Eary Closing

Chris Hallam tells the story of a short-lived ITV soap opera

- Chris Hallam

Forty years ago this month, a new British soap opera became an immediate smash hit with the viewing public. That show was EastEnders. Six months on, however, another soap opera was launched on ITV. In an alternative universe, in which the new series, Albion Market, had proven to be a massive success, characters such as Derek Owen, Lynne Harrison and Morris Ransome would doubtless be as famous as the likes of Den and Angie, Pat Butcher and Dot Cotton are today. Its stars would have seen their lives utterly transformed and become household names off the back of it. Chart-topping pop singles would have been released in its name. As it is, 40 years on, Albion Market is largely forgotten.

The first episode aired at 7pm on Friday 30 August 1985. Produced by Granada Studios, the same ITV franchise which had produced Coronation Street since 1960, the new “continuing drama series” (the term “soap opera” was officially frowned upon) initially aired twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays at 7pm. Over time, the Sunday broadcast was moved back to around 6pm while LWT and TVS soon dropped the Friday edition entirely preferring to air the week’s two episodes as a Sunday double bill. Like most such series, the premise was simple, centring on the everyday lives of a group of people associated with a busy covered market in Salford.

Although there was no direct connection between the two shows, Granada were keen to present Albion Market as a companion piece to Coronation Street which is also set in the Greater Manchester area. On the launch of the new series, one optimist at Granada is said to have proclaimed: “When Coronation Street celebrates its golden anniversary, Albion Market will be celebrating its silver anniversary.”

As we now know, The Street did indeed reach that milestone in 2010. But, by then, Albion Market would be long gone.