Analysis of Hollyoaks

The first broadcast of Hollyoaks was on Channel 4 on the 23rd of October 1995 in a fictional area of Chester. It is now still continuing through 2013. Due to research, back in 1995, the characters were a lot different to how they are now as a lot of adults were actors. Nowadays, Hollyoaks represent young adults or just young people who are students. This makes the audience for Hollyoaks young people as the majority of the cast are aged around mid-20s. The soap opera like to contain a lot of drama due to it being a TV drama but the programme itself can come across as a comedy to critics due to how fictional it really is. In the beginning of 1995, the programme only had 7 cast members but today it has around 50 main cast members. This shows how much things have changed throughout the years and how much they have gained profit. It has gained critical attention in papers such as The Guardian, and at several award shows, and was praised for its portrayal of the gay relationship between characters John Paul and Craig.
In this trailer, having all of the characters together on set shows that there is going to be a close bond between the characters as there are only a small amount, which could mean a lot of drama. Having the little clips of the characters in black and white gives us a little idea of how the characters are going to act or give us an idea of what their personalities are like.
Today in the TV drama, every issue that seems to happen is slightly over-reacted and isn't so much to do with social realism. In my own opinion, it has changed a lot as the acting that is involved seems to come across as quite cringey and it is hard to take serious. I can imagine that it would be hard for some of the audience to relate. Even though a lot of problems occur in the series, The producers seem to make everything in a brighter light so the issues aren't so negative all of the time. I believe this is to do with the drama nowadays being revolved around a younger cast.