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Age article - Technology
The BBC World Service is to launch its first online soap opera, targeted at English language learners.

The Flatmates, featuring a multicultural cast of young people, is to launch on August 1, the BBC said on Wednesday.

Visitors to the website will be able to listen to the last episode and also read latest developments from the flat.

The soap promises to be interactive, with English learners able to vote on what happens next to the characters, who share their adventures studying, working and living in Britain.

A language aspect from each episode is highlighted, so online visitors can say what grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation points they would like to learn.

"Online is a fantastic way of learning English because people can go at their own pace and interact with the web in a way they want to, at a time that suits them," said series writer and producer Nuala O'Sullivan.

"The Flatmates appeals to people who also want to learn English as it is lived and spoken, rather than as it is sometimes taught in more traditional text-books."

AFP