Inside Soap UK 5 - 2018

Secrets, eh? Why do people in soap bother? If I lived in soapland (and sometimes it feels as if I do!), I’d be confessing everything to everyone on a daily basis. I’d rather that than keeping a lid on my sins and waiting for it all to be exposed in the pub to 15 of my best pals and 10 random extras. I mean, Laurel and Bob have been nervous wrecks since their secret bonk – and the stress levels only rise in the Dales this week, as Harriet spots the pair getting cosy. Just fess up and get through it! Meanwhile in Corrie, there’s more trouble for Rana following her affair confession to Zeedan last week. Had she told him all that time ago, this would be old news…

Debbie’s vendetta against Joe has horrendous repercussions for Ross this week, after he ends up being the victim of a brutal acid attack! The simmering hatred between Debbie and Joe has boiled over in recent weeks, and Ross has become a pawn in their dangerous game. Up until this point, he’s been happy to do whatever he can to help Debbie bring down the new lord of the manor – but he’s going to regret ever getting involved in her revenge plot… “This storyline is a big responsibility, and one that I was very nervous about taking on,” reveals Michael Parr, who plays Ross. “I know it’s a reality for some people, so it’s important to get it right and do the story justice. The Emmerdale team has done extensive…

Emmerdale is the first UK soap to feature a story about an acid attack – and it’s a hot topic in the news at the moment. In London alone the number of assaults involving a corrosive substance has more than doubled since 2014, and Britain now has one of the highest recorded rates of acid attacks in the world. CRACKING DOWN It’s thought this is due to substances such as household bleach being widely available, while knives and guns are more restricted. This has prompted the proposal of laws prohibiting the sale of corrosive substances to under-18s, and imposing harsher sentences on anyone caught carrying acid as a weapon. IN THE NEWS A recent high-profile case involved Arthur Collins (pictured), the former boyfriend of TOWIE’s Ferne McCann. He…

The moment that Mel has been praying for finally arrives this week, as she enjoys an emotional reunion with her son Hunter. Mel is desperately relieved to see her beloved boy again, having been forced to work in cahoots with gangster Ciara in order to have Hunter back by her side. But when his first visit to Walford reveals tough truths concerning his late father Steve, Mel is left with some explaining to do… “Albert Square holds a lot of memories for Mel – though only a few of them are happy ones!” our EastEnders sneak reminds us. “Who knows if she’d ever have returned were it not for Ciara’s blackmail? She had to save her child – and now that she has, the last thing she needs is to…

MURDER! Steve arrived in 1998, after buying the nightclub he relaunched as E20. He bludgeoned his ex-lover Saskia Duncan to death when she tried to strangle him – and then allowed his lackey Matthew Rose to be sent down for the crime. ADDICTION! When Matthew’s conviction was quashed in 2000, he terrified Steve with a drastic revenge plot – tying him up and threatening to set him alight. The shock of this attack sparked a drug addiction, which Steve struggled to shake off. KIDNAP! Steve married Mel in 2001, the day after discovering she’d slept with Phil. As a result, he was the prime suspect in the infamous ‘Who Shot Phil?’ investigation. But when Phil set up Dan Sullivan for the crime, Dan kidnapped Mel in vengeance. REVENGE! Dan took…

Rana’s world comes crashing down this week, as betrayed Zeedan reveals to her family that she’s cheated on him with a woman. The horrified Habeebs can’t believe it when they arrive at the Nazir house to find teetotal Zeedan handing out glasses of whisky. They are confused until Zeedan demands that Rana tell them why he’s in this state – and after she tearfully admits to an affair, he reveals that her lover was female… “I don’t think Rana could ever have been prepared for how her family react, and how disgusted they are with her for being unfaithful,” says Bhavna Limbachia, who plays the conflicted woman. “Rana’s also hurt because they expected her to mess up – they are not surprised and have always thought her a disappointment. Her…