Isn't far-fetched what soaps are all about?

Emmerdale Insider’s Carena Crawford questions whether actually the more bonkers the better when it comes to soap! So I get it, Joe Tate’s kidney theft plot...
Carena Crawford
By Carena Crawford

Emmerdale Insider’s Carena Crawford questions whether actually the more bonkers the better when it comes to soap!

So I get it, Joe Tate’s kidney theft plot has made no sense from start to finish. And yes, it has now got even more bonkers with Crowley’s plot to extorte more money out of him. (If you haven’t already watching Friday night’s on ITVX, I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say it continues to get crazier!)

But, isn’t the ridiculous one of the things we love about soaps? Sometimes they can just take storylines and throw themselves into it, running as far as possible with them. And it kinda works, right?

Well, I think it does, anyway.

Should soaps reflect reality?

Yes, soaps do strive to reflect reality – when they tackle an issue such as Sarah’s health and baby struggles, Paddy’s mental health battle and Belle’s domestic abuse nightmare, it’s clear Emmerdale has done its research and is trying to represent a version of real life within the parameters of Soapland.

But honestly, is that what we want to watch all the time? Don’t we want some stuff in our soaps that is less like real-life and more like entertainment?

How many serial killers live in tiny Yorkshire villages? How many people go round harvesting organs from their long-lost relatives? Why not go all-in with an already far-fetched storyline and make it as bonkers as you possibly can?

Fans often complain that Emmerdale has become all doom and gloom – but a plot like Joe Tate, wasn’t so much gloomy as laughable. And we all need a laugh every now and then, don’t we?

Take Meena Jutla for example. She was ace! Brilliantly bonkers and so out there, she could get away with just about anything – and she almost did. We were gripped when she was on our screens waiting for her next move. But we also knew it wasn’t real – it wasn’t based on a real-life issue, it was just OTT drama.

I love the serious stuff and I love it when Emmerdale gets it right with that. But I also love the ridiculous – it’s about getting the balance spot on.