There are certain types of characters that can be seen to be common among many soaps
The grandparent figure: A wise old person, usually female. This character helps others with their problems with advice and support. He/she has lots of contact with many of the other characters. Sometimes the character will not be related to any others, but will still serve this function. See EastEnders’ Pat Wicks/Butcher/Evans, whose many marriages have left her with connections to almost everyone in Albert Square.
The strong woman: An independent, powerful, aggressive woman. She can usually be found at the centre of conflicts. Often, this hard, aggressive woman will be revealed to have a soft side that she keeps hidden. Usually it will be exposed by a new love interest whose sudden and inevitable departure in the future will only serve to make the woman even tougher than before.
Jack-the-lad: A male character that manipulates others to his own ends. Often the stock ‘baddie’. This character may become softened over time, and this often leads to him becoming the comic relief of the soap. Examples include Jed Stone on Coronation Street and Alfie Moon on EastEnders, both of whom have served time in prison, and both of whom used comic timing to win audiences’ hearts.
Young couple: A couple that bravely face the difficulties of life, through their own, serious relationship problems. Too many to mention - every single British soap has had at least one set on the go at any one time.
Feisty young female: A strong-willed girl, almost always young, who desires independence. She is usually argumentative and miserable
Troublesome oldie: An older, grumpy, meddling, interfering character, always with his/her nose in everyone else’s business. For all his/her faults this character is still loved for his/her generally good intentions. The archetype was created by Coronation Street’s Violet Carson, whose character Ena Sharples defined the word ‘battleaxe’. If characters stay around long enough, they might find themselves shifting from one archetype to another - as EastEnders’ Pauline Fowler proves, having once been the feisty mother of a young family and who now finds herself as a grandmother and troublesome oldie in one.
The boss figure: Usually male, in a position of authority, either as landlord of the local pub or as owner of some other business that has an involvement in the lives of other characters (such as a factory). He continues his natural authority and leadership into his personal life. He has, in the past, been combined with the Jack-the-lad character.
The grandparent figure: A wise old person, usually female. This character helps others with their problems with advice and support. He/she has lots of contact with many of the other characters. Sometimes the character will not be related to any others, but will still serve this function. See EastEnders’ Pat Wicks/Butcher/Evans, whose many marriages have left her with connections to almost everyone in Albert Square.
The strong woman: An independent, powerful, aggressive woman. She can usually be found at the centre of conflicts. Often, this hard, aggressive woman will be revealed to have a soft side that she keeps hidden. Usually it will be exposed by a new love interest whose sudden and inevitable departure in the future will only serve to make the woman even tougher than before.
Jack-the-lad: A male character that manipulates others to his own ends. Often the stock ‘baddie’. This character may become softened over time, and this often leads to him becoming the comic relief of the soap. Examples include Jed Stone on Coronation Street and Alfie Moon on EastEnders, both of whom have served time in prison, and both of whom used comic timing to win audiences’ hearts.
Young couple: A couple that bravely face the difficulties of life, through their own, serious relationship problems. Too many to mention - every single British soap has had at least one set on the go at any one time.
Feisty young female: A strong-willed girl, almost always young, who desires independence. She is usually argumentative and miserable
Troublesome oldie: An older, grumpy, meddling, interfering character, always with his/her nose in everyone else’s business. For all his/her faults this character is still loved for his/her generally good intentions. The archetype was created by Coronation Street’s Violet Carson, whose character Ena Sharples defined the word ‘battleaxe’. If characters stay around long enough, they might find themselves shifting from one archetype to another - as EastEnders’ Pauline Fowler proves, having once been the feisty mother of a young family and who now finds herself as a grandmother and troublesome oldie in one.
The boss figure: Usually male, in a position of authority, either as landlord of the local pub or as owner of some other business that has an involvement in the lives of other characters (such as a factory). He continues his natural authority and leadership into his personal life. He has, in the past, been combined with the Jack-the-lad character.
Here are some characters from the popular Soap Opera Eastenders. In the majority of soap opera’s, not just Eastenders, they show the lives of every single age group. This makes the programme seem more realistic and gives a broader suitable audience. Even animals are portrayed as a character, and can have a big effect on the audience.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/characters/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/characters/