This may bring back memories for some of us!
Eastenders came to British TV in the spring of 1985, and since then, has literally become an institution in itself. People will literally drop everything in order to catch the latest episode, although the advent of catchup TV has somewhat relaxed this behaviour.
An example of this I heard on radio in 1998, when a caller phoned into a talk show to discuss what he saw as "the moronicism of the British people". On ITV1, the World Cup final match attracted an audience of six-and-a-half million viewers. BBC2, who were showing opera with Placido Domingo, garnered a respectable five-and-a-half million viewers. These two combined could not match the pull of Eastenders on BBC1 however - which landed THIRTEEN-AND-A-HALF MILLION VIEWERS! The caller then went off on one about how nothing - not an important football match, nor a decent bit of culture - could tear people away from this "thing" that had been "conditioned into them". I couldn't much disagree with the caller's sentiments.
Anyhow, back on topic. The "lure" of Eastenders was demonstrated early in 1987 when two budding dance artists decided to put together a hip-hop track about their favourite soap opera! Vocals were provided by MC Micron - who would a year later become known as Rebel MC, with hits like Street Tuff and Jus' Keep Rockin'. His accomplice, DJ Ron, would become a respected jungle/drum & bass artist. Despite their progression within the music business, it is hard to beat listening to those origins! This track was paraded on many a pirate radio station in the UK.
No comments:
Post a Comment