Inside Soap UK November 14, 2015

The soaps are full of thugs and ruffians of every stripe. But not everyone who is pushed to use violence can be considered the villain of the piece. Look at Corrie’s poor Leanne, for example, over the page. She has her hand raised to Simon, which would be unforgiveable if we hadn’t seen his drip-drip campaign of cruelty over the last few months. Will Leanne hit the boy she considers her son? Or will Simon finally see how his behaviour is affecting his mum? Meanwhile, down in Walford, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are far more clear-cut. Dreadful Dean is circling his latest prey, and we can reveal that he’s going to try to do to Roxy what he once did to Linda (see p10). We pray that he won’t get away…

Simon’s cruel torment of his stepmum Leanne becomes too much to bear this week, and she snaps – raising her hand to hit him back! For weeks we’ve watched as Simon has lashed out at his mum, hitting her where it hurts both physically and emotionally. But he takes things a step too far by coldly telling her that he’s glad she can’t have any kids of her own, pushing Leanne to do the unthinkable… “Simon says things that he knows will hurt Leanne a lot,” explains Jane Danson, who plays the fraught mum. “He really hits a nerve and pushes all her buttons. When he’s throwing cruel insults at her about not having any more children, it all just becomes too much for her. He swings for her, and…

Watching Simon torture his mum in such a cruel way has been quite harrowing. But Jane tells us that sadly this kind of abuse is more common than you think… “It’s an interesting issue to tackle – it happens a lot more often than people are aware of,” she reveals. “Many parents can relate to the teenage years being frustrating. Simon has been through a lot – but then he’s also going through puberty. “[Star] Alex Bain is brilliant, and his performance is so believable – it makes you realise Simon would behave this way given everything he’s had to endure.”…

RONNIE & ROXY The Mitchell sisters are pushed to breaking point this week, as vile Dean continues to drive a wedge between them. The drama unfolds as Ronnie makes one last-ditch attempt to get rid of Dean – but her scheming backfires when Roxy finds out what she’s been up to… “The problem is that Ronnie’s losing patience,” explains our Walford insider. “Every time she attempts to play nice with Dean for Roxy’s sake, he infuriates her so much that she snaps. There is absolutely no way Ronnie will allow him to be a permanent fixture in her sister’s life.” LAST CHANCE SALOON However, frustrated Ronnie is fighting a losing battle now that Roxy has agreed to marry Dean. Having lost her cool with the situation and trashed The Albert,…

Vile Dean will subject another Walford woman to a horrific ordeal – when he tries to assault his girlfriend Roxy. A tabloid report has claimed that EastEnders bosses are working with the charity Rape Crisis on the storyline, which will take place in the build-up to Dean’s dramatic exit… “We’ve seen signs of Dean’s controlling behaviour towards Roxy, but the desperate measures he takes to maintain his power over her are frightening,” reveals our source. “Will Roxy regret defending him for so long if he succeeds with his wicked plot?” The news will come as no surprise to EastEnders viewers, who were frustrated that Dean escaped punishment for raping Linda last year. But could his behaviour towards Roxy become the catalyst that finally sparks his explosive farewell? “Ronnie is really…

Here is your first look at Mick and Linda Carter’s fairy-tale upcoming wedding day! Strictly Come Dancing viewers were treated to a special behind-the-scenes video of dance contestant Kellie Bright (Linda) and her leading man Danny Dyer (Mick) filming on location. And when Strictly presenter Claudia Winkleman pointed out that Kellie learned her paso doble routine while filming the scenes, the star confirmed that Linda will get hitched: “Yes – I got married!” exclaimed Kellie. It’s great news for EastEnders fans, who have been rooting for Mick and Linda since they were almost torn apart by the revelation that Dean raped her. But judging by the look of these pictures from their magical big day, they’ll finally have something to smile about, as Linda slips on a gorgeous white gown…