The ways in which dramas affect public perceptions of ageing

Soap operas and dramas attract huge audiences and seek to reflect real life (Caughie 2000), yet little has been written about whether depictions of health problems in these productions colour public perceptions of illness. This article examines two portrayals of ageing and memory loss, one from BBC Radio 4's The Archers and one from a BBC television adaptation of Alan Bennett's dramatic monologue Talking Heads. It uses healthcare and media literature to compare their use of realism and assess their likely effect on public awareness. The implications of dramatic representations of memory loss for nurses who provide information and support to patients newly diagnosed with memory problems and their families are discussed.