After creating a generic character information page on our group blog for Hollyoaks characters I started question that, if any of these character, can be seen similarly to our own cast. This led me to research each big British soap including, EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
The Essex girl
Our Essex girl is a nasty piece of work, only capable of caring for herself. This is why I would place her in the character brand of the villain/gold digger. If compared to a real soap character I would say she is most like Eastenders star, Lucy.
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Lucy Beale
played by Melissa Suffield
Lucy lies, steals and cares little for others, only making a caring acceptation for her twin brother. She is a nasty diva; like our character. This also is the look we want to create for our character, Lucy looks like a diva. She looks like a selfish drama queen. This is the desired look we must achieve.
The pregnant woman
The pregnant wife made a mistake, she cheated on her husband with his best friend, this is evil, yet you feel sympathy for the character despite her wrong doings. She is the role ‘the pregnant woman’ nearly always found in soaps. This is why I would compare her to Eastenders star, Heather.
Heather Trott (played by Cheryl Fergison)
Heather, like our pregnant character got herself knocked up. She too made a mistake with the father, sleeping with a teenager. Though we know what she did is wrong we feel pity for her like our own pregnant character.
The mechanic
The mechanic loves himself, he cares little for other people as long as he gets what he wants, yet don’t be mistaken he would never harm anyone to gain his desires. He is the generic character ‘the player’. This is why I would compare him to Coronation street star Nick.
Coronation Street actor Ben Price on why playing Nick Tilsley means he’s finally in a TV show that won’t scandalise his local church
'Nick became troublesome in his teenage years and began smoking, and later married his girlfriend
Leanne Battersby. But he left for Canada in
1999 after he got her to abort their child. When he returned back to the street in
2003, he resumed his relatonship with
Maria Sutherland after a brief relationship he had when he visited for his mother's wedding to
Richard Hillman a year previously. He began working with
Mike Baldwin at Underworld, but lost the job. He later left again for Canada in
2004. Sometime between that, he returned to Britain and moved to Nottingham.
He returned again in
2009 when Audrey wanted him to talk Gail out of marrying
Joe McIntyre although Nick didn't mind him. He moved back to the street in
2010 when Gail was accused of murdering Joe and after he lost his job. After briefly running Underworld with
Carla Connor, he set up a bar called
The Joinery under the viaduct, which was managed by Leanne. They had a brief affair despite Leanne being engaged to
Peter Barlow and Nick tried to stop Leanne from marrying Peter, but Leanne realised her mistake and spurned Nick. He currently lives at No.8 with Gail and half-brother
David Platt.'
Even this short article from Coropedia.com reveals the many relationships Nick has had over his years on Coronation Street. He is good looking and uses this to his advantage, very similar to our own ‘player’. Like our character he will not use violence to his advantage but relies only on his charms.
The farm girl
The farm girl is a sweet girl, kind and caring and what she lacks in fashion she makes up in with her stunning beauty. She usually is cast to a side, not getting what she wants, always caring for others before herself. She is the generic character of the damsel. When faced with confrontations however she becomes a strong powerful woman fitting into another generic role of ‘the strong woman’. This is why I would compare her to Eastenders star, Whitney.
Whitney Dean
played by Shona McGarty
Whitney is caring towards others; she often looks after the children in her family and help out friends. Yet she is feisty and aggressive in an argumentative/threatened environment and as a result she has both generic traits our farm girl peeresses.
The hunter/landlord
The hunter is also the pub owner. He cheated on his friends trust by sleeping with his wife and potentially getting her pregnant. He is a boss figure and can be compared to Eastenders star, Phil.
Phil Mitchell
played by Steve McFadden
'Don't mess with this East End hardnut...
or else! Nobody gets away with dissing the Mitchells.
Phil will stop at nothing to protect the family honour.'
Phil, the boss of several businesses, owns the characteristics I want to apply to our own generic boss figure. He is tough, he is a leader and he breaks all the rules fitting in the generic role of the bad boy. He commits crimes and acts which connotes him to be an antagonist yet by the audience he is still loved as a protagonist.
He too had a son he wanted to change. Ben Mitchell wasn’t gay like our landlords son but he was a coward and liked activities such as dance more than boxing. Phil’s struggle to change his son is similar to our bosses struggle to change his son.
The famer
The farmer, the kind loving husband to a cheating wife has always been putting over’s before himself. Seen as the protagonist and loved by the audience he is the generic character ‘the good guy’ and can be compared to Tony, from Hollyoaks.
Tony Hutchinson (played by Nick Pickard)
Tony, a kind caring character always finds himself in awful situations. The saying ‘bad things happen to good people.’ revolves around his daily life, much like our own kind character that was betrayed by his wife and best friend. Tony even was arrested for being a paedophile after sleeping with a seventeen year old girl who he believed was an adult.
The vicar
Leading every conversation back to God the generic character of the old and wise is remarkably similar to Eastenders star, Dot.
Dot Branning (formerly Cotton)
played by June Brown
There is little to say about the similarities between our religious figure and Dot. The only difference is Dot is female. Both are very religious and fit into the stereotypical ‘grumpy senior’ category.
The elderly lady
Loving every second of life and always putting smiles on people’s faces she too plays the generic role of the old and wise. She is similar to Coronation street star Vera.
'One of the best-loved characters in the show, Vera died in an armchair as her husband Jack was in the Rovers Return. Actress Liz Dawn, 68, who played Vera since 1971, is retiring because she suffers from chronic lung disease.'
Vera leaving the show in 2008 until she appears in a special afterlife special.
'Coronation Street's Jack Duckworth is helped into the soap afterlife by late wife Vera as he dies peacefully in his chair.'
Vera, a show favourite since its birth left in a dramatic story plot involving her husband’s death. In her later years she was kind and helpful sharing her knowledge to younger generations much like our own old lady.
On a further note creating this storyplot of the afterlife brakes all soap conventions, instead of showing life it shows death making it more of a drama than a soap episode.
The pub landlord’s son
Unknown by his family the landlords son it gay, most people expect this; yet, he tries to hide the truth from everyone (including himself). His father, a powerful man always picks on his son to act more manly. This generic character of the gay can be compared to Hollyoaks star Craig.
Craig Dean (played by Guy Burnet)
Craig is very similar to our gay character; his family finds it hard to accept his new attraction. He tries hiding this attraction from himself, despite having sex with character John Paul. He has the same traits as our character and fits into the same storyline, a gay soap opera character convention storyline.
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