Inside Soap UK 17 - 2017

“I’m loving Harriet and Cain’s banter!” Who’s your favourite soap pairing of the moment? I have to admit that mine is Emmerdale’s Harriet and Cain – the angel and the devil. I’m loving their sparky banter and their cheeky secret liaisons. It’s also one of those stories that was just completely unexpected, which has made it a lot more fun. If I was the producer of Emmerdale, I would never have had the idea to put them together (and that’s why I’m not the producer of Emmerdale, folks!), but as soon as their storyline began, I immediately thought, ‘Ooh, now this is interesting…’. As for who I would put together if I did have the power, though… Well, I think there’s something in that spiky relationship between Ross and…

Nathan has to think fast to stop Bethany from slipping out of his grasp this week – so he presents her with an engagement ring! Bethany is reeling after her encounter with Nathan’s creepy friend Neil, and as Nathan thanks her for being so nice to his pal, the lass is more conflicted than ever. But when she pays Sarah a visit – hoping her mum might offer her a way out – Nathan begins to worry, and realises that it’s going to take a grand gesture to get Bethany back where he wants her… “Bethany is so confused at this point,” admits actress Lucy Fallon, who plays her. “She obviously didn’t want what happened with Neil to happen, and now she’s in the headspace where she can’t make out…

How does Mel feel about Nathan focusing on Bethany? Mel hopes Nathan will come back to her. She is petrified of him, but she’s also jealous of Bethany – because deep down, Mel does loves Nathan. What is Mel’s relationship with Nathan like? Mel is actually being just as manipulated as Bethany is. She has been abused by Nathan, so she knows what he is capable of and how scary he is. But in her eyes, he did save her from a horrible upbringing – even though he didn’t make her life any better with the things that he did to her. Have you had to do any research into this plot? I went to the Escape Charity launch, where I listened to stories from survivors – and it broke…

“After the guys flee, Dan is wracked with guilt for not doing anything” There’s high drama at the village store this week, as Pollard is brutally beaten by teenage thugs – and Dan stands by and lets it happen! The bad lads round on Pollard when he’s serving alone in the shop, where he makes it clear he’s not about to give in to their threats. But as the situation turns volatile, the real shock comes after Dan – who is also in the store – cowers in a corner and leaves Pollard at the mercy of the dangerous robbers… “It’s terrifying!” reveals Liam Fox, who plays Dan. “At first, Dan is frozen and he doesn’t know what to do. He only pops into the shop to buy some tablets…

BILLY MITCHELL Jay has since forgiven him, but initially Billy’s name was mud after he hid in the bathroom while Jay’s dad Jase was savagely murdered. Both Billy and Jase got embroiled in a plot to steal money from violent football firm boss Terry Bates – but while Jase paid the ultimate price, Billy did absolutely nothing. He was then mistakenly hailed a hero by Jay for trying to help his dad. KIRIN KOTECHA Youth was no excuse for the way that Kirin conducted himself. He let dad Rakesh cover for him when he got drunk and ran over Moira, while his second drink-driving incident killed Tess Harris! Cowardly Kirin legged it from the Dales – without even a backward glance at beau Vanessa and their son, Johnny. JOHNNY CARTER…

“Denise gets to the stage where she can’t afford cheap food” There are big problems for Denise this week, as her financial woes reach crisis point. Since being fired from the Minute Mart after criticising her employer in the local paper, Denise has been finding it hard to make ends meet. While her sister Kim lives in the lap of luxury courtesy of rich hubby Vincent, Denise is running out of money fast – but she’s too proud to open up to those who love her, leading to some heartbreaking situations… Denise’s lover Kush is the one who first suffers thanks to his partner’s problems. He’s not aware of how precarious her situation is, nor that his desperate partner is searching for a job that will simply put food on…