Buzzin Soap Stars

Debenhams to sponsor Neighbours

Debenhams have announced that it would be sponsoring Channel 5’s flagship tv soap, Neighbours throughout 2011.

The move, a first for the retailer, will see Debenhams target the popular Australian drama’s 5.4m average weekly viewers with specially commissioned ‘idents’ (break bumpers) that sit after each programme and either side of the commercial breaks.

The short trailers which began this week will mirror the Neighbours’ credits, transforming the familiar antipodean Ramsay Street setting into a British version, with each scene and character dressed by Debenhams.

The sponsorship deal also includes the Debenhams logo with click through to Debenhams.com featuring on Channel Five’s website, five.tv and holysoap.five.tv, Five’s dedicated soap website, in addition to branding on related on-air promotional trailers.

The partnership will be backed by a full social media campaign including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Debenhams TV and blogs.

Jane Exon, Debenhams Head of Marketing Operations commented:

“The partnership makes perfect sense for Debenhams.  Neighbours is a exciting, longstanding, family-friendly programme and very popular with our customers”.

Greg Barnett, Channel 5’s Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, Daytime and Soaps said,

“In the last year Neighbours has gone from strength to strength celebrating 25 years and 6,000 episodes and subsequently its audience has grown.

“It’s a fantastic family-focused daily drama which UK viewers hold close to their hearts. We’re delighted to be working with such a big family brand as Debenhams. The partnership will offer fans some amazing opportunities in 2011 so keep watching”.

The Neighbours cast will also be given the option to wear Debenhams merchandise during promotional trips to the UK.

Nothing was going to be simple where the Queen bitch of soaps is concerned and after waking from her coma following an assault on New Years Eve the first thing that Tracy Barlow had in mind was to have Becky McDonald arrested for the assault.

While her doting mother Deidre believes everything that Tracy says, Ken is not so gullible having put up with her constant lies and scheming for too long and taking what she now says with a pinch of salt.

While Becky has nothing to hide a night in police custody looks set to tip her over the edge, before she is released on bail.

In tonight’s episode the real attacker cannot keep quiet anymore and decides to spill the beans.

One of the victims of the Tram crash last week in Coronation Street, Molly Dobbs is buried tonight in the soap in a funeral that will be remembered for many years to come.

On her deathbed in the rubble of the street last week Molly confessed to Sally Webster that the father of her son Jack was really Sally’s husband Kevin Webster.

Although Sally subsequently confronted Kevin over the admission she was unable to face Molly’s estranged husband with the awful news, but in tonight’s episode all is about to kick off as Tyrone learns the awful truth.

When Tyrone spots his best friend and business partner Kevin arguing with Sally at the graveside he suddenly twigs that Kevin is the mystery man that had an affair with Molly.

Tyrone attacks the stunned Kevin and viewers will see Coronation Street regulars trying to hold Tyrone back and calm the situation down.

Can’t wait!

Graeme Hawley as John Stape

As expected the Tram Crash designed to tie in with Coronation Street’s 50th anniversary dominated television viewing figures last week, with the events of one day on the street spread over the whole week with specially commissioned live episodes of the show being broadcast.

Such a tragedy, make believe or not, was bound to tug at the emotions of the viewers and as usual with Corrie it kept many of us on the edge of our seats right down to the final episode.

Renowned for it’s humour as well as its hard hitting storylines it was a welcoming break from the hysterical scenes of death and destruction to see Fiz’s husband John Stape taking the opportunity to put an end to his double life and attempting to get rid of bunny boiler Charlotte once and for all.

Of course that was no simple matter and despite believing that he had clubbed her to death with a hammer, John was gobsmacked to learn from paramedics that she was still alive.

Having followed her to hospital, he was interrupted as he tried to pull the plug on her life support system, but was eventually rescued when Charlotte’s parents turned up to be told that it would be humane to shut down the life support as their daughter had suffered brain damage.

The relief on John’s face was a picture as he finally escaped from the nightmare of recent times, although the whole thing is set to return to haunt him in later episodes of the soap.

The various soaps on early evening TV in the UK, have over the years become alarmingly more regular to a point where the two hour or so time span from seven o’clock onwards has in many homes become a homage period to the humble soap.

As well as the extra long special episodes that are wheeled out every now and then, normally invented for when audience figures maybe flagging, there are also regular ‘two parters’ where the episode continues after the next programme or whatever.

Frankly it is difficult to fit anymore soap viewing in to the day, but none the less every year we are treated to a DVD special or two, often filmed away from the set, on location in places like Las Vegas for instance.

I have made the mistake in the past of buying these special DVDs as a stocking filler for my wife, but the fact is they are only ever watched the once before being confined to collect dust on the book shelf. So the idea of being able to rent TV specials without having to leave the house is an attractive one.

That is what they do at LoveFilm, a service that allows you to choose whether you want to buy or rent the latest dvd releases and games from their massive online choice and have them delivered to your door.

All the latest must have games for all formats are listed online alongside the latest and greatest blockbuster movies, as well as a liberal dose of compilations and special one off shows from the world of television.

Cult series like Lost, Heroes, Sopranos and Doctor Who rub covers with not the best of Peep Show and Midsomers Murders and for the soapaholic,  alongside Loose Women in New York – Let Loose in the City, there are the Soap Specials.

A couple that caught my eye, Coronation Street – A Knight’s Tale and Emmerdale – The Dingles – For Richer For Poorer.

I was drawn to the Corrie DVD by the treat of seeing the Street cast offs Curly Watts and Reg Holdsworth reunited. The very idea that Curly is now a successful businessman with a chain of hotels under his belt is amusing enough, but when he gives Reg a chance to prove himself by hosting a Medieval Banquet at Tatlock Towers we know we are in for some big laughs.

The Dingles promises an exclusive never to be broadcast on TV special that features the down on their luck family possibly winning the lottery, the film follows two story lines showing different outcomes, so you will have to see it for yourself!