Inside Soap UK 47 - 2019

Well, that was quite a way to go for EastEnders’ Mel, wasn’t it? Just when we thought Sharon was going to talk her out of all this revenge nonsense and pop her safely on a plane to Santa Cruz… SPLAT! A 40-ton HGV appeared out of nowhere and brought her 20-year Walford history to a short, sharp end! “SPLAT! A 40-ton HGV appeared!” I must admit, I did have mixed feelings about Mel’s return to begin with. No disrepsect to the wonderful Tamzin Outhwaite, but after Mel came back to such a big fanfare, it then seemed that the show didn’t quite know what to do with her. However, the last year has finally seen Mel have a purpose, and her final few months have been nothing but sensational, with…

Linda’s drinking problems are blown into the open this week, when she is breathalysed by the police, and arrested for being intoxicated while in charge of a vehicle! Mick’s loyal wife has found herself becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol over the past few months, which has so far mostly gone unnoticed by her friends and family. However, it seems that she faces a tough task keeping her habit secret for much longer, as she could find herself up in front of a judge… “Linda has crossed the line between recreational drinking and developing a serious addiction,” frowns our Queen Vic insider. “And the awful thing is, she doesn’t even realise quite how severe things are getting. So when she wakes up on Monday morning with a heavy hangover, she tries…

As Mick’s wife-swapping competition begins this week, Linda temorarily moves out of the Queen Vic, and into No 27, with the Square’s womanizer-in-chief, Max Branning! However, after spending plenty of time with his new ‘wife’, Max soon clocks on to the fact that Linda is drinking extremely heavily. And when Max has a discreet word with Mick about what he’s observed, the pub landlord comes to realise that it’s an issue that isn’t going away, and he’ll need to bring it up with Linda. But can Mick find a way to sensitively handle the problem, without embarrassing his missus even further?…

After a troubled few months blighted by ill-health and worry, Mick is determined to bring some fun back to his life, and throws himself into the organising a wife-swapping competition – with the new pairings selected by a (supposedly) random draw. Mick himself lucks out when Ruby moves in for a few days – after all, he might have ended up with Karen taking charge behind the bar! However, little does he suspect that this innocent game will lead to terrible secrets spilling out at the Vic, and around the Square… Serial cheat Adam is not exactly thrilled when the competition obliges him to play nice with his sworn enemy Iqra, and immediately books himself into a hotel to avoid spending time with her! Meanwhile, Iqra’s partner Ash moves in…

Violence erupts at No 5 this week, when Bernie comes face to face with her paedophile ex-partner Kel. Hearing the horrific truth about how her former boyfriend groomed and raped her son Paul, Bernie reports him to the police. But after the authorities conclude their questions, Kel is released, and heads back to the Street, where he finds Bernie and issues her with sinister threats. However, Kel can’t terrorise Bernie – who has finally seen him for who he is – and her reaction leaves cornered Kel terrified… “Bernie’s an awful mum, but she does love her children and this revelation has broken her heart,” explains our Corrie spy. “She blames herself for not realising, and hates Kel for what he did. He might think he can intimidate her, yet…

Congratulations are in order for Street star Peter Ash, who plays Paul, as the actor recently celebrated his first anniversary on the cobbles. “Been filming for just over a year now!” he tweeted. “Can’t quite believe it has gone so fast! Am absolutely loving playing the character of Paul, and the entire team at Corrie has been so welcoming and plain awesome. Happy days!” It’s been a dramatic 12 months since Gemma’s bad-boy twin brother rocked up in Weatherfield, causing havoc for his sister, and stealing vicar Billy’s heart. And Billy’s not the only one to have fallen for Paul’s charms, with Peter telling us that the feedback from viewers on his character’s sexual abuse story has been incredible. “Thank you for all the amazing responses regarding the recent storyline,”…