Soap operas and real life news...does it affect them?

[cakeorwine]

Just caught a bit of Corrie and it got me wondering?

Are soap opera characters caught by increased fuel prices?
Do they get emails saying they are on a new tariff?
How did covid affect them - mask wearing?
Will Ukraine come up in the Archers?

I know that real life stories are covered well in soaps - and they make an impact on views - but how much do news events feature and current situations?

They script them quite far in advance, I think, so they'll take time to catch up with the latest events.

I noticed that no one mentioned The Ukraine on Eastenders. I guess it was filmed before it all kicked off.

They film weeks in advance which is why they are never that hot on current affairs and why Christmas specials often have full green leaves on trees. The Archers on Radio 4 can occasionally get actors in if something very dramatic happens - they got two characters in when Princess Diana died to record a quick insert, but it isn’t quite so easy or so cheap with tv.

Will The Bull be getting a large electricity bill?

Or The Queen Vic?

I once fell down a rabbit hole about decimalisation in the UK (1971) and learned that to promote the new coinage, the 50p was featured on the Coronation Street episode shown on its launch day.

As the filming was weeks in advance, someone from the Royal Mint took in a 50p under very heavy security so it could be pushed across the bar of the 'Rovers Return' in a close up - they then rushed the coin away very quickly as there were strict rules about when it could enter circulation.

This was actually in 1969 - the 50p was introduced early as a 10-shilling coin to ease transition when the time came.