Sheree Murphy thinks UK soap operas should stop airing all year round.
Sheree Murphy thinks soaps in the UK should stop airing all year round
The 48-year-old actress is probably best known for playing Tricia Dingle in the ITV1 soap opera 'Emmerdale' but later had a short stint as Dakota Davies in the Aussie soap 'Neighbours' - which after being axed by Channel 5 in 2022 has made a return to Amazon Freevee in a streaming format - and thinks that UK based serials should also ditch the traditional evergreen airing pattern and be broadcast in separate batches of episodes to allow viewers some breathing space.
Speaking on the 'Soap from the Box' podcast, she said: "I think that it is such a good idea and it would be very interesting to see if any of our soaps do the same sort of thing. I think it's the way to go. I think a lot people like to binge watch telly, binge watch a series and then have a little break from it and then you really look forward to the series. Storylines can move on and progress but you don't need to see any of that. You can do flashbacks, it's so open-ended and it's such a good idea."
"I think it's much more attractive to lots of different actors, so it's such a good idea."
The former 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!' contestant - who is married to Australian football coach Harry Kewell and has Taylor, 22, Ruby, 20, Matilda, 15, and 11-year-old Dolly with him - played the part of businesswoman Dakota in 'Neighbours' for a total of 13 episodes and went on to recall that she had to turn down the initial offer from the show because she was pregnant but was then thrilled to be able to be part of such an "iconic" series.
She added: "I moved to Australia for a bit, the producer phoned my agent and asked if I would like a part in 'Neighbours'. I couldn't, I was heavily pregnant at the time and was going back to the UK. But when I went back to Australia, they said they had a different character that they would love me to play.
"I said 'Hell yes!' It was great. It was a pinch-me moment standing in Lassiters kissing Paul Robinson and then smacking him round the face. It felt a real honour to be part of such an iconic show.
"It was really surreal. So when I went to meet the producer, he showed round. I know how sets sort of should look but when you've been such a fan of a certain show and then when you're standing on the set, it's so surreal. Doing a soap, I've done two soaps in the UK, and it was run exactly the same. The crew were all lovely, the cast were amazing and I really, really enjoyed my time on it."
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