Soap Opera, Commercialisation and the Proletarianisation of Cultural Production

Abstract

Irish television drama initially contained a number of prestigious producers and writers who could use their knowledge and reputation as forms of organisational power. Today, soap opera, the dominant genre, depends on quick turnovers, short-term contracts and teams of writers. It offers little hope of building prestige or recognition. This article looks inside the production of Fair City, Ireland's most popular soap opera. The show's success and survival depend on a level of rationalisation that is unprecedented in Irish television drama. This new form of organisation is a response to the pressures of an increasingly commercialised broadcasting environment. Constraints of time and finance have reduced the professional autonomy and creativity of Fair City's producers, writers and actors. This article offers the hypothesis that this is one example, among many, of how market influence may bring about a ‘proletarianisation’ of formerly autonomous and prestigious cultural work.