Inside Soap UK 15 - 2017

“Lee Ryan may just surprise you!” It’s been a while since we’ve seen an exciting new face arrive in Walford, so I’m looking forward to the debut of Lee ‘from Blue’ Ryan this week as bar manager Woody Woodward. Sometimes people sigh when stars known for something else –especially music – arrive in a soap, but history sees a lot more hits than misses when it comes to pop faces. Is there anyone whose favourite Corrie actress of this year hasn’t been Kym ‘from Hear’Say’ Marsh? And Duncan ‘from Blue’ James has been dead centre in recent Hollyoaks plots, with Rachel ‘off The X Factor’ Adedeji not far behind as Lisa. Also remember, EastEnders has a long tradition of stars reinventing themselves on the show. From Barbara Windsor through to…

Another bombshell strikes the Barlow clan this week, as Adam is arrested for the attempted murder of Ken! But did he commit the crime? Having lied about his whereabouts on the night Ken nearly died, devious Adam is already on shaky ground. However, after he and Tracy accuse each other of being guilty of attacking Ken, all hell breaks loose – and young Amy points the police in the direction of some interesting evidence… “Adam is definitely acting shifty,” admits Sam Robertson, who plays him. “But the entire Barlow family is shifty right now. They’re all suspicious of each other, and nobody knows who to trust or what to believe. Only one of them was responsible, of course – but Adam probably has the biggest motive, since he’d already been…

It’s not just Adam who’s in the hot seat this week, as his Uncle Peter meets with his solicitor in the wake of his stalker Chloe claiming that he attacked her. Terrified that her lies might also put him in the frame for Ken’s assault, Peter is desperate to discredit his crazy cab customer. But in order to do so, Peter must come clean about the fact that he and Chloe did actually share a brief but ill-advised snog prior to her wild accusation. What will his lawyer – and his girlfriend Toyah – make of that?…

There’s light at the end of a very dark tunnel for Bex this week, as her mum Sonia vows to stop her daughter’s bullying nightmare once and for all! It’s been a horrendous time for the Fowlers of late, with Bex’s school troubles and Michelle’s scandalous affair with Preston having turned the family upside down. So after Sonia drops in on her relatives for a surprise visit, she’s horrified to learn what’s been going on in her absence… “Sonia is back to kick some butt!” cheers our Walford insider. “Of course Martin and Stacey have been doing their best to look after Bex, but sometimes all a girl really needs to make everything better is her mum. And Sonia certainly wastes no time in taking decisive action!” After sitting down…

WHO’S THE DADDY? Michelle carved out her reputation for sleeping with people she really shouldn’t way before Preston came on to the scene! Back in the day, it was Michelle’s shock one-night stand with Sharon’s father, Dirty Den Watts – and subsequent teen pregnancy – that set the girls on course for a turbulent friendship… GUNNING FOR TROUBLE! That’s not to say that Sharon hasn’t made some ill-judged mistakes of her own. When her husband Grant’s old Army mate, Dougie Briggs, came to stay at the Queen Vic, it was Michelle who ended up taking a bullet after the madman held them all hostage with a shotgun. Ouch! SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY! Not content with seducing her mate’s dad, Michelle went for broke when she romped with her rival and…

“Rhona starts to really doubt her future with Pierce for the first time” Driven Vanessa is ever more determined to reveal Pierce’s true colours to Rhona this week – even as Pierce tries to widen the rift between the former best friends. Still desperately worried about what marrying the sinister lawyer will mean for her best mate, Vanessa has resorted to spying on Pierce. So when she notices that some mysterious phone calls have made him uneasy, Vanessa can’t help but meddle – and plays a trump card at the pair’s pre-wedding party… “Vanessa is going all out this time – she’s convinced that what’s about to happen will scupper Pierce and Rhona’s wedding!” whispers our Dales spy. “And the difference this time is that she seems to have Rhona…