BBC launches interactive teen soap online

by Joe Lepper, Brand Republic 19-Dec-05

LONDON - The BBC is to launch a web-based soap opera aimed at teenagers called 'Wannabes', which focuses on the lives of a group of aspiring young musicians, actors and film makers.

The soap, which is set in Brighton, is being developed by Illumina Digital and is due to be screened in the autumn, with casting underway next month and filming beginning in the spring.

It is anticipated that two episodes will be made available online each week as part of a seven-week run.

Crucial to the soap is an interactive element, with viewers asked to respond to multiple choice scenarios that face the characters.

Rik Lander, the show's producer and director, said: "The teenage audience is ideal for this kind of innovative, interactive format. Most of the interactivity is about getting closer to the characters and helping them make difficult personal choices."

This is the BBC's second online soap, with BBC World Service launching a weekly drama called 'The Flatmates' in the summer aimed at English-language students.

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