Inside Soap UK 46 - 2019

Twelve months can be a long time for a soap character. “Where do they find the energy?” While we might have bought a new fridge, been to Fuengirola, and taken up yoga, in soap you can have been married, divorced, pregnant, shot, and blackmailed – all before taking part in a zany fun run! Would Corrie’s Robert have thought at the start of 2019 that he’d now be living a double life with a stroppy fiancée at home and a preggers one away? (See p18 for the latest on that.) Or would EastEnders’ Callum have dreamt that he’d be jilted at the altar and head-over-heels in love with Ben Mitchell? (See p20.) It’s a high-octane soap life. Where do they find the energy? The fridge and the yoga would be…

Widower Daniel is arrested for a violent outburst this week, just days after laying Sinead to rest. When the laptop on which Sinead left videos of herself before she died is stolen, it pushes Daniel over the edge – and his reaction could send him behind bars. “Losing Sinead is unimaginably painful, so for somebody to take these precious videos made for her baby son Bertie is just too much for Daniel to bear,” says our Weatherfield insider. “He searches pawnshops nearby to find it, convinced that someone has sold it on. When he spots a laptop that looks like his, he furiously smashes the cabinet to retrieve it. And soon the police arrive...” “Daniel is driven to fury – and lashes out with a golf club…” The outburst comes…

Sinead’s death has been one of soap’s hardest-hitting storylines, but Rob Mallard, who plays Daniel, says there’s still a long road ahead. With his wife gone, the focus will shift to Daniel as he tries to live without the love of his life. “Now it’s about Daniel being a widower at a young age and not knowing what to do with that, and how to navigate something that hard,” explains Rob. “I’ve been talking to Pete Wallroth, who is the founder of Mummy’s Star, the charity we’ve been working with on this storyline, about his experience of this. Pete’s been very frank with us, and I feel an extra responsibility to not assume the height of this story was Sinead’s death and now it winds down. It’s a story of…

There’s violence in the village this week, as Liam punches Jacob for sleeping with his daughter Leanna! Jacob falls foul of the enraged doctor when Leanna throws up after taking the morning-after pill, and Liam discovers that she and Jacob had sex. David watches on in horror as his son is grabbed by the medic and assaulted – however, Liam is left regretting his actions, as the police pay him a visit… “It’s an incredibly strange situation if you think about it,” muses Matthew Wolfenden, who plays David. “In typical soap style, Jacob has slept with Leanna, whose stepmum was Maya, who abused him and was married to Liam! When Liam marches into the shop to confront Jacob, he gets cocky, so Liam gives him a bloody lip. That’s when…

It’s fair to say that David Metcalfe finds it hard to be single. He leaps from one relationship to the next so fast that we can hardly keep up! But after Maya’s devastating actions, David has been solely focussed on Jacob for a while, and Matthew hopes he’s learnt something. “I think David will find it hard to move on romantically, and I sincerely hope we play that out,” he tells us. “He’s been jumping into bed with every new person ever since he arrived in Emmerdale! There’s been a string of short-term relationships. He needs to be more wary.” However, Matthew thinks that the Maya experience will give David pause for thought, as he’s been deeply scarred by what happened. “David blames himself for inviting Maya to move in…

Max decides to prove just how serious he is about his romance with Ruby this week – by asking her to marry him. The massive show of commitment comes to fruition after a punter at the E20 assumes that Max is Ruby’s dad! The poor guy is left humiliated by the throwaway comment, but nevertheless determined to show everyone that he and Ruby have what it takes to go the distance. The big question is, does she feel the same way? “Max and Ruby’s relationship has raised more than a few eyebrows among their friends and family,” our Walford sneak reminds us. “It’s not just the age gap that people are concerned about – let’s not forget that Max has always had a thing for younger women – but Ruby…