Soap opera only lasted one year. Nevertheless, soap operas gained increasing prominence on UK television schedules. In 1995, Channel 4 premiered "Hollyoaks", a soap with a youth focus. When Channel 5 launched in March 1997, it debuted the soap opera "Family Affairs", which was formatted as a week-daily soap, airing Monday through Fridays. "Brookside"s premise evolved during the 1990s, phasing out the politicised stories of the 1980s and shifting the emphasis to controversial and sensationalist stories such as child rape, sibling incest, religious cults and drug addiction, including the infamous 'body under the patio' storyline that ran from 1993 to 1995, and
The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (Waggett book) The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (Waggett book) The Soap Opera Encyclopedia is a 1997 reference book by Gerard J. Waggett which assembles comprehensive information about American daytime soap operas. "The Soap Opera Encyclopedia" features commentary, analysis and criticism of every American daytime soap opera that had aired prior to the book's publication. It also discusses background, significant storylines and impact of each program, and lists performers and characters. Waggett includes "The Soap Opera 100," his look at "Daytime's 100 Most Noteworthy Actors, Writers, and Producers." The book also gives overviews and background for the Daytime Emmy Awards and "Soap Opera Digest"