Inside Soap UK 14 - 2019

It’s a funny old life, you know, being paid to watch the soaps. Of course, it’s like a dream come true for a soap nut like me – but it does mean you rather take your work home with you. You sit back on your sofa, after a hard day immersed in the world of soap, only to… erm… immerse yourself in the world of soap again! “I’d rather have dragons like Evelyn!” I’m not moaning – although keeping up with all things soap does mean I miss out on other shows, and can’t join in any conversations about Game Of Thrones or Killing Eve. Frankly, though, I’d much rather have dragons such as Corrie’s Evelyn over those ones of Westeros, or whatever they call it. And as for assassins,…

Carla’s mental health takes a nosedive this week, as she continues to blame herself for the tragic death of Rana Habeeb – leading to her doing a runner from the cobbles! As the week goes on, Carla becomes more paranoid, fearing that she’s being spied on, and even suspecting her loved ones are trying to poison her. But there’s worse to come after Peter takes Carla to the medical centre for help, only for her to abscond once his back is turned… “Things are really serious by this point – Carla just wants to get away from everyone,” sighs Alison King, who plays her. “She thinks that they’re all in on it, that they want to make her suffer, to put her in prison. It’s gone beyond the point where…

This week marks the start of a huge storyline for Carla, which will lead to a standalone episode this spring exploring her mental health – and sees the Underworld boss end up on the streets! Star Alison has been filming on location with co-star Tristan Gemmill, who plays Robert, another of the Corrie roof fiddler suspects… “It’s been the toughest storyline yet for me,” she confesses. “It’s been a real challenge every day, being in different sorts of mania from 7.30am, working your body and mind into a frantic state.” Meanwhile, it’s thought that the reveal of the Street’s big ‘whodunnit?’ is likely to air towards the end of May. This Morning’s Sharon Marshall recently hinted that the culprit will be unmasked in the run-up to “a big awards ceremony”,…

Birthday girl Rhona receives a dramatic wake-up call this week – after the village vet responds to an emergency call-out, and keels over in terrible pain. While Rhona is still resting following her hysterectomy, when Kim begs for help with her ill horse – and fellow vets Paddy and Vanessa are busy elsewhere – she just can’t say no. However, as she heads out to the stables, there are dreadful consequences… “The pain is intense, and Rhona’s terrified,” admits Zoe Henry, who plays her. “She’s lugging this massive vet’s bag around, and she’s only just been allowed to drive again. There are so many things she shouldn’t be doing, yet Kim’s desperate – and Rhona can’t help but help, even though she’s not well enough!” This dramatic scene follows what’s…

“This isn’t an easy journey that Pete and Rhona are on – that’s visible for all to see,” warns Zoe. “I reckon that Rhona will struggle to let go of this idea of Pete not wanting kids any more, because I think she knows deep down that he probably does. He’s so much younger that I don’t believe she can bear the thought of being the one to stop him from having children. So there are rough currents ahead for them!”…

The tension between Jay and Lola reaches boiling point this week – and the pair end up locking lips! Ever since Lola returned, it’s caused emotional torment for Jay, who still considers her the love of his life. He’s been doing his best to ignore Lola as he still hasn’t forgiven her for dumping him and running off with his mate, Dexter Hartman. However, when Billy steps in to force the old flames to start talking again, the feelings they once shared come flooding back. “Now he’s seen Jay and Lola together, Ben is determined to drive a wedge between them” “It’s a lot for Jay to cope with,” says our EastEnders insider. “He didn’t expect Lola to come walking back into his life, and now it’s thrown him completely.…