Media: Eastenders/Hollyoaks

Eastenders and Hollyoaks both have their fair share of similarities and differences, the main difference being the way in which they represent youth. The cast of Hollyoaks are all well made-up, fashionable, slim and popular characters (even the adult cast are always dressed in style) all to attract the attention of a young audience, this contrasts to a varied cast in Eastenders e.g. Whitney is dressed in clothes from the market and gold jewelery the majority of the time which leads the audience to believe that this is what a 16-year old girl that lives in London looks like. However the two soaps do have quite similiar settings e.g. Eastenders has the local pub, The Queen Vic and Hollyoaks has The Dog in the Pond and they each have a launderette, a beauty/hair salon and a corner shop however their nightlife facilities are different and successfully target their audience as Hollyoaks has a Student Union bar reflecting University life and where the cast are likely to be and Eastenders has the R&R club that is targeted at the young people in albert square but not neccassarily teenagers. Another contrast in settings is Hollyoaks domestic setting is mainly in the University halls and Eastender's is in the houses of the families in Albert Square, this also gives the audience clues as to who the soap is aimed at.
Hollyoaks and Eastenders storylines are also displayed very differently as Eastenders like to see their dramatic and serious storylines build up over a number of months possibly a year e.g. Stacey and Max's affair where as Hollyoaks' storylines appear a lot more lighthearted a lot of the time until a dramatic incident is given to the audience by surprise. A lot of realistic issues such as employment, gcse's, relationships and image are reflects in Hollyoaks possibly enabling the audience to relate. Eastenders issues mainly display violence, affairs and relationships which are not as personal to their audience compared to Hollyoaks. The two soaps both get thousands of viewings per week despite the fact that Hollyoaks has a higher volume than Eastenders but then again, this all depends on the purpose, the audience.