3. The show's title comes from Walford's fictional London postcode district, E20. The four characters from series 1 also appear in EastEnders, as well as Faith from series 3.

Rachel Adedeji is a Nigerian-British singer and actress. She became the fourth contestant eliminated on sixth series of The X Factor in 2009, having previously appeared on the fifth series. From 2016 to 2020, she appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Lisa Loveday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telenovela</span> Latin American television genre

A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines tele and novela. Similar drama genres around the world include dizi (Turkey), serial (India), teleserye (Philippines), lakorn (Thailand), teleromanzo (Italy), téléroman, K-drama, J-drama (Japan), C-drama (China) and sinetron (Indonesia).

This is a timeline of the history of BBC One.

References

  1. "EastEnders". BBC One. BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  2. "EastEnders Omnibus". BBC One. BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. "Hollyoaks: Episodes". All 4. Channel Four Television Corporation. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  4. "Hollyoaks: Omnibus: Episodes". All 4. Channel Four Television Corporation. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  5. "The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 1 (Double Episodes): Revenge of the Slitheen". BBC One. BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  6. "Dead Set: Episodes". All 4. Channel Four Television Corporation. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  7. Doctor Who: The Robots of Death (VHS (Back cover)). BBC Studios Distribution. 1986.
  8. "DOCTOR WHO – THE ROBOTS OF DEATH (1986)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 6 December 2018.