With eight-and-a-half hours of dramatic daytime programming on U.S. airwaves each afternoon, it is sometimes easy to forget that the soap opera is an art form enjoyed around the world. But it is not just American viewers that are getting worked into a lather by their favorite soap stars.

In a study commissioned by a British condom maker, about one-third of UK soap fans have admitted to looking to their favorite soap stars to spice up their sex lives. But in a slightly bizarre twist worth of a soap opera, four times as many people would watch an episode of their favorite soap over having sex with their partner. Moreover, most Britons spend 50% more time watching soaps than they do engaging in sex.

Mates Condoms, the company that launched the study, has a fix for the situation - a way to give viewers their soap fix and, well, encouraging them to enjoy the company of their significant other. Mates Condoms has launched an online soap called "Mates." The online soap follows the friendships, relationships, sexual adventures, and comical mishaps of six friends.

"We created Mates because we wanted to put the fun back into sex we all have such busy lives that sex often slips down the list of priorities and can become as routine as the TV schedules," commented Esther Laycock-Smith, Senior Brand Manager for Mates Condoms. " These results show that while the imagination is there, we're not taking the time to put our fantasies into practice."

The public will have the opportunity to weigh in on the action in Mates and steer storyline developments.

In other interesting study findings, 15% of British men and 27% women admit to fantasizing about politicians. About a quarter of poll respondents have said that they would turn their partner away if they tried to initiate a little romance during the soaps.

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