Inside Soap UK 5 - 2017

Now, I’m a big fan of a long-running storyline – all that anticipation of what might happen, and the frustration when it doesn’t go the way you hope it will. It’s what soaps are about. However, even I draw the line somewhere, so I think it’s well overdue that Casualty’s Charlie makes an honest woman of Duffy. After all, this is a big day – that’s been 30 years in the making! 30 years? That’s longer than I’ve been alive. Well, nearly. But a happy ending isn’t going to come easy for this pair, as Cathy Shipton explains to us on p44. Elsewhere this week, there’s a couple of new dramas afoot that are set take us through the next few months of soap viewing (but probably not the next…

Bad girl Charity finds herself an accomplice in ex-jailbird Frank this week – and seals their criminal deal with a kiss! The reformed dad of villagers Vanessa and Tracy has been doing his best to steer clear of bother, however the allure of a jewellery scam with Charity is too much to resist. He and the Dingle woman plan to pose as the owners of currently empty Home Farm and invite a jeweller over to sell them diamonds – then swipe a few for themselves. But though it’s risky business, Frank can’t help putting his swindling skills to use again… “Don’t forget that Frank is a master con man,” laughs Michael Praed, who plays the veteran bad boy. “So he’s perfectly at home in the con environment, and while there…

We truly adore a good old-fashioned soap love triangle – and we can’t wait to see Frank torn between Megan and Charity. But which of these glamorous ladies is the right partner for Michael’s roguish alter ego? “It’s a very tricky question – who knows who the right people are?” he says. “They both fulfil different parts of his psyche. I do think Charity and Frank make a good pair, although he’s terribly fond of Megan, and they make a great couple. He sees Megan as the living embodiment of how to lead a good life, and she’s also not liable to get him into prison any time soon!” However, this being Emmerdale, Michael is fully aware that it may not be either lady who ends up being Frank’s ideal…

“JACK WILL BE WARY IF HE THINKS THAT GLENDA IS PLAYING HIM” Jack begins to have second thoughts this week, as he questions whether asking his mother-in-law, Glenda, to move in with him was the right decision. Is she serious about wanting to help raise Amy, Ricky and Matthew – or is there something more to it than meets the eye? “Glenda’s commitment to Jack and the kids seems genuine, as they are her last tie to her daughters Ronnie and Roxy,” reckons our EastEnders insider. “That being said, we are aware that Glenda isn’t a woman who can be trusted. She has only ever looked out for herself in the past.” It was after Ronnie and Roxy’s joint funeral that Jack invited Glenda to live at No 27. The…

“ ROSIE IS NAIVE AND INNOCENT - SHE DOESN’T REALISE THAT SHE’S BEING SET UP! ” Weatherfield is injected with some Stateside glamour this week, when Sophie brings big sister Rosie back to Coronation Street – but of course where Rosie goes, trouble soon follows… Rosie jetted off across the Atlantic five years ago in a bid for fame and fortune, and her surprise return to the cobbles is just what her miserable dad Kevin needs to cheer him up from his current financial disaster. A dark cloud is soon cast over the Websters’ happy family reunion, though, when the police arrive at No 13 – with a warrant to search the house! “Rosie has a boyfriend in the States, and it appears he’s not all he seems,” reveals Helen…

There’s further misery for poor Kevin this week – after a shocking accident at the garage lands him in even more trouble. His mechanic Luke is busy tinkering beneath an engine when the car collapses on top of him – leaving him trapped and terrified until Adam and Tracy pass by. The horrified pair come rushing to his aid upon hearing Luke’s cries for help – and while Tracy panics, calm Adam leaps into action. After the Barlow bloke props up the car with a nearby jack, Luke is eventually able to crawl to safety, seriously shaken by the experience. Boss Kevin is appalled as he finds out what’s happened, and is quick to admit that the mishap is all his fault, since he’d not been using a safety stand…