Inside Soap UK 08-2023

“Three years? You can’t be serious, Shazza” One detail that pulled me up sharp while watching EastEnders last week was Sharon’s remark that it was three years since she had “lost her Denny”. What?! C’mon Shazza love, you can’t seriously be telling me that it’s somehow already three years since Walford’s disastrous riverboat trip on the Thames? Nonsense! Surely that was just, like… a few months ago? Next you’ll be telling me it’s eight years since Lucy Beale was murdered and that’s just impossi– Oh. Perhaps my bewilderment is because the river trip was soap’s last big stunt before lockdown, so it now feels strangely disconnected in time? Or maybe it’s just the way the years fly by ever faster as you get older? I’m also alarmed to spot that,…

First with the week’s HOTTEST headlines There’s relief all round when missing Paddy returns to the village this week – but little do his loved ones realise he’s only back to say his final goodbyes. The vet disappeared for a while after his drunken bunk-up with Mandy, popping out to buy milk and never coming back. Marlon, Bear and the rest of Paddy’s friends are delighted to have him home, but they have no idea that he’s made the decision to end his life… “Paddy thinks it would be easier for everyone if he wasn’t there, which is absolutely wrong,” reveals Dominic Brunt, who plays him. “He goes away to kill himself, but then he realises he needs to come back because he wants to make sure that everybody is…

Paddy’s loved ones face a race against time to save him this week – with Marlon, Chas and Mandy among those desperate to stop him from executing his devastating plan. Mercifully, it sounds as if one of them will reach him in time, as a future episode of the show sees Marlon uniting the men folk of the Dales for a special all-male episode that focuses on the group simply talking to one another. “When we embarked on this heartbreaking storyline about Paddy’s depression and attempted suicide, we knew we wanted to shine a light on how important it is to just talk,” explains Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw. “Inspired by listening to real stories from the charity Andy’s Man Club, we decided to have some of the men in our…

Emmerdale bosses have worked closely with Samaritans on Paddy’s story, and are keen to make viewers aware that there is help out there for anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts. The charity has launched the campaign Small Talk Saves Lives to encourage members of the public to start chat with anyone they think may need to talk. Coronation Street star Channique Sterling-Brown (aka Dee-Dee Bailey) is a Samaritans volunteer, and she tells us why talking is so important… Hi, Channique! How did you get involved with Samaritans? I become a Samaritan three or four years ago, after a young man I went to school with took his own life. He was a really big part of my school years, and just a wonderful person, so it was really heartbreaking. I wanted…

Shocking scenes on the cobbles see love cheat Aaron betray Summer with her best friend and their flatmate, Amy Barlow, this week – after the pair succumb to a passionate kiss. However, what starts out as a genuine attraction between the pair turns into a nightmare for Amy, after Aaron makes the decision for them to have sex without her consent. “Amy and Aaron are drinking at the flat, and there is clearly chemistry between them,” explains actor James Craven, who plays Aaron. “They go into her bedroom, initially to find more alcohol, but Amy starts to feel sick, so she lays down on the bed and rolls away from him. However, Aaron continues to kiss her and fails to read the signals. The biggest mistake he makes is assuming…

In future episodes, Amy quite rightly points out to Aaron that she did not consent to sex, yet he tries to convince her that they both wanted it to happen and he did nothing wrong. After family, friends and the police become involved, we’ll see the different reactions and understandings of non-consensual activity as both teens battle with what happened that night. “Initially when I was given the storyline, I was quite anxious to take it on,” confesses actress Elle Mulvaney, who plays Amy. “There are so many different viewpoints from the characters but it’s important that while Amy doesn’t say the words, she definitely doesn’t consent. “This shouldn’t be a grey area.”…