Inside Soap UK 6 - 2019

“If a boat turns up, there’s a reason for it” Who’d have a boat in a soap? The shows are completely landlocked, so all you can do is stand it in a driveway and look at it. Well, apart from that river in Hollyoaks, but I’m fairly sure that only runs as far as the studio car park. So if a boat does turn up, you can bet your bottom dollar there’s a good plot reason for it. Over the years, we’ve seen how boats are useful for death or drowning – would the ‘Gail goes to jail’ plot have come about if her insurance-frauding death-faking hubby Joe McIntryre didn’t have that boat? Sometimes they become a soapie metaphor for a person’s life. The pirate ship in Emmerdale was Ashley…

Peter’s dreams of sailing away from the cobbles go up in smoke this week – as his boat is destroyed in a shock fire with Simon asleep on board. The terrifying blaze takes hold after Simon lights a hurricane lamp, and invites pals Aadi and Asha round to see the inside of the vessel. But after the twins leave and Simon extinguishes the candle holder, somebody boards the boat and knocks over the lamp – and its smouldering wick. Simon is soon surrounded by flames, and Peter arrives at the scene to discover his son in life-or-death peril. “The fire is raging when Peter finds out that Simon is trapped inside the boat,” says our Corrie insider. “The boat was their way of bonding and dreaming about adventures together. Now…

Peter’s in trouble again – does he like Abi, or is he just stringing her along? He has feelings for Abi – he liked being around her and he finds her attractive. Peter wasn’t planning it, it just happened, and they enjoy each other’s company. He’s not using her for anything. Is Abi right about Carla keeping Peter dangling? It’s an extremely complicated situation. Sometimes, Peter just lets go of a relationship and thinks that he can move on, but Carla won’t let him – and vice versa. Peter reckons Abi’s a great person and they have a lot in common, but then Carla becomes involved in his life again and Peter falls towards her automatically. Do you think they’ll always be like this? I do until one of them…

Mel and Hunter get the news they’ve been dreading this week – when they hear that a body has been dug up in the woods! It doesn’t take long for the corpse to be identified as Ray, and the police are soon knocking on Mel’s door. With time running out, Mel knows she and Hunter have to leave Walford before they’re banged up for good – and there’s only one person she can turn to… “Mel asks Jack to help her escape – she explains everything that’s happened,” reveals Tamzin Outhwaite, who plays her. “She is in a blind panic – she has told so many lies to so many different people, and she is getting more and more entangled in this web of deceit. Jack is the only person…

One person who’s hoping Mel won’t go down for murder is Scott Maslen, aka Jack – because he wants his alter ego to get back together with her! “I think they’ll explore that more in the future,” he revealed recently. “It’s been quite a short relationship if you look at it, but she ticks all the boxes for Jack. “It’s a bit sensitive right now, so we’ll see where it goes,” added Scott. “But there’s always potential to work with the lovely Tamzin.”…

There’s a massive moment in store for Paddy this week, when he comes face to face with the man who could be his father – the legendary wrestler, Bear Wolf! The dramatic meeting takes place at a wrestling convention, which Paddy reluctantly attends at the behest of his best mate Marlon. But as he braces himself to discover whether or not this striking man could be his dad, will Paddy get the answers he wants? “Paddy always idolised Bear Wolf – he was his favourite wrestler!” “This situation has been a big shock for Paddy – he’s lived his life thinking his dad was his dad, and doesn’t want to face the possibility that he’s not,” sighs Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy. “He didn’t want to know about the convention…