Inside Soap UK 20 - 2021

“Change is part of the rich tapestry of soap” If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time editing this magazine, it’s that everything changes. And where would we be without change? We need new characters to rock up and bring something fresh to the table, and sometimes other characters have done their time – you can live many lifetimes in soap in a few short years! – and need to move on to make room for others. It’s all part of the rich tapestry of soap, and what keeps these shows surprising and delighting us year after year. Take this week, where we see an intriguing new addition to the EastEnders’ cast, as Brian Conley arrives to play Sona’s dad Terry (or Rocky as he’s known for reasons Brian…

Sharon’s plot to track down Leanne has devastating consequences this week – after one of Harvey’s gang kidnaps young Sam! With Harvey banged up for drug dealing, he’s relying on his auntie Sharon to track down Leanne, who is the star witness in the case. But time is running out and Leanne is still nowhere to be found, so Sharon is forced to go to extreme lengths… “Kidnapping Sam is the last thing Sharon wants to do, yet she has no choice!” wails our cobbles insider. “Every tactic she’s employed to locate Leanne so far has failed, and Harvey’s piling on the pressure for her to deliver the goods. In sheer desperation, Sharon gives away Sam’s whereabouts to one of Harvey’s henchmen. Before she knows it, the lad is lured…

While Natasha and Gail end the week united in their worry for Sam, they start it at loggerheads – as Natasha accuses Gail of stealing from her! Ironically, Gail is trying to be helpful, by cleaning Natasha’s house when she’s at work. While there, she’s shocked to find that inventive Sam has swiped his mum’s silver bracelet to make an electricity conductor board, so Gail quickly takes it off him. But before Gail can return the jewellery to its rightful owner, Natasha spots her bracelet in Gail’s purse – and brands her a thief! There are red faces all round when Sam admits he was the one who took it, and Natasha is forced to apologise. Determined to make it up to Gail, Natasha offers to lend David the money…

The Carters are determined to show a united front this week – as they head to court hopeful that Mick’s childhood abuser, Katy Lewis, will be suitably punished for the horror that she inflicted upon him when he was just a boy. Once Katy changed her plea to guilty, there was no longer a need for a trial – leaving Mick with the option of reading his victim statement before a judge at a hearing, rather than before a jury. However, if Mick chooses to do so, he loses his anonymity – a sacrifice that he is spurred on to make this week, after Nancy persuades her dad to stand up in court. “Frankie can’t just switch off her feelings for her mum…” Yet when evil Katy conspires with Frankie…

The skulduggery at Home Farm spurs Kim into taking back control this week, after she makes the difficult decision to undergo proper tests for dementia. For weeks, oblivious Kim has been at the mercy of a mystery gloved hand drugging her brandy, and while she remains none the wiser, she’s fearful that what she’s experiencing must be the result of a serious illness. Meanwhile, scheming Gabby is taking full advantage of Kim’s confusion in order to siphon money from the Tate bank account. However, after Gabby is rumbled this week, her only defence is to play on Kim’s ill health – leading Kim to reluctantly accept that she must be losing her marbles… “Gabby uses Kim’s illness to cover her tracks,” explains actress Rosie Bentham, who plays Gabby. “When Kim…

While Kim’s frazzled mind struggles to compute events on screen, albeit due to the dark forces circling her, actress Claire King – who plays her – admits that even she finds it tricky to keep up with the pace of her alter ego’s drama! “When I started, it was only two episodes a week, and now I’ve come back to six,” says the 58-year-old star, who bagged the role of Kim in 1989. “It’s like, ‘At my age? Hello’! Not only am I menopausal, I’m also arthritic, which doesn’t help the old brain! I’m very lucky that Emmerdale writes so much for me, but it’s hard work!”…