// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
The rise of microdramas: The 'snackable' shows made for the scrolling age
Spare Arrow released its first microdrama, comedy caper Glen's Boutique, on social media earlier this year
Every evening, Heather Sharrock settles down to watch her favourite show.
But it's not on Netflix or iPlayer, or even on her television - it's on her phone.
And while some of us might get through a handful of episodes of our latest must-watch series every night, Heather can binge on dozens - because the 55-year-old from Scotland is into microdramas.
"There's so much rubbish going on in the world at the moment," Heather says. "It's just nice to switch off and not think for a little while."
Microdramas - already huge in China - are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, and can be found on apps like ReelShort, CandyJar and DramaBox. Last week, producers announced classic Neighbours storylines would be repackaged as super-short vertical episodes, one of the latest signs the format is moving into the mainstream.
Made up of snappy, high-octane episodes, they are usually 60 to 90 seconds long. Many focus on themes like forbidden love, family feuds and secret billionaires, and nearly every instalment ends on a dramatic cliffhanger. Each series tends to have 50 or more episodes, making the total runtime comparable to a feature film.
Diane Aitken, 45, a fan from Scotland, likens the werewolf- and vampire-themed microdramas she enjoys to 1980s US soaps Dallas or Dynasty "on steroids".
Diane and Sarah-Jayne both say they got into microdramas after seeing adverts on social media
The shows emerged in China in the late 2010s as cheap and quick-to-film adaptations from online novels, says China-born filmmaker Samantha Sun, and for many fans they're a form of escapism.