While we are having a dig at soaps, why is is they never use their full names, even in court they were called Becky and Steve McDonald, surely he is Steven, even if she is not Rebecca. On gravestones they always have Joe or Mick or other shortened names, yet in real life the full names are inevitably used.
Think you are missing my point, its not that no names are ever shortened, but that those whose names are the shortened version are never referred to by their full name even by officials such as police or courts.