Inside Soap UK 44 - 2016

This week’s Inside Soap is jam-packed with stuff. Sometimes I just don’t know how we fit it all in! I was very excited by our sneak pics of Denise and Phil having what looks like a heart-to-heart – will she reveal all on her big baby secret? We peruse the possibilities on p10. Meanwhile, Corrie’s Phelan story appears to be reaching its climax, and the con is well and truly on as he heads to the airport – but can he really get away with the scheme and his neighbours’ cash? See p19. As well as goss, we’ve got some great chats with soap favourites. Catherine Tyldesley tells us why she would give Corrie’s Eva a stiff talking-to, Walford’s Jamie Borthwick gives us the inside story on Jay’s latest troubles…

Prepare for major fireworks at Home Farm this week, as vengeful Rebecca reveals everything about Chrissie’s plot to frame Andy Sugden for Lawrence’s shooting! The shocking truth comes tumbling out at a bonfire party laid on by the White family, with Chrissie resorting to extreme measures to cover her tracks and silence her sibling. But when her scheming backfires and Rebecca comes back fighting, panicked Chrissie has a lot of explaining to do… “Rebecca makes quite an entrance at the bonfire,” reveals star Louise Marwood, who plays Chrissie. “Everyone in the village is there, and Chrissie feels sick knowing her sister has come to stick the knife in – and of course she does!” Chrissie’s nightmare unfolds thanks to her unwitting son Lachlan, who inadvertently leads Rebecca to the missing…

QUEEN BITCH! For a woman who was once so sweet, kind and caring, the turn of cruel Chrissie was never on Louise’s radar… “I didn’t imagine she’d become so calculated!” exclaims the actress. “I’m loving it, though. Chrissie is very fierce, isn’t she?” RETURN OF THE EX? With Andy’s family having finally learned the truth about him being framed, will he return to take his revenge on Chrissie? “That would be fun, though I don’t expect it will be any time soon, as he’s still on the run,” Louise points out. “But if he did come back to the |Dales, he’d wreak havoc!” SISTER ACT! Chrissie and Rebecca may be at war, but Louise says she and Emily Head – who plays her sibling – get on like a house…

“LIBBY HAS CONCERNS - AND SHE ISN’T SHY ABOUT RAISING THEM WITH DENISE” Denise endures an awkward reunion with daughter Libby this week, after the horrified girl reacts badly to the news that her mum is expecting another child! And as the feisty Fox women struggle to see eye to eye, it’s one more aggravation stressed-out Denise can do without… “Denise is carrying Phil Mitchell’s baby, so she’s not exactly full of the joys of spring,” points out our Walford insider. “She has considered all the possibilities of what it means to have a child at this stage in her life, and it’s not something she’s entering into lightly. So when Libby turns up and starts wagging her finger at her mum, it doesn’t go down very well!” Denise has…

DENISE’S ELDEST COULD BE IN LINE FOR A RETURN… With Libby now in the know about her mum’s pregnancy, surely it can only be a matter of time before Denise’s other daughter, Chelsea, finds out she’s going to have a new little brother or sister. EastEnders doesn’t exactly shy away from bringing back former characters to suit the storyline, with Ryan Malloy recently making a couple of appearances for his sister Whitney’s plot. Could a return for Chelsea be in the works? From what we know, she’s living in Spain and is still in contact with Libby. Provided Denise doesn’t go into early labour and have her baby this Christmas (we bet you £5), the due date is at the end of January. So perhaps we’ll hear from Chelsea then,…

“MAYBE DENISE WILL TAKE PITY ON PHIL AND DIVULGE THE TRUTH…” Could this be the moment that Denise tells Phil that she’s carrying his baby? Our spies spotted EastEnders stars Diane Parish and Steve McFadden, who play the pair, filming scenes that feature their characters in the midst of a very curious-looking heart-to-heart in Walford’s local graveyard. Phil looks as if he’s on death’s door as he continues to wait for a liver transplant – however, will his fight for life become even more desperate if Denise tells him he’s going to be a dad again? “Say what you want about Phil, but there is no one he loves more than his kids,” insists our Square insider. “He screwed up big time in the past with…