Soap opera Soap opera A soap opera is an ongoing drama serial on television or radio, featuring the lives of many characters and their emotional relationships. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas being sponsored by soap manufacturers. BBC Radio's "The Archers", first broadcast in 1950, is the world’s longest-running radio soap opera; the world's longest-running television soap opera is "Coronation Street", first broadcast on ITV in 1960. The first serial considered to be a "soap opera" was "Painted Dreams", which debuted on October 20, 1930 on Chicago radio station WGN. Early radio series such as "Painted Dreams" were broadcast in
Ulrike Frank years ago. Ulrike Frank Ulrike Frank (born 1 February 1969) is a German actress known for her portrayal of Katrin Flemming on the daily drama "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten". In late 1998, ProSieben planned on launching its first soap opera. Grundy Ufa took an original idea which saw the series set on the Spanish island Majorca. The show premiered in April 1999 with Ulrike Frank being an original cast member. Frank would become more important to the show when it was revealed that she portrayed the first transsexual character in a German soap opera. Julia Breuer, Frank's character, choose Majorca