Popular UK TV Soaps Trivia Quiz

Answer: Coronation Street

"Coronation Street", or "Corrie" as it's known, debuted on 9th December 1960. The soap is based in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Greater Manchester. Granada Television commissioned a script from Tony Warren for a show that involved a street. Tony originally wrote thirteen episodes for the show, and when the show really took off, he continued to write scripts until 1968.

Although Tony went on to write other scripts for other programs, occasionally he would write scripts for the program up until the very late 1970s.

Over the years "Coronation Street" has covered many topics, including rape, racism, suicide, and domestic abuse. Big storylines were Mike and Deirdre's affair (1983), Deirdre's wrongful imprisonment for fraud (1998), and Faye's underage pregnancy (2015). The list is endless.

Ena Sharples, a retired pensioner, was often in the Rovers Return drinking stout. Elsie Tanner liked the men and was very friendly with Len Fairclough for years. Hilda Ogden was married to Stan. She was a Northern working-class woman. She worked as a cleaner and liked to hum tunes.

Answer: Eastenders

"EastEnders" has been on our TV screens since February 1985 on the BBC 1 channel. The program was created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland. The storylines have been written by various people over the years and have covered topics like sexual assaults (male and female), grooming, paedophilia, and baby swapping. Many of these storylines were investigated by the UK communications regulator Ofcom. In the UK, there are rules for content that is not suitable for children. Topics that are considered adult can only be shown after 9PM.

The market in "EastEnders" was called Bridge Street Market. The market stalls sold fruit and veg, clothing, and all types of general items you find in markets. The brothers were Phil and Grant Mitchell. At one time, the brothers ran a garage called the arches. The brothers were known as hard men with quick tempers and would fight if they had to. Both of the brothers at one time set fire to the pub, the Queen Vic. Grant in 1992 and Phil in 2010.

Answer: Emmerdale

Originally, "Emmerdale" was called "Emmerdale Farm". The renaming was changed on 14 November 1989. The original program focused on the Sugden family and the daily life working at Emmerdale Farm. When the series changed its name, the storyline included more about life around the fictional village of Beckindale and not just about farming.

A huge storyline that started on December 30, 1993, was a plane crash that killed 143 passengers and crew. Also killed were four of the main cast that got killed on the ground. Mark Hughes, Elizabeth Pollard, Archie Brooks, and Leonard Kempinski all died at the scene. One person who survived on the ground was Chris Tate; however, he ended up being paralysed.

Who was the chap that had the huge sideburns, you may ask? Well, it was Amos Brailey. Amos ran the local pub, The Woolpack, and was later joined by Henry Wilks. When Amos had a stroke, he left for a new life in Spain.

Answer: Hollyoaks

"Hollyoaks" was first aired on 3 October 1995. As with many soaps, the storylines follow the same route as "EastEnders" and "Coronation Street". Underage sex and mental health were some of the storylines covered.

On 10th October 2007, episode 2143 was about a house party that Jessica and her friends organised to celebrate the return of one of their friends who had been away. At the party, several of the guests fell ill due to a leak of carbon monoxide. One of Jessica's friends, Danny, fixed the faulty boiler in the house, but unknown to him, the boiler still leaked. In real life, one of the viewers who was watching the episode was experiencing the same symptoms as one of the guests and sought medical help. She recovered after treatment.

The first gay wedding in British soap opera history took place on "Hollyoaks" on Christmas Day in 2014; Ste Hay and John Paul McQueen exchanged vows. The episode represented a significant milestone for LGBTQ+ representation on television, with the actors involved expressing that it was an honour to take part in its filming.

Answer: Doctors

"Doctors" was a medical soap opera first shown on BBC One on 26 March 2000. The soap came to a close on 14 November 2024. The soap was based on the lives of the characters at work and in their private lives. The series was created by Chris Murray. The BBC extended the soap due to its success, originally planning 41 episodes. The BBC operates a television production facility called the BBC drama village. It is mostly based at the University of Birmingham's Selly Oak Campus in Birmingham, England.

Storylines varied each day and were about the doctors, patients, ethical dilemmas, and decisions that the doctors had to face. One storyline was about the mill medical practice and how the staff had to deal with the aftermath of an explosion that destroyed the riverside health centre, forcing them to relocate.

Another storyline was about a patient who discloses domestic abuse; the practice must deal with a challenging circumstance. In order to make sure the patient feels protected and supported, the healthcare personnel concerned must handle the situation with tact and consideration.

Answer: Brookside

The first episodes of "Brookside" were shown on 2 November 1982 on Channel 4. The series was created by Phil Redmond, who was also the creator of "Grange Hill" and "Hollyoaks". "Brookside" ran for twenty-one years. The series was very popular in the 1980s until the mid-1990s and was regularly watched by more than seven million viewers.

In the 1990s, "Brookside" aired some controversial storylines. One well-known storyline was the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television in 1994 and for having a murderous domestic abuse plot in which the victim was buried under the patio. It also included the first gay character on a British television soap.

The residents lived in Brookside Close, Liverpool. Six houses on the close were numbered 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. People who lived on the close were a mixture of working class, young professionals, and a couple of upper class who were on their way down due to a redundancy.

No. 5 Brookside Close was originally lived in by the Grant family (Sheila, Bobby, Barry, Karen, and Damon) from 1982 to 1989. No. 6, Alan Partridge, 1982-1984, and Harry and Edna Cross, 1983-1984. Over the twenty-one years the series ran, several new families moved in and out of the close: The Dixons (1990-1997), The Jordaches (patio murder), and Sinbad (1993-1995). Sinbad was the window cleaner.

Answer: Howards' Way

"Howards' Way" was created by Gerard Glaister and Allan Prior. The series ran between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The programme was located in the fictional town of Tarrant on the south coast of England.

The theme for the series highlights the personal and professional lives of wealthy individuals in the yachting and business communities of Tarrant. Locations for the filming were carried out in several places, including Bursledon, Hamble, Swanwick, Warsash, Hill Head, Lymington, and Hythe. One pub used in several episodes was the Jolly Sailor pub, which was located in Bursledon. Three of the main boats used in the series were the Flying Fish, the Barracuda of Tarrant, and the Spring of Tarrant.

The Howard family comprised Tom, Jan, and their two children, Leo and Lynne. The storyline stated where Tom, who was an aircraft designer, was made redundant. Tom was a sailing enthusiast and put his redundancy money into the Mermaid boatyard, which had seen better days. The programme follows Tom and his family and how the boatyard improves with Tom's boat designs. Meanwhile, Jan opens a new marina boutique.

Answer: Eldorado

"Eldorado" ran from 6 July 1992 to 9 July 1993. The soap was basically about British and European expatriates who moved to the village and follows their daily lives. Unfortunately, the series never really took off due to poor acting and sound reproduction, and even the press made a mockery of the programme. New scriptwriters were hired, and the actors spent more time together to try and improve the overall performance.

"Eldorado" did improve its ratings, but it was too late and was regarded as a flop. Alan Yentob, the controller of BBC1, pulled the plug on the series. It has to be said, it's very unusual for the BBC to be a failure, but "Eldorado" will always be remembered as an embarrassing failure.

In an attempt to increase the ratings, "Eldorado" had a controversial storyline featuring a middle-aged man named Bunny, played by Roger Walker, who returns from the UK with a 17-year-old bride, Fizz, portrayed by Kathy Pitkin. Many viewers found this storyline to be both doubtful and distasteful.

Answer: General Hospital

ATV produced the British daytime soap opera "General Hospital", which aired on ITV between 1972 and 1979. The idea for the soap came about after a medical soap opera series broadcast between 1957 and 1967 came to a close. The medical series was called "Emergency Ward 10".

The production company ATV wanted a new medical series as a successor to "Emergency Ward 10".

When "General Hospital" first aired, it was shown twice a week in the afternoons. In 1975 the soap moved to a Friday evening and was extended to one-hour episodes. Now that the programme was shown in the evening, a more detailed scene of surgery became more evident. The soap was a mixture of the work and the private lives of the staff at the hospital. In the seven years the soap ran, 304 episodes were shown.

Lewis Jones played the part of Mr William Parker-Brown (consultant in trauma medicine), David Garth as Dr Matthew Armstrong, consultant in emergency medicine, Lynda Bellingham as Nurse Hilda Price, senior sister, and Tony Adams as Dr Neville Bywaters, consultant paediatrician.

The soap was axed in 1979 due to being out of touch in the modern world and a bit on the old-fashioned side. It was also the time when new dramas were being broadcast that were more detailed and grittier with a more adult and detailed theme.

Answer: River City

"River City" made its debut on 24 September 2002 and can be viewed on BBC One Scotland. The fictional district of Shieldinch is in the West End of Glasgow. The majority of the filming takes place on a purpose-built set, which is close to the town of Dumbarton. Occasionally there are location shots taken in Glasgow, Loch Lomond, and surrounding areas.

"River City" focuses on the day-to-day connections among the people living on and around Montego Street, bringing the community closer together. The pub in the area is called The Tall Ship.

One of the storylines was how the character Deek was involved in a hit-and-run accident and was stable but in critical condition. After Deeks's uncle (Raymond) visited him in the hospital, he later went to the pub, where he met up with Sean Kennedy, who was responsible for the hit-and-run. Raymond killed Sean, and to cover up the murder, he set off a gas leak. Later, there is a huge explosion at the pub. Sadly, Deek dies from his injuries in the hospital.

Other storylines covered mental health and heroin addiction.