Boozy soaps slammed

Updated 13.58 Sat Mar 10 2007

Keywords: television, soap opera, alcohol, tv

Researchers have found that pre-watershed TV soaps are "awash" with scenes featuring alcohol.

Teen drama Hollyoaks had one of the highest tallies, with booze making an appearance in 18 per cent of scenes monitored.

"Soap shows are awash with scenes showing alcohol being consumed as part of a seemingly healthy lifestyle" - nutritionist Cally Matthews

Scenes showing drinking could be "conditioning" British teenagers to think high consumption is normal, says The Food Commission.

The campaign group found that more than 17per cent of Coronation Street screen time showed alcohol, compared with 16% in EastEnders and Emmerdale.

Australian soap Home and Away featured booze in 6.7 per cent of its screen time during the survey, which was carried out over a fortnight during July 2006.

Report author, nutritionist Cally Matthews, said: "Soap shows are awash with scenes showing alcohol being consumed as part of a seemingly healthy lifestyle and appearing as a normal part of everyday life."

She continued: "There is a real danger that this naturalisation of alcohol consumption may desensitise teenagers to the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption."

A spokeswoman for Hollyoaks said: "The Hollyoaks editorial team act responsibly to ensure that we show, within the context of a storyline, the negative consequences of drinking alcohol.

"This is in accordance with guidelines set by broadcasting regulatory bodies and in keeping with the tone of the show."