Inside Soap UK 24 - 2022

“All soaps have their nearby fleshpots” One quirk of the soaps I’ve always enjoyed is how they work to paint a wider backdrop for their backstreet goings-on. A signpost at the centre of Emmerdale points to neighbouring villages of Connelton and Robblesfield. Do they have quite so many serial killers, I wonder? Five miles further is the market town of Hotten – where Nicola King comes a cropper this week – that’s long fascinated Dales writers keen to bring a more racy, cosmopolitan flavour to their stories; perhaps with a visit to curry house Hotten Spicy, or gay bar The Rusty Shilling. All the soaps have their nearby fleshpots. Summer Bay is a mere paddle from wicked Yabbie Creek. Coronation Street, for all its terrors, sounds positively sun-kissed compared with…

Imran’s loved ones gather together to say a final farewell to him this week – but soon, the funeral is overshadowed by shocking allegations of murder! The lawyer lost his life in the tragic car crash that he and Toyah were recently involved in, and the cops are still investigating the cause of the catastrophic accident. But it appears many of the locals have already made up their minds about who is responsible… “Toyah had a motive to want rid of Imran” “Toyah is the prime suspect in this case, make no mistake!” gasps our cobbles spy. “It’s tragic because she’s just lost her husband, yet she’s not even being offered the chance to grieve for him properly. Certain members of the community believe that Imran’s widow caused this crash…

A bi heads back to court this week, hoping to finally secure custody of her baby boy – but will the judge rule in her favour this time? With Imran out of the picture for good, and Toyah the prime suspect in his murder, there’s now a huge question mark hanging over Alfie’s future. The most likely outcome is that he’ll be taken into care – and Abi’s determined to do whatever it takes to stop that happening… “Abi can’t believe she’s been so careless” “The only reason Abi was denied custody in the first place was because of Imran’s wicked lies,” our Corrie spy reminds us. “Now Imran’s six feet under, Abi hopes the court will realise that Alfie belongs with her – after all, she is his biological…

There’s horror for Nicola this week, when she’s set upon by a violent gang of teenage girls and beaten up. It all begins after she leaves drinks with Bernice and Laurel early and heads back to her car alone. Nicola soon realises she’s in danger once a group of girls approaches her in the car park and surround her. Terrified over what’s about to happen, Nicola has no escape… “This is a nightmare come true – Nicola is totally petrified!” whispers our Dales insider. “The girls want her bag and valuables, but they give her a good beating as well. She has no chance with her being one woman against five teens. These thugs show no mercy.” “There’s a deep sense of shame that she let kids do this to…

While the crime rate has always been sky high in Emmerdale village, we’re pretty convinced that the nearby town of Hotten is becoming an even deadlier location. In just the past few weeks alone, we’ve had Billy attacked, Ethan left battered, and Nicola mugged in a car park. We understand that having DC Swirling and DC Finch on duty isn’t exactly like AC-12 being on the case, and something needs to be done. If it’s not rich racists handing out beatings, it’s girls dressed up for a night out in the clubs. Let’s not get started on the cocaine empire keeping Suzy and Leyla in white powder! It just goes to show that country towns aren’t quite as idyllic as the property programmes make out. A detached house in Hotten?…

This is the moment that raging Ben arms himself with a crowbar – and prepares to exact terrible revenge on his rapist Lewis. The devastated mechanic decides that violence is the only way after changing his mind about reporting Lewis to the police, opting instead to dish out his own brand of Mitchell justice. However, the events of the week only serve to whip up a fresh maelstrom of horror – as evil Lewis strikes back with a spiteful retaliation of his own… “Ben’s not thinking clearly, and defaults to punishing Lewis the only way that he knows how,” explains our Walford insider. “The trouble is, beating Lewis to a pulp isn’t going to reverse the events of that awful night – and risks making things much worse for Ben…