Inside Soap UK 22 - 2020

“There is endless drama to be mined in soap…” Only last week I was saying that it would be interesting to see what those clever bods at the soaps would come up with to keep bringing us new episodes in the world of social distancing. And this week, they’ve revealed some of their plans, as Emmerdale announces six new lockdown episodes, featuring sets of characters stuck, like the rest of us, together in their homes. This is something that is unique to soap, and one of the reasons I love them – the fact that you can just put two people in a room, set them talking, and make something as gripping as any car chase or a murder. The history these characters have, and the love the viewers carry…

Belle pays the price for stealing Andrea’s husband this week, as her affair is exposed for all to see in the Woolpack! Andrea and pal Leyla have been secretly scheming about how to punish Belle and Jamie, and cook up a plot to cause maximum damage. So while lovers Belle and Jamie are planning their future, Andrea is putting the finishing touches to the plan. Soon, any hope Belle has of a happy-ever-after with her dream man is shot to pieces as Andrea takes her down. “Belle has no inkling that Andrea knows about her and Jamie,” says Eden Taylor-Draper, who plays Belle. “They are in a little bubble of excitement full of sexual tension and the feeling of bliss. Belle thinks everything is going to be perfect in a…

Hi, Eden! The showdown in the Woolie blows the situation apart – do you think there’s any future for Belle and Jamie now? Well, Belle’s very upset by Jamie taking Andrea’s word for things, as well as for what he said to her in the pub. Also, I think it’s all just very hard. Jamie has a wife, a child – and a mother who sticks her nose in and hates Belle! Belle wants commitment and a happy, healthy relationship. I don’t know if these two will ever balance out… What do Belle’s fellow Dingles have to say when they find out about this? Lydia is disappointed, which hurts Belle, while Sam is just saying the most unhelpful things. Zak is trying to help his daughter, yet can’t fathom why…

Ben’s determination to impress his dad lands him in a grave situation this week – when he ends up with a gun pointed in his face! Having lost most of his hearing during the boat party disaster, Ben is adamant that he’s still capable of taking part in the warehouse robbery. So after Phil bans him from the job he’s planning with Danny, Ben turns up anyway… “Ben is eager to prove to himself, more than anything else, that he can do it,” explains star Max Bowden, who plays him. “Of course, he wants to impress his father too – Ben already feels as though Phil is judging him because of his hearing loss – so he wants to do everything he can to be the strong Ben that he…

Ben’s involvement in Phil’s dodgy job leaves boyfriend Callum in a quandary this week – what with him being a trainee copper an’ all! He needs advice on dating a Mitchell, and who better to ask than Sharon? She has, of course, been married to two of them! Yet Callum is stunned when Sharon says there’s only one way the romance can survive – if he turns a blind eye to Ben’s activities! But is the wannabe cop able? Or is this the end for Ballum?…

Wicked Geoff returns to the scene of the crime this week, and promptly gets rid of the incriminating camera footage that proves he abused Yasmeen. But while he may have covered up one of his secrets, another is soon revealed – and it makes his one-time ally Sally see her father-in-law in a new light… As his estranged wife remains in jail, the week begins with Geoff winning a victory against Alya when she’s forced to hand back the keys to No 6. And he’s desperate to get his hands on the material that could blow his case apart. “Geoff thinks he’s covered his tracks, but time will tell” “Geoff doesn’t want anything to contradict his side of the story,” admits Ian Bartholomew, who plays the Corrie villain. “Any CCTV…