‘The script deftly moves between hilarity and heartbreak to deliver a true-to-life story that resonated deeply with viewers’
Emmerdale’s reputation for pushing the boundaries of soap storytelling was exemplified in 2022, with Marlon Dingle’s stroke storyline clinching victory for the continuing drama.
The judges lauded the “genuine emotion” created by writer Caroline Mitchell’s carefully crafted script, which deftly moves between hilarity and heartbreak to deliver a true-to-life story that resonated deeply with viewers, many of whom will have been affected directly or indirectly by the condition.
Working closely with the Stroke Association, extensive research was carried out to ensure that the show offers an accurate portrayal of the illness.
Directed by Mike Lacey, the initial episode in which Marlon (Mark Charnock) suffers from a life-threatening stroke is edited masterfully to pull viewers into the same feeling of disorientation and confusion that Marlon experiences. The judges praised the episode for having an “affecting authenticity”.
However, Emmerdale did not stop there. It continued to demonstrate the impact of the illness during Marlon’s long road to recovery, via not only Charnock’s central performance but also through its impact on the character’s friends and family, to explore a subject that taps into the heart of its core audience in an emotional, affecting way.
SHORTLISTED
Ackley Bridge
The Forge for Channel 4
The fifth series of the Yorkshire school drama exemplifies the show’s ability to tackle challenging and emotionally charged stories with humour and warmth, examining complex issues such as sexual abuse, alcoholism and living with bipolar disorder.
The world’s longest-running medical drama continues to find innovative ways to tell challenging stories, from coercive control to gang violence. The judges were impressed by the soap’s unrelenting ambition, with one saying that the school shootings episode was “up there with Line Of Duty”.
Coronation Street
ITV Studios for ITV1
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022, Coronation Street remains the top-rated continuing drama. With episodes examining loneliness in older people, suicide and male impotence, the show blended classic storytelling with cutting-edge technology, cementing its online presence with ‘event weeks’ reaching more than 100 million people.
EastEnders sits at the heart of the BBC1 schedule and remains one of the most popular programmes on TV. Among a raft of hard-hitting storylines, 2022’s run included a special flashback episode set in 1979 that centred around the iconic Mitchell family.
Hollyoaks
Lime Pictures for Channel 4
Hollyoaks kept its finger on the pulse of the national conversation with an ongoing teen-focused storyline that revealed the shattering consequences of knife crime. The soap contributed to real-world conversations on the subject with supporting digital content featuring the cast and writers discussing the stories behind the episodes.
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