The soap opera is a major form of media art and popular culture.
Revered and reviled by fans and critics, its history spans and
reflects social change and plays a vital role in the development of
broadcasting. This book traces the genre from its beginnings on
American radio in the 1930s to the international television genre
it has become today. While concentrating on British soap operas, it
also discusses the influence of their American and Australian
counterparts.

This is the first book to consider the soap opera within the
economy of broadcasting; it includes a chapter based on interviews
with leading broadcasting executives who give their analysis of the
importance of the soap opera to their industry. The perspective of
television producers as well as the views of audiences are also
taken into account.

Accessibly written, Soap Opera links the genre to both
its media and its literary heritage, and argues that soap operas
cross international boundaries through the universal appeal of
their characters and their stories. It will be of particular
interest to students of media and cultural studies, literary
studies, sociology and television production courses, as well as to
professionals in the television industry.