A springtime of plots

The Maltese television viewing public really can’t complain, for each day, every station broadcasts one or more episodes of a soap opera. Maybe for some it is incredible how people can keep up with the storyline and follow the latest developments, but that is precisely what they do.

We cannot say that the fare provided to Maltese viewers is at a par with Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale or even Il Segreto, all of which are also avidly followed by Maltese viewers, but they have come a long way.

The soaps offered to Maltese viewers by Maltese companies are of quite a high standard. Technically speaking, it is amazing what they succeed in doing with so few resources and such small crews. The people involved spend long hours at below level pay to produce this entertainment.

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Some storylines are linear but one generally finds that many get convoluted and prolix. Sub-plots come in and go out, twisting and turning from episode to episode. It is, perhaps, inevitable that many storylines focus on prisons, police HQs, drugs and other staples of television drama.

Many of the episodes are broadcast after the 8.30pm watershed, by which time it is assumed that children are safe in bed. But more and more visual episodes that push back the boundaries of what is normally seen are creeping in.

In recent episodes, we have seen a father telling his daughter to undress so that he can have sex with her, and two 12-year-olds engaging in more than just kissing – actually engaging in sexual foreplay. The violence that is shown has become progressively more graphic and apart from that, the swearing and obscene language now know no bounds. Of course, that is how people in real life speak, swear words and all, but that does not mean free reign can be allowed on the air.

We live in a post-censorship world, at least as far as theatre is concerned, but television attracts a mass audience and is, or rather was, considered a huge influencer of the public.

This paper is not asking for censorship to be brought back, but for more substance and less trash. You do not have to get your characters to swear like a navvy to make your story attractive to viewers. Like we say at song contests, it is the songs with the worst music who get in supporting actors, acrobats and the like to make up for the lack of real music.