Inside Soap UK 38 - 2016

I love a big, outrageous soap plot, and they don’t come more audacious than a big return-from-the-dead shock. I jumped out of my seat and screamed when EastEnders’ Kathy Beale stepped out of that black cab last year, and grinned like a Cheshire cat when Hollyoaks’ Mercedes also popped back from the grave the very same week. So imagine how excited we were when we got a phone call from Neighbours asking if we’d like to talk to Madeleine West. That being the Madeleine West who played Dee Bliss – Toadie’s wife who famously drove off a cliff on her wedding day, plunged into the sea and was never seen again! You can read our chat on p21 – it seems Toadie is in for a rocky 2017. Now, if…

“KERRYTELLS JOANIE WITH TREPIDATION - SHE IS SO ASHAMED” Kerry’s plan to bury the truth about her secret sex with Ross is completely blown out of the water this week – when she learns that she could be carrying his baby! The mortified woman has been wracked with guilt since cheating on partner Dan, and has been trying to forget that her car bonnet bunk-up with cabbie Ross ever happened. So after she begins to worry that she could be pregnant this week, just imagine Kerry’s horror when that little stick turns blue… “She’s gutted,” despairs star Laura Norton, who plays Kerry. “It makes her realise that she’s not going to get away with placing her head in the sand and lying to Dan. Kerry actually convinces herself that this…

When we first met Kerry, she’d put herself in the running for soap’s worst mum ever, having made a right hash of bringing up her daughter Amy. The wild woman has since been tamed and come a long way in redeeming herself, but Laura reckons that Kerry is teetering on the edge of a very slippery slope… “If Kerry and Dan were to break up, she’d be absolutely devastated,” reckons the star. “I think it would lead to her going off the rails and reverting to the old Kerry. “As an actress, I love exploring that side to her,” adds Laura. “It’s so interesting to play someone who feels that unloveable, and examine why they make such bad decisions. On one hand you have this light-hearted, loyal person, and on…

“WHATCOULD THE KILLERS POSSIBLY SAY TO MAKE PAM FEEL BETTER?” Grief-stricken Pam shocks husband Les to the core this week – by declaring that she wants to talk to the vile lads who killed Paul! The devastated couple are still in the depths of despair over losing their grandson, and find coping with how he died unbearable. But with the plea hearing coming up and the wheels of justice turning, they find they can’t hide from what’s happening. Even so, Les can hardly believe his ears when Pam announces to him and Ben that she plans to reach out to the killers themselves… “Pam and Les’ suffering is excruciating, and it’s almost broken them,” sighs our Walford insider. “All Les wants to do now is protect Pam from any more…

There may be a little good news on the horizon for Les and Pam this week, as their blackmailer Babe is given a stern ultimatum by Mick – who insists that she pay back the money she took from the Cokers, or he’ll go to the police! Mick is disgusted by his aunt’s antics, and the fact that she was willing to put Pam and Les through even more pain in their darkest hour. But while the Cokers haven’t been able to make Babe feel remorse, Mick is a different story. Babe knows he is serious about reporting her to the police unless she refunds every penny – but without any cash to hand, the chef is stuck. That’s until she realises she has a lifeline in Abi, who could…

“TODD ISVITAL, SO PHELAN NEEDS TO KEEP HIM ONSIDE - IT’S A JUGGLING ACT” Guilty Todd decides to pull out of his deceitful deal with Phelan this week – but that doesn’t go down well with Vinny, who suggests to Phelan that they bump off their troublesome partner! Todd’s crisis of conscience comes about when he assists Billy in a community project in a bid to win his fella back, only for a dramatic set of events to send the pair to the A&E waiting room. After a heartfelt conversation, Todd knows he must do the right thing, and pulls out of the housing scam. And although Phelan is anxious that Todd might blab about his and Vinny’s wrongdoings, furious Vinny reckons extreme measures are called for… “Vinny represents real…