Inside Soap UK 16 - 2017

“Thank heavens for the soap ladies!” The soaps seem full of bad, immoral men at the minute. Turn the page to our Inside Scoop section, and who do you find? Bullying Pierce in Emmerdale, evil Nathan in Corrie and scheming, self-serving Max in EastEnders. What a rum bunch! Thank heavens for the ladies, eh? Turn to our interview section and you can meet Julia Goulding, aka Corrie’s rough diamond Shona, who looks a million dollars out of Shona’s jeans and jumpers. Then there’s the always lovely Gaynor Faye – Emmerdale’s working single mum Megan – who tells us all about her character’s big mistake this week. However, the one the jury is out on is EastEnders’ newcomer Lisa Faulkner. Not in real life, of course – Lisa was the nicest…

"Things are said and done that I don’t think Rhona will ever get over” All hell breaks loose on Pierce and Rhona’s wedding day this week, as the groom turns on his bride in terrifying fashion. Pierce’s obsessive behaviour has grown ever more disturbing in recent weeks, and in spite of Vanessa’s warnings that he can’t be trusted, Rhona has ignored her best friend’s pleas. But it’s a decision she’s set to seriously regret when her new husband attacks her just hours after saying “I do”… “Pierce wants to get Rhona back home after the ceremony to give her a wedding present, and things take a very dark turn,” reveals Zoe Henry, who plays Rhona. “It seems that Pierce has bought them a house miles away from the village. They…

What was filming the wedding day like? Well, it was a Saturday, so I was thinking, ‘Brilliant, everyone’s going to love me for making them work at the weekend…’! But it was all pretty swift in the end – we finished filming on time, or maybe even a bit early, I think. The weather was pretty good, too. And it was a nice bunch of people, so it was pretty pain-free. Actors often mention that big events like this can take ages to film. Yes, they can – these kinds of days can be very long and drawn out, and everyone’s lost the plot by about 3 o’clock! But this one was nowhere near as bad as Cain and Moira’s wedding day, which was one of the longest days of…

"Nathan makes out that he’s been robbed, and it’s Bethany’s fault” There are hard-hitting scenes in Corrie this week, as Nathan puts his vile plan into action – and tries to pimp out Bethany to his mates. Viewers have known for months that creepy Nathan is grooming his teenage girlfriend so that he and his pals can exploit her – but naive Bethany has been oblivious to his sick motives. So she’s in for a rude awakening when he introduces her to his friend Neil, and then urges her to sleep with him… “The scene with Bethany and Neil in the bedroom is probably the most uncomfortable I’ve had to film so far,” reveals actress Lucy Fallon, who plays innocent Bethany. “The guy who plays Neil…

While most of us hate having a long commute to and from work, Lucy admits that – due to the sensitive nature of this storyline – having some extra time on the way home has been a godsend to help her unwind. “I don’t think there’s any way you can shake off scenes like these immediately,” the actress tells us. “But living in Blackpool, I have quite a long drive back home, so I kind of zone out and listen to my music – and by the time I’ve arrived, I feel normal again.” Lucy has also just moved in with her boyfriend of one year, Tom Leech – so let’s hope he’s ready and waiting with dinner on the table when she gets home!…

"The Carter clan are still on the verge of losing everything…” Woody’s idea for a ladies’ night at the Queen Vic has the punters flocking in this week, and soon the sound of saucy hijinks fills the air – as well as the sound of ringing tills! But it seems it’s too little, too late when it comes to the future of the troubled boozer… With Mick and Linda still away from Walford, new bar manager Woody has been doing a stellar job of keeping things afloat. However, now Shirl is back and ready to make some major decisions about the family’s future, can she be trusted to do what’s best? “Shirley went through hell in prison, but most of all she was devastated she couldn’t be there for her…