[Merlina]

This is something that really annoys me .......... many of the soaps on TV are not representative of the general population. That they only ever show fit/healthy and 'on the whole' photogenic people.

When illness or disabilities do appear, it's usually when a dramatic storyline is required (eg a heart attack, stroke etc). And these storylines tend to be used mostly to 'kill off' people, if they are not killed they often seem to make an amazingly fast recovery!!

Do we see anyone deaf or blind? Or with severe mobility problems? very rarely. There also seems to be a lack of the more common chronic health problems such as Diabeties or Asthma too.

And I've never seen a sign for disabled loos in any of the cafes or pubs, on the soaps, yet!

OK, maybe I'm being picky ........... but if the producers of these programmes want to make them believable, then they should go down your average street in britain, and see exactly how many of the people there, have these problems!!!!!!

What do others think?

[*_ash_*]

Originally Posted by Merlina

This is something that really annoys me .......... many of the soaps on TV are not representative of the general population. That they only ever show fit/healthy and 'on the whole' photogenic people.

Photogenic people tend to be on TV programmes, and for that matter in photographs in magazines too, for the meaning of the said word.

I glimpsed at Casualty earlier and there were a few non-fit and non-healthy looking people on that

Originally Posted by Merlina

When illness or disabilities do appear, it's usually when a dramatic storyline is required (eg a heart attack, stroke etc). And these storylines tend to be used mostly to 'kill off' people, if they are not killed they often seem to make an amazingly fast recovery!!

Do we see anyone deaf or blind? Or with severe mobility problems? very rarely. There also seems to be a lack of the more common chronic health problems such as Diabeties or Asthma too.

And I've never seen a sign for disabled loos in any of the cafes or pubs, on the soaps, yet!

OK, maybe I'm being picky .

Perhaps you are , perhaps you aren't .

Originally Posted by Merlina

.......... but if the producers of these programmes want to make them believable, then they should go down your average street in britain, and see exactly how many of the people there, have these problems!!!!!!

How many people would want to watch a 'normal' street though, 5 days a week on the TV?

I could say that I don't feel like I'm represented, as I can't imagine a scene gaining many viewing figures, that showed me, 'thinking' hmmm what shall I have for breakfast tomorrow, ah yes sausage, egg and bacon sandwich, then showing me walking quietly to the shops, buying the ingredients, then wandering home. Then typing this exciting experience up on an internet forum.

People seem to want affairs, death, pain and misery. (based on my last experience of watching Eastenders )

Originally Posted by Merlina

What do others think?

Watch BBC4. Ugly/ un-photogenic people, and occasional interesting knowledge.

[jl-heating]

Originally Posted by Merlina

but if the producers of these programmes want to make them believable,

i think ur being picky to be honest, most programs depict different races and different disabilities of varying levels they just dont dwell on them.

lots of programs show both physical and mental disabilities and are usually wrote into a story line just like in normal life, generally you dont see the disability in a program as its the person you see not the disability, or should do.

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by Merlina

...but if the producers of these programmes want to make them believable...

Do they want to make them believable though? I haven't watched a soap since Sheila had an affair with Billy Corkhill, but enough has seeped in to know that, in terms of story lines, believability isn't up there on their list of soap essentials.

Folk want excitement, drama, glamour... escapism from the stuff of their mundane existence. When soaps do stray into 'issue' territory, they're either accused of tokenism or of being dull and miserable. Most tune in to watch the nubile Chantel's incestuous affair with her repressed gay brother descend into a public cat fight with her buxom mother, not for details of how Bob's diabetes is progressing, or how Mabel's getting on with her new inhaler.

Perhaps giving work to disabled actors without making an issue of it is the way forward. The Archers has a blind actor, for example, whose blindness doesn't feature in the soap at all.

[bensonhedges]

There is soon to be a disabled person in Eastenders - Manda's son will be in a wheelchair. I can't remember what his condition will be, but the actor who will play him has it also. It's on Digital Spy somewhere.

[Smack Jack]

there is a girl in a wheel chair in Hollyoaks, perhaps the disabled are under represented on soaps, but then soaps are not realistic in many other respects so maybe you are being a little picky

[saxon51]

Eastenders is full of ugly gits, Corrie is full of mardy gits and Casualty is full of smarmy gits. Combine all three.

[Plain Talker]

Originally Posted by Hecate

Do they want to make them believable though? I haven't watched a soap since Sheila had an affair with Billy Corkhill, but enough has seeped in to know that, in terms of story lines, believability isn't up there on their list of soap essentials.

Folk want excitement, drama, glamour... escapism from the stuff of their mundane existence. When soaps do stray into 'issue' territory, they're either accused of tokenism or of being dull and miserable. Most tune in to watch the nubile Chantel's incestuous affair with her repressed gay brother descend into a public cat fight with her buxom mother, not for details of how Bob's diabetes is progressing, or how Mabel's getting on with her new inhaler.

Perhaps giving work to disabled actors without making an issue of it is the way forward. The Archers has a blind actor, for example, whose blindness doesn't feature in the soap at all.

There's also a new character in Emmerdale, I believe, who is partially sighted, in real life, and is (naturally!!) playing a blind character.

I do remember Julie Fernandez playing a role in Eldorado, years ago, (she has also appeared in The Office IIRC)

Sandy, Meg's son in Crossroads many, many moons ago, was a wheelchair user (But able-bodied in RL)

There was a fella in Casualty recently who was disabled. (who also appeared in a short-lived comedy series a couple of years ago)

Robert David Hall, the coroner, in CSI-Vegas is a double amputee.. (all you tend to see, though, is him using a stick to walk) incidentally, he has worked with President Obama on the Disability Policy Committee.

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by Plain Talker

...Sandy, Meg's son in Crossroads many, many moons ago, was a wheelchair user (But able-bodied in RL)...

I thought he had some sort of disability in real life too.

ETA: Ah, he had cancer for seven years before his death, so the wheelchair only became a feature in real life towards the end of his time in Crossroads.

ER's Kerry was a good example of inclusion of a disabled character without it being a plot feature, or being referred to explicitly (though the actress was able-bodied). A successful woman who just happened to use a walking stick. Did we ever find out the reason?

[Plain Talker]

Originally Posted by Hecate

I thought he had some sort of disability in real life too.

ETA: Ah, he had cancer for seven years before his death, so the wheelchair only became a feature in real life towards the end of his time in Crossroads.

ER's Kerry was a good example of inclusion of a disabled character without it being a plot feature, or being referred to explicitly (though the actress was able-bodied). A successful woman who just happened to use a walking stick. Did we ever find out the reason?

Yes, Kerry Weaver had something akin to Perthes Disease in her hip, and her character had a hip replacement approximately two or three seasons ago, just before the character left, which meant she could "lose" the stick.

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by Plain Talker

Yes, Kerry Weaver had something akin to Perthes Disease in her hip, and her character had a hip replacement approximately two or three seasons ago, just before the character left, which meant she could "lose" the stick.

Had just spotted the ref to that on Wikipedia. Apparently the episode in 2005 when Kerry finds her mother was also the first time the reason for her stick was mentioned, going on ten years after she joined ER.

[Amyvictoria]

Ben in Eastenders uses hearing aids.

[Plain Talker]

Just Wiki-ed Kerry Weaver, and it was Congenital Hip Dysplasia that caused her mobility problems.

[julado]

Sandy Richardson had Hodgkinsons Lymphoma in real life.....now where the bloody eck did I dredge that one out of my motheaten brain....do you think I ought to get out more

[Merlina]

Julado.......you look more like Morph than the soup dragon!

And yes.....I get your (and everyone elses point), my argument is that on many occasion these people tend to be peripheral to the main soap stories and in a lot of cases, tend to be portrayed by able bodied actors!

The TV stations have a very good vehicle to raise disability awareness and health isses, and don't use it to it's full advantage!

[DuncanSmith]

Originally Posted by Merlina

Julado.......you look more like Morph than the soup dragon!

And yes.....I get your (and everyone elses point), my argument is that on many occasion these people tend to be peripheral to the main soap stories and in a lot of cases, tend to be portrayed by able bodied actors!

The TV stations have a very good vehicle to raise disability awareness and health isses, and don't use it to it's full advantage!

I dont think we need any more dissability awareness. Just a general respect for everyone no matter what their circumstances. With regards your comment about not enough disabled in soaps. I live on a street with aqbout 100 or so houses and approx 60 flats. In the 10 years ive lived here ive never had a disabled neighbour, i dont see anyone pushing or been pushed in a wheelchair and everyone seems pretty much able bodied.
I would consider my street to be an average street so on that basis i think the soaps have it right.

[CheekyBandit]

Originally Posted by saxon51

Eastenders is full of ugly gits, Corrie is full of mardy gits and Casualty is full of smarmy gits. Combine all three.

Have them all punching each other up - would be much better television.

[cressida]

There was Nessa in El Dorado, she was fiesty and the actress who played her gave the disabled causes a lot of publicity.

I don't agree that there are a lot of photogenic people in the soaps, in fact some of them are really ugly

[AJ sheffield]

Originally Posted by Amyvictoria

Ben in Eastenders uses hearing aids.

Sorry what did you say.

[Plain Talker]

Originally Posted by cressida

There was Nessa in El Dorado, she was fiesty and the actress who played her gave the disabled causes a lot of publicity.

I don't agree that there are a lot of photogenic people in the soaps, in fact some of them are really ugly

Julie fernandez has acted in many productions.

there's Julie Tzserkezie, who plays Polly Pockets in Balamory