Table of contents for 17 - 2018 in Inside Soap UK

Steve McDonald really is a man who doesn’t learn from his mistakes, isn’t he? This week’s big rumour is that he’s going to propose to girlfriend Tracy Barlow. Yep, that’s the Tracy Barlow who sold his baby after convincing the man from the buttie shop that he’d fathered the kid. The same Tracy Barlow who ruined Steve’s wedding to Karen by popping in to let him know he was really Amy’s dad. And that’s the same Tracy Barlow who sadly miscarried Steve’s twins, but told the world that his next wife, Becky, had pushed her down the stairs and caused the tragedy. Yep, that’s right, the “local nutjob” as he once lovingly referred to her, who Steve married before on a big day where the buffet lasted longer than the…

The faint sound of church bells can be heard ringing up north – and in Steve McDonald’s nightmares – as news reaches us that he’s poised to make an honest woman of Tracy Barlow! Word from the cobbles is that Steve will enter soap history books with wife number seven after he pops the question to Tracy, whom he’s already married and divorced once before… “In the coming weeks, viewers will see Steve get down on one knee and propose to Tracy, who duly accepts,” whispers our Corrie source. “It’s potentially the seventh time that he’ll be married, but the writers are still to decide whether they’ll make it down the aisle – as love is never straightforward in soap!” What we can finally confirm is that Steve’s jailbird father,…

Emmerdale viewers were in bits recently, as Lisa took the devastating decision to walk out on Zak and flee the village, following his cruel treatment of her. However, Inside Soap is pleased to confirm that she will be back… “I haven’t left the building,” confirms actress Jane Cox, who plays her. “Lisa had to get away, because being around Zak wasn’t good for her health. He’s been vile to her and not supported her at all [after Liv was sent to a young offender institution for spiking her drink with stolen ketamine]. “Aaron has also had a go at Lisa,” continues the star. “She feels everyone is against her, and that resulted in another angina attack. She honestly thought she was going to die.”…

Aaron is concerned about how Liv is coping behind bars this week, after he’s alerted to the fact that she may be drinking again! Life in the youth detention centre hasn’t been easy for poor Liv, who’s serving a four-month sentence for spiking Lisa’s drink with ketamine. She’s having issues with the other girls, in particular bully Tasha – who’s been trying her best to make Liv’s life hell! But when prison worker Steve catches Tasha mocking Liv and calling her an alcoholic, he clocks that all is not well with the teenager. Liv shrugs it off in her typical tough-girl fashion – though it’s clear Tasha and her cronies are getting to her. Later, Steve approaches Liv and questions her about her drinking, but the lass denies she has…

ATTRACTION Handsome Jude is a nice bloke who made a silly mistake. It has to be said that his epic lie has made him more interesting (which, granted, is the most backhanded compliment going). ELIGIBILITY Jude is a hard worker and must have put in the hours to make enough money to fake a marine biologist’s wage. He’s also totally committed to Angie and baby George. FAMILY TIES Sticking with Jude means a lifetime of Mary, which used to be a good reason for Angie to leave the country. Still, she has to be saving them a fortune in childcare. InsideSoap says… If Angie can get past Jude’s whopping lie, things could return to normal. But given that he’s a bit dull, and Mary’s quite mad, perhaps Angie should escape…

After he was arrested for drug dealing in 2004, Paul Trueman grassed up his gangster boss Andy Hunter to the police – and subsequently signed his own death warrant. Andy ordered Paul’s execution, and Paul bid his dad Patrick a tearful farewell. When a cab arrived, Paul asked his driver to make it quick… A mix-up prompted a similar end for Jake Moon in 2006, after he’d made a fateful alliance with mobster Johny Allen. When Jake dobbed in Sean Slater, Johnny tried to set his henchman on Sean, but died mid-sentence – leaving his hired killer to lure oblivious Jake into a death trap……

Megan is in for an unhappy week in the Dales, as she comes to believe that her fella Frank is being unfaithful. She hasn’t forgotten for one moment that Frank humiliated her last year by sleeping with her nemesis Charity – so when he begins acting shiftily, she reckons it’s a case of: once a cheater, always a cheater! Furious Megan thus decides to get her own back by snogging her new business colleague, Graham – only for innocent, oblivious Frank to get down on one knee and propose to her! But can we blame the mortified woman for acting so recklessly? Not really, muses actress Gaynor Faye, who plays her… Megan does kind of put two and two together and make five, doesn’t she? Yes, she does. She reads…

Whitney has form for leading her men up the aisle before even going on a third date with them – so how would Tony feel if Halfway found himself stood at the altar waiting for his future Mrs Highway in the very near future? “Of course I’d love to film a soap wedding – it’s up to the writers, and who knows what they have planned!” enthuses the star. “I remember when I was younger watching Ian and Mel get married on Millennium Eve, and it capturing the nation. Even people who don’t watch the show week in, week out tune in to stories like that, just to be in the know. So yeah, Whitney marrying Halfway would be amazing!”…

1 If you thought the Connors were a large family, you should meet Shayne’s real-life clan! He is one of seven children born to his parents, Philomena and Martin. His siblings are called Mark, Martin, Michael, Lisa, Emma and Leona, and they grew up together in Greater Manchester. “As a kid, I had lots of fun,” recalls Shayne. “Coming from a huge family, there were a lot of games like hide-and-seek and bike races. I loved it. My favourite thing to do would be when the seven of us were sat in a row with wallpaper laid out, and all of us drawing. I just wish we’d kept them!” 2 Back in 2011, Shayne revealed he was a big fan of the show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding…

I’ve been watching Spiral on BBC4. I’ve got hooked on it – it’s fantastic! What makes it so watchable are all the interlocking stories. The acting is superb, and it has that wonderful French feel to the whole thing. It’s just edge-of-your-seat stuff. I loved watching Requiem . Again, it was an experimental thing, but it’s a wonderful spooky story. It just grabs you, like one of those books you can’t put down after the first couple of pages! I don’t watch any comedy that I’m not in. No, that’s not true – I watched Father Ted, which I was very fond of. And I loved Black Books, with Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey. I loved the slightly surreal, dark quality of it. I like…

DRIVE TIME Fans of Car Share will be delighted to hear that a date has been set for the show’s final two episodes – one of which was entirely unscripted and improvised. The big day is the first Bank Holiday in May. IT’S THE END! Bad news for lovers of the conspiracy thriller Homeland – star Claire Danes has confirmed that the show’s eighth season will definitely be its last, and will be bringing Carrie Mathison’s story to an end. KICK UP A FUSS The crossover show for fans of football and period drama that you never knew you needed will be coming next year from Netflix. The English Game will look at the origins of the world’s most popular sport, and will be written by Downton Abbey creator Julian…

RUDOLPH WALKER (Patrick Trueman, EastEnders) Viewers were worried that Patrick may have joined the current Walford exodus when he headed off to live it up in Trinidad recently. But rest assured, EastEnders has promised Inside Soap that Denise and Kim – with their numerous problems – will have their surrogate father back in Albert Square before too long. Soon DI BOTCHER (Jan Jennings, Casualty ) Casualty’s spring trailer has revealed that a fresh face will be joining the paramedic team, with Jan Jennings (played by veteran television actress Di Botcher) taking up the position of operations officer. And it seems that she’ll be taking no prisoners! “I speak as I find,” warns Jan to her inferiors Sam and Iain. “Get used to it.” May ZOE…

BULLSEYE! While Kate and Rana continue to steal the show in Corrie , Yasmeen wins our vote as the Street’s biggest unsung hero. Her response to the girls’ affair has been admirable considering her own loyalty to Zeedan – and if it wasn’t for Yasmeen’s quick thinking and Jenson Button-style driving, poor Rana would never have been seen again. Give Weatherfield’s coolest and most accepting granny a medal! We didn’t think much of Ali to begin with, but he grew on us around about the same time he began growing on Carla – like he’s been touched by greatness. Well, more than touched, of course. We think Nicola’s rapidly growing baby bump is like a homing beacon for her mad dad Phelan. You know he’ll show up…

This is the heartbreaking moment when Eva cradles her newborn baby – before having to say a tearful goodbye and hand the little one over to Toyah! The secret surrogacy pact struck by the two women suddenly becomes a reality this week, after Eva goes into premature labour while trapped in the bathroom of her hideaway cottage – with Toyah forced to step in as midwife. “Toyah hears Eva’s screams that the baby is coming – but unfortunately the handle to the bathroom door has fallen off and Eva is locked inside!” explains actress Georgia Taylor, who plays Toyah. “Toyah smashes the hell out of the door because she wants to make sure Eva is okay – and ends up delivering the baby. It took me back to my days…

Maybe baby! Kate and Rana will tie the knot and have a child together – if Corrie star Faye Brookes (Kate) has her way. “It would be quite significant for a lesbian couple to get married and go through that process,” ponders the actress. Sad goodbye According to Gary Lucy, Hollyoaks fans might want to have their tissues at the ready when Luke leaves the village later this year. “It’s going to be devastating,” he teases. Late departure? Former Neighbours star Ian Smith has admitted that he wishes he’d quit his iconic role as Harold Bishop sooner than he did. “I love the silly old fart, but as an actor you’re always in danger of becoming the character you play, and I wanted to get away from that.”…

It’s been almost 30 years since Nell Mangel last appeared on our screens – so why is she still remembered so fondly by Neighbours fans all around the globe? Funnily enough, it was a different story back in 1988. Mrs Mangel was one of the first villains to stalk Erinsborough, and her mean-spirited judgement of her fellow residents left viewers up in arms – so much so that actress Vivean Gray decided to quit her role on the soap after just two years! “I could barely set foot outside my own door without someone screaming abuse at horrid old Mrs Mangel,” the star said at the time. “People didn’t seem to appreciate it was acting.” Despite her frosty exterior, Mrs Mangel did have some redeeming features. She stepped in to…

“What’s going on with Mum? You remember her – big hair, big gob, big everything!” How could Vincent fail to recall Claudette from Donna’s spot-on description? “Anyone allergic to anything?” “Does Jenny count?” Well, Jenny is an acquired taste, we suppose… “Well, I hope Hayley and I were sufficiently intimate that, had she gone on a serial killing spree, I would have had some inkling…” Hayley’s tragic death didn’t just rob Roy of the love of his life, it robbed us of a cracking plot! “Don’t blame me! Blame that son of yours who can’t keep it in his pants!” “He’s 15!” “Maybe, but he knows what he’s doing all right!” Oh, Michelle, you do really need to think before you speak. “Until you get bored of me. Like Brenda…

There’s more life-and-death drama in Summer Bay this week, when Ash is crushed by a car! Justin and Tori arrive at the garage to find him in a perilous position, and Tori instructs her brother not to move the car immediately as it could put Ash in even more danger. Once the paramedics arrive, they set about freeing Ash as carefully as possible – though it becomes clear that he’s in grave danger of losing a leg… However, while they’re still trying to lift the car, the situation worsens – and Ash crashes, leaving it to Tori to save his life! While they manage to make it to the hospital, is Ash set to suffer the same fate as his ex-girlfriend Kat, and die on Tori’s watch?…

It’s Robyn’s first day back at work after her hubby Glen’s death this week – but her colleagues are deeply concerned that she has returned too soon. Robyn insists she wants to keep busy, but is thrown as Dylan presents her with a wedding gift that Glen instructed him to pass on after he’d gone. However, before Robyn gets the chance to open it, Ethan loses his rag with her – tipping Robyn over the edge and prompting her to throw the present in the bin! Can Ethan make things right and retrieve the gift before it’s too late?…

KATE SAVES RANA! We knew that Rana’s parents didn’t approve of her romance with Kate, but we never dreamed they would try to kidnap her and take her to Pakistan! Luckily, Kate was on the case… While the way Rana’s been treated by her parents is shocking, it’s sadly a reality many people still face if they choose to come out. Not everyone is as understanding as Kate’s family are, so well done to Corrie for showing such a realistic portrayal of how it can be. Let’s hope it will help any viewers who are in similar situations to realise that they’re not alone. | Ellie I seriously can’t believe the gall of Rana’s parents! How anyone can behave like that in this day and age is beyond me. If…

Winning the battle CORRIE’S NICOLA OPENS UP ABOUT HER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES… She maintains a level head these days when playing Weatherfield’s stressed Nicola Rubenstein, but actress Nicola Thorp has revealed that she’s fought a battle with mental health problems. After spending the night on Blackpool’s streets as part of charity Streetlife’s Big Sleepout, the star was talking about the connection between homelessness and mental health when she revealed that she suffered from depression – eventually leading to a nervous breakdown. “It was about six years ago,” explained Nicola. “I was depressed, suffering very badly with anxiety and I started to have suicidal thoughts. It was a very dark place to be in and I felt completely in my own world. “The more I spoke to people, though,…

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THEY SAY THAT A FINE WINE only gets better with age – and the same can definitely be said about this hilarious US sitcom. Over 100 episodes later and halfway through its fifth season, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is still as fresh and funny as ever – and the characterisations are pitch-perfect. Case in point: this week, in order to get a permit for a block party, pedantic Amy must find a loophole in the bureaucratic system that she’s grown to adore. Meanwhile, we get to see a rare glimpse of vulnerable Gina, as she prepares to return to work after her maternity leave……

While the smart money is on Eva backtracking on her deal with Toyah, actress Georgia warns us not to discount the idea that her guilt-ridden alter ego will be the one to crack first under the weight of her lie! The situation is already starting to unravel this week, as sneaky Simon finds an invoice for Eva’s rented cottage in Toyah’s car – and tells Leanne that he thinks her sister is cheating on Peter! However, it’s a chance meeting with Susie’s biological father Aidan – who knows of Eva’s pregnancy – that really sets the cat among the pigeons, as he clocks Toyah’s awkwardness. As the pressure mounts, can she continue to live a lie? “I don’t know if she can, since things do have a way of coming…

As Mel has a dalliance with Jack, there’s a nagging question that we want to know the answer to: is she still hitched to someone else? A few weeks ago, in the middle of the heist caper, Mel confessed to Sharon that she was the sister-in-law of Ciara Maguire. “I was married to her brother for a long time,” she admitted back in February. “Now I’m trying to get out. Only they’re not the kind of family that let you go easy.” Given what we’ve seen of Ciara and her psychopathic ex-husband Aidan, we can well believe it! But while Mel says she was married, does that imply that she’s now divorced? The fact that she said she’s ‘trying’ to get out suggests that it’s not necessarily that straightforward. We’ve…

Eagle-eyed Corrie fans will have noticed Aidan behaving rather oddly in the past couple of weeks – which is doubly curious, considering that we know actor Shayne Ward is due to take his leave in a top-secret storyline this spring. “You have to look at everything Aidan has been through,” reasons the star, who teased recently that his exit plot would be an ‘important’ one. “He’s a troubled soul who is always trying to prove himself to his dad and his family, but things keep going wrong for him. His relationship didn’t go the way he wanted it to and he did cheat, though he came clean in the end. He gave Carla one of his kidneys, so there is love within Aidan. But there’s obviously…

“Imagine if Lisa returned to Emmerdale with a fabulous new man on her arm – played by the gorgeous Martin Kemp! It would serve Zak right after the way he’s treated her over the past couple of years!” …reckons reader Joyce from Liverpool “With Dee Dee in Hollyoaks so poorly, it’s about time Grace Black stepped in and took charge of the situation. After all, she is her biological half-sister – which explains why young Dee Dee is such a diva!” …chuckles reader Jenny from Hull “I’d love it if Alan Frost – aka Phelan – turned up in the Dales as one of Joe’s new builders. I think Joe would find Alan’s services very handy right now!” …says reader Ross from…

Adam’s behaviour this week is pretty shocking – but is he really morphing into his dad? Jimmy reckons that his character is far too nice to ever fully follow in Glenn’s fiendish footsteps… “Adam has always been a good guy, and I do think he is still that,” ponders the actor. “It’s always fun playing the bad guy, although Adam is more complicated than that – yes he is doing bad things, but he’s doing them for the right reasons in his mind. I don’t think he’s got it in him to be as bad as his dad because he cares too much about other people and the consequences of his actions. That said, I’m excited to see how far we can push him – Adam is so far down…

There’s a big shock for Goldie and Myra this week, when they catch Prince buying a pregnancy test in Price Slice! He and new wife Lily haven’t been married long, so the thought of the teenagers already expecting a little’un sends poor Goldie and Myra into a tailspin! Prince begs them to keep shtum for now, but given that their family isn’t exactly known for being quiet, that might be easier said than done… How will young Prince and Lily cope if they really are set to be parents?…

Beth hits upon a lucrative new line of work for Kirk this week – after discovering the amount of cash that young Amy earns from grandad Ken for walking his beloved dog Eccles. Leaping on the idea of potentially easy money, Beth hatches a scheme – and stoops so low as to steal Eccles from outside Speed Daal while Amy’s mum Tracy is distracted! Returning the pooch to Ken, Beth insists that his daughter is unfit for doggy day care – but can hapless Kirk do the job any better?…

FAIR CITY Kerri-Ann is all set to leave Carrigstown this week – and she wants Decco to come with her! Will he agree? Elsewhere, it’s all go at the Pod when Jake, Jackie and Farrah pitch in to help Hughie. How will they fare? Also, Bob and Miriam fret as Jim struggles to let go of his guilt. RIVER CITY Stevie is forced to hatch a dangerous plan to get Scarlett out of jail this week, after Lenny learns the truth and sees red. Can Stevie right his wrongs? Meanwhile, Lydia contemplates selling her half of the pub. Plus, Theresa locks Liz in the charity shop cupboard… THE ARCHERS Freddie’s recent lies catch up with him this week, when Lily discovers the truth. Will she be able to talk some…

BRIT PART Is the English lady who plays Tori’s professor friend in Home and Away the same actress who plays Izzy’s step-daughter Rita in Neighbours? | Pete Well spotted! British actress Lisa Kay plays both characters – and she was also in Bridget Jones’ Diary as Mark Darcy’s client, Eleanor Ross Heaney! GREEN EYED! Where did Mandy from Hollyoaks get her green playsuit that she wore to Luke’s birthday, please? | Em Mandy’s green floral wrap playsuit is from River Island. Their website has sold out, but Littlewoods and Very have select sizes in stock – you could try your local River Island, too. DI WHO? I recognised the DI who was helping out Vincent in EastEnders – what’s he been in before? | George DI…

The Carters are like my surrogate EastEnders family! Stolen loot was at the heart of the Walford heist earlier this year, but we can all agree that the real treasure to emerge from the bonkers plot was the introduction of Callum ‘Halfway’ Highway. Square chiefs had clearly found a diamond in the rough with actor Tony Clay, who initially signed up to play the hapless fella for eight weeks before bosses invited him back to be a regular character… Congrats on your return to EastEnders , Tony! Is it a case of ‘back by popular demand’? I hope so! I did the first stint, which was mad – I shot Mick on New Year’s Day, so that was one way of announcing myself! On Twitter the response…

You’d think the worlds of soapland and scary movies would be miles apart – but they’re surprisingly not! On Fanged Up, the cast included EastEnders and Corrie star Ian Reddington (‘Tricky Dicky’ Cole/Vernon Tomlin), on Monster Danielle worked with Tracy Shaw (Corrie’s Maxine Peacock) – and on her next film, she’ll be joined by John Altman, aka Walford’s Nick Cotton. “Tracy and I didn’t have any scenes together, but we all had to congregate on this set, and people were like, ‘Ooh, Corrie and EastEnders in one room!” giggles Danielle. “Tracy is so lovely, as is John Altman, who I’m filming Innocent Candy with this summer. Obviously he’s playing a baddy – we’ll have to call him ‘Nasty John’!” Despite starring in several scary movies in recent years, Danielle says…

Street star Shelley King (Yasmeen) has revealed she can relate to the current story on the cobbles, which sees Yasmeen’s granddaughter-in-law Rana confront her sexuality, as she has struggled herself in the past. “I’m an out gay woman,” she says. “But when I was 24, 25, I was in a programme called Angels. What the then producers suggested was that they would make my character gay, but I just wasn’t ready. The world was a different world, and I didn’t even know how to deal with my own sexuality then.” In the Corrie plot, Yasmeen is sympathetic to Rana’s plight, despite her being married to her grandson, Zeedan – and Shelley is proud of the show for highlighting the issues gay Muslims can face. “One of the reasons that I’m…

CASUALTY Connie Beauchamp............ Amanda Mealing Gemma Dean........................ Rebecca Ryan Iain Dean....................... Michael Stevenson Lisa ‘Duffy’ Duffin................... Cathy Shipton Charlie Fairhead................. Derek Thompson Noel Garcia............................ Tony Marshall Elle Gardner............................. Jaye Griffiths Ethan Hardy...................... George Rainsford David Hide.................................. Jason Durr Dylan Keogh............................ William Beck Bea Kinsella............................. Michelle Fox Jacob Masters......................... Charles Venn Rash Masum............................. Neet Mohan Robyn Miller.................. Amanda Henderson Alicia Munroe.................. Chelsea Halfpenny Sam Nicholls........................... Charlotte Salt Louise Tyler............................. Azuka Oforka CORONATION STREET Dev Alahan....................... Jimmi Harkishin Angie Appleton................. Victoria Ekanoye Jude Appleton..................... Paddy Wallace Izzy Armstrong................ Cherylee Houston Adam Barlow...................... Sam Robertson Amy Barlow.......................... Elle Mulvaney Ken Barlow......................... William Roache Peter Barlow....................... Chris Gascoyne Simon Barlow.............................. Alex Bain Tracy Barlow............................... Kate Ford Leanne Battersby................... Jane Danson Toyah Battersby................... Georgia Taylor Chesney Brown......................... Sam Aston Mary Cole................................... Patti Clare Aidan Connor.........................…

RUN OF A LIFETIME Actress Davinia Taylor, who played Cindy and Tom’s sister Jude Cunningham in Hollyoaks, has spoken out about her experiences with post-natal depression – and why she was running for the mental health charity Mind at the London Marathon. “I was terrified,” she explained. “The support I received changed my life completely. I went into a massive deep hole and I couldn’t get out of it without professional help.” UNWIN OR LOSE! Corrie is one viewer fewer these days, as former star Sally Lindsay (Shelley Unwin) has admitted that she no longer watches the soap! “It’s difficult watching as it’s changed so much,” she shared. The actress also commented on the darkness of some of Corrie’s plots recently: “People will always moan – it’s too violent or not…

THEATRE THE GULF In an honest and intimate representation of the challenges that all romances endure, The Gulf focuses on two women on a small boat in the Gulf of Mexico – and what makes their relationship tick. With ex-EastEnders actresses Louisa Lytton (Ruby Allen) and Anna Acton (DC Summerhayes), it’s on at London’s Tristan Bates Theatre till 5 May. win! Text or write in book * to win or DVD any on this page bottom (*see details of the at page the ) BOX-SET THE STRIKE SERIES Every episode of the BBC1 crime drama based on the novels by JK Rowling (under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith) comes in this fab box-set, following private detective Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke) as he examines a series of murders. win! For the chance…

EASTENDERS Love hurts! AN INJURY BRINGS MARTIN AND STACEY TOGETHER AGAIN… Surely the only ones in Walford W rd who don’onealise ’t r that Martin tin and and Stacey Stacey belong belong together together ar are the estranged twosome themselves? s! Next week, fate lends a helpingng hand hand , as , as a freak eak accident accident pushes pushes the stallholder and his wife closer.ser. But will Martin and Stacey realiseise that they’re y’ two r peas in a pod? Or Or will they conclude that they’re as as different as apples and oranges? s? EMMERDALE Wedded diss? It’s Bob and Brenda’s big day next week – but as the bride-to-be steels herself to walk down the aisle, Bob finds himself in a predicament. Will either party decide to…