Realism and Drama in Soaps

Many soap operas try to generate a balance between realism and drama to keep the storylines as realistic as possible and therefore relate with the audience. Realism presents the emotional side of characters, showing their feelings and situations. Drama/Naturalism is heightened reality, showing the more physical and exaggerated side of stories. It is vital to maintain this balance so the soap opera is believable, if too much naturalism was used, it would be far too over the top and the audience would not be able to relate with it as well as they could. However with a lack of realism, there would be no real drama, nothing to keep the audience's attention and keep them on the edge of their seats.
For example in Hollyoaks, there was a storyline based on the issue of homosexuality, with John Paul coming out and having a relationship with his best friend Craig. This story was then extended with the arrival of a Catholic Priest, Kieron who ends up having an affair with John Paul and eventually becoming engaged. The issue of homosexuality is an everyday issue in our society, something the audience recognise, however to keep the audiences attention with a shocking storyline, the Catholic Priest is brought in, to overexaggerate and create drama.
Coronation Street on the other hand, aims to attract a more mature audience, with it's realistic setting, use of real time, and sense of close community and family.