Inside Soap UK

“Soaps offer viewers a sense of history…” Someone asked me recently if I thought that soaps were still relevant in the landscape of modern-day TV viewing. Of course I said yes – my job as editor of this magazine depends on it! But I truly do believe that soaps are as pertinent to audiences now as they were 60 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, like most people I love to binge-watch the latest Netflix series. However, what soaps offer that those shows don’t is the sense of history that goes with having invested so much in these characters and families. Take this week – we’ll see some truly dark scenes in EastEnders when Ben is raped by Lewis at The Prince Albert. It’s a devastating event on its own, but for viewers…

Ben’s whole world implodes this week, when his supposed friend Lewis rapes him during shocking scenes at The Prince Albert. “It’s going to be a tough watch, but I think it’s been handled well” The awful turn of events happens after Ben embarks on a drunken night of self-destruction following a huge argument with Callum. They fall out over Ben’s stolen kiss with Lewis, and the revelation that the bar manager knows about his vigilante actions. Certain that his marriage is doomed, Ben recklessly messages Lewis on a dating app, and they end up meeting at Walford’s gay bar after hours. But when Ben makes a last-minute decision to say no to sex, Lewis rapes him… “It’s a straightforward fact that ‘no’ means ‘no’, no matter what happens in the build-up,” explains Max…

Hi, Aidan. We’re about to see Lewis go from loveable bar manager to rapist. How does that happen? Initially, Lewis tries to be a friend to Ben by encouraging him to go home, because he’s quite drunk. Ben is pursuing Lewis, they flirt, there’s a kiss and then it leads into a story of sexual consent and rape. The storyline is done really well because there are lots of dynamics going on, and the conversations that come out of that will be very important. Did you always know that Aidan would rape Ben when you took the role? Yes, my agent told me when I first auditioned and let me know there would be support from EastEnders and various organisations to help me. It’s important to get people to talk about male rape…

This is the moment that desperate Kevin begs Abi to think twice about kidnapping baby Alfie – as he confesses to his estranged wife that he still loves her! However, as Abi vows to skip the country to stop Imran from robbing her of their little boy, Kevin wrestles with betraying Abi in the worst way: by informing Imran of her imminent escape… “Abi plans to emigrate to Costa Rica – and the idea that he may never see her again absolutely kills Kevin,” explains our cobbles insider. “There is also the not-so-small matter of a judge having recently awarded Toyah and Imran guardianship of Alfie, so Abi doing a runner with him would be a major breach of the law. Kev wants to protect Abi from making a terrible mistake as…

ZERO! THE CHEATER Kevin was unfaithful to wife Sally, first with Natalie Horrocks, and then again with neighbour Molly Dobbs. And he only saw fit to end his affair with Molly after learning that poor Sally had cancer! HERO! SHOTGUN WEDDING While dating factory worker Alison Wakefield, it was clear that Kev still loved Sally. However, he stood by Alison and dutifully married her after she fell pregnant with his child. ZERO! BANGED UP Kev went bananas when he found out that teacher John Stape was sleeping with his teenage daughter, Rosie! Kev lashed out and punched John, landing himself a stint in jail as a result. HERO! HIGH DRAMA When troubled Jenny Bradley took to the edge of a balcony with young Jack Webster, Kev teamed up with Rita to talk Jenny down from a perilous situation. HERO! FRIDGE-GATE Kev came to Debbie’s…

Stalker Noah refuses to take responsibility for his crimes this week – and reveals to mum Charity that he won’t plead guilty in court! Despite being caught bang to rights for his creepy behaviour against Chloe, defiant Noah remains steadfast in his view that he did nothing wrong. He’s outraged that he must go to court and admit guilt for his actions – so he tells his mum that he plans to do a runner… “Charity honestly can’t believe what she’s hearing” “Noah still absolutely believes that he is blameless in all of this!” splutters our Dales spy. “The way that he sees it, everything he did was simply to impress Chloe and win her back; he just can’t accept that he crossed a line. To Noah, the biggest injustice is that he’s being…