Park Avenue (teletext soap)
Encyclopedia
Park Avenue was a daily teletext
based soap opera
on ITV's ORACLE Teletext service
, which was written by Robbie Burns. It was launched in 1988, and 1,445 episodes were written during its time on air. It later moved to Channel 4
after ORACLE was reorganised, before ending when the service lost its franchise at the end of 1992.
, although the exact location was never given), and told the stories of the everyday lives of the residents of Park Avenue. Each episode would usually have six to ten pages of text, while Page 126 itself would also feature a synopsis of recent storylines enabling readers who'd missed an episode to catch up, occasional character profiles and even teletext-graphics produced pictures of how the author imagined the characters would look. Robbie Burns would often try to involve the characters in topical events of the day - for example one character decided to stop buying beef following the 1990 BSE
scare, while another found himself caught up in a riot at a local prison during a time when a riot
at Manchester
's Strangeways Prison
had inspired a number of copycat riots in jails across England, Wales and Scotland.
ORACLE also encouraged some reader involvement with the soap. Readers would sometimes be invited to vote by phone
to decide on story outcomes, and there was at least one competition asking readers to suggest ideas for new characters and stories for Park Avenue. Viewers were also able to purchase printouts of episodes, with seven episodes typically costing £2.
The series moved to Channel 4 after ORACLE re-organised some of its pages in 1991. It could then be found on Page 566 and became a six- rather than a seven-day soap, with episodes from Mondays to Saturdays. It remained on Channel 4 until the service's franchise ended on 31 December 1992. The last episode of Park Avenue to appear on screen did so on 30 December.
and an It girl
, who begin dating after Helena calls Terry in to do some work at her flat, but this only ran for a short while.
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
based soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
on ITV's ORACLE Teletext service
ORACLE (teletext)
ORACLE was a commercial teletext service first broadcast on ITV in 1974 and later on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, finally ending on both channels at 23:59 GMT on 31 December 1992....
, which was written by Robbie Burns. It was launched in 1988, and 1,445 episodes were written during its time on air. It later moved to Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
after ORACLE was reorganised, before ending when the service lost its franchise at the end of 1992.
History
The series was launched on Page 126 of ORACLE on ITV on Thursday 1 December 1988, with a new episode appearing at 5:00pm each afternoon (including weekends). Park Avenue was set in the fictional town of Parkfield (which was somewhere near LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, although the exact location was never given), and told the stories of the everyday lives of the residents of Park Avenue. Each episode would usually have six to ten pages of text, while Page 126 itself would also feature a synopsis of recent storylines enabling readers who'd missed an episode to catch up, occasional character profiles and even teletext-graphics produced pictures of how the author imagined the characters would look. Robbie Burns would often try to involve the characters in topical events of the day - for example one character decided to stop buying beef following the 1990 BSE
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
scare, while another found himself caught up in a riot at a local prison during a time when a riot
1990 Strangeways Prison riot
The 1990 Strangeways Prison riot was a 25-day prison riot and rooftop protest at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, England. The riot began on 1 April 1990 when prisoners took control of the prison chapel, and the riot quickly spread throughout most of the prison...
at Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
's Strangeways Prison
Manchester (HM Prison)
HM Prison Manchester is a high-security male prison situated in Manchester, England operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. It is a local Prison, holding prisoners remanded into custody from the courts in the Manchester area as well as a number of Category A prisoners.HM Prison Manchester was...
had inspired a number of copycat riots in jails across England, Wales and Scotland.
ORACLE also encouraged some reader involvement with the soap. Readers would sometimes be invited to vote by phone
Televoting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.- Broadcast contest televoting :...
to decide on story outcomes, and there was at least one competition asking readers to suggest ideas for new characters and stories for Park Avenue. Viewers were also able to purchase printouts of episodes, with seven episodes typically costing £2.
The series moved to Channel 4 after ORACLE re-organised some of its pages in 1991. It could then be found on Page 566 and became a six- rather than a seven-day soap, with episodes from Mondays to Saturdays. It remained on Channel 4 until the service's franchise ended on 31 December 1992. The last episode of Park Avenue to appear on screen did so on 30 December.
Legacy
To the present day Park Avenue remains the only soap of its kind in the United Kingdom. In the early 2000s, ORACLE's successor, Teletext Ltd briefly ran a feature called Diary of An Odd Couple about Terry and Helena, a plumberPlumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
and an It girl
It girl
"It girl" is a term for a young woman who possess the quality "It", absolute attraction.The early usage of the concept "it" in this meaning may be seen in a story by Rudyard Kipling: "It isn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just 'It'."...
, who begin dating after Helena calls Terry in to do some work at her flat, but this only ran for a short while.
