Inside Soap UK 40 - 2017

“Thanks Liz for the tears and the joy” It was a sad day when Inside Soap learned of Liz Dawn’s passing. For so many of us here, Vera and Jack simply were Coronation Street as we grew up. Back then, there were only four TV channels, and none of the other modern distractions, so everyone watched Corrie – and Liz was one of the country’s most recognisable faces. It was my great honour to present Liz and her telly partner, the late Bill Tarmey, with a trophy at the Inside Soap Awards back in 2002. I can genuinely say the pair were wonderful, everything you wanted them to be and more – and that’s not something I can say of all of the stars I’ve met! If Liz thanked me…

Ruthless thug Dane threatens young Max and Lily this week, after their dad David clashes with him spectacularly. Dane – the father of Shona’s killer son Clayton – has been stalking his ex since discovering that she won a big pile of cash from a scratch card. Once David finds out that she’s planning on giving Dane £1,000 from her precious winnings in a desperate bid to get him off her back, he’s having none of it – and when he joins Shona to angrily tell Dane that he’ll be getting nothing out of her, the villain ends up frightening the wits out of David’s innocent kids… “Shona just wants Dane gone from her life – and she naively believes that giving him money is the way to do it,”…

Dane is a dramatic addition to the cobbles, and Julia is pleased with the development. “Introducing someone new to Shona’s story had to be done, especially with all the rumours going around that Nathan was Clayton’s dad!” laughs the actress. “Dane also needed to be brought in to prove that Shona has been telling the truth about her background. He’s not a nice man, so hopefully it will allow the Coronation Street audience a more sympathetic view of Shona and everything she’s been through. “I agree that she might not have made the best decisions in the past,” continues Julia. “But these days Shona is really trying her best to right the wrongs that have been done by the people around her…”…

Jane s head will be left spinning by the end of this” There’s fresh horror for Jane this week, when she wakes up in hospital and finds herself alone and helpless with wicked Max by her side! The last time Jane was conscious, she was having a showdown with Max and Steven in the burning Beales restaurant, where they eventually left her to die. No one is sure how much Jane will remember of that fateful night, and that’s a big risk for Max. He’s been hanging around Ian and the hospital, hoping for the chance to finish the job and remove Jane completely. But now she’s awake, will he be able to go through with it? “If Jane remembers what happened, Max will need to silence her permanently,” says…

It’s a bold decision on the part of EastEnders to turn Max Branning into a murderer. First, Steven Beale died as a direct result of injuries caused by Max, and then, as Max left Jane in a fire – convinced that she could not make it out alive on her own – he showed himself to be a cold-blooded killer. And in that moment, the character of Max Branning changed for me forever. I’ve loved Max since he arrived in 2006, as one of the most complex yet likeable characters in soapland. It didn’t matter how much he lied and cheated – I could always forgive him. Until now. Soapland is very clear on the rules where murder is concerned – the killer will eventually pay the price. Jane is…

“Sexual tension can come from two people not liking each other” There’s surprise passion for Vanessa this week – when sozzled Charity makes a move on her! The two women get locked in the Woolpack cellar thanks to a faulty door and, faced with the prospect of being stuck with each other all night, start knocking back the pub’s liquid assets. As the booze flows, the duo trade insults and barbs – so when Charity suddenly kisses Vanessa, it comes as a total surprise to the tipsy vet… “I didn’t know Charity’s new love interest would be Vanessa until I got the script!” shares Emma Atkins, who plays the lusty Dingle. “I was quite shocked, as Charity hadn’t been with a woman for a while, and it wasn’t on the…