Inside Soap UK 38 - 2018

“Pub landlady is the best job in soap…” There’s no greater postion in soap than pub landlady. Not only can you lord it behind that bar, feeling like the Queen of the Street, Square or village – but you also hear all the gossip, have an uninterrupted view of all the big showdowns, and you can help yourself to a bag of crisps and a glass of Coke anytime, day or night. What’s not to love? This year has been very generous to us soap viewers, gifting us two fantastic new landladies. Firstly, the Rovers Return’s Jenny Connor, who truly embodies the snobbery of Annie Walker and posseses the backchat of Bet Lynch, while adding her own unique lack of tact to any occasion! And over in Hollyoaks village this…

Mick’s worst fears are brought to life this week, as he languishes in prison, powerless to protect his family – while evil Stuart makes a beeline for the Queen Vic! Poor Linda and the rest of the Carters are sitting ducks when the evil brute turns up and issues the clan with a shocking ultimatum. Meanwhile, as that drama unfolds in the Square, Mick faces a desperate fight for his own survival, after life on the inside takes a perilous turn… “Mick is devastated by the whole situation,” sighs actor Danny Dyer, who plays him. “Stuart was one of his oldest friends, and it kills him to think that he didn’t even know who this man was. “Once Mick walks through the gates, he’s on his own” “He knows that…

Mick is forced to carry out many ‘favours’ for Fraser this week, including conspiring with a woman who pays him a visit! After sitting down with his mystery visitor, Mick agrees to what is being asked of him – but is fearful of what grief awaits him when he returns to Fraser and is given a dangerous ultimatum. It’s such a tricky situation for Mick that, when Linda comes to visit, he feels compelled to warn her about his dealings with this woman. Just what on earth has he got himself mixed up in?…

What was your reaction when you first heard that Mick would be sent to jail? It’s tied in lovely with the Stuart storyline. With Stuart, all bets are off – anything can happen. And what I’m really pleased about is that we don’t just leave it at the prison gates, we actually delve into the darkness of what it’s like to try to survive in jail. I’m really happy to be focussed on that. Was it odd to be out of the Vic and on the prison set? The job changes when you go off the Square. We built a set within the studio and I was interacting with different characters, so it didn’t feel like EastEnders for a bit. I really think we’ve nailed it. It was very well…

Ronan Truman’s drug-dealer son Cormac collapses and passes away at No 9 Victoria Court this week, having overdosed on cocaine – and Ryan could be blamed for the dodgy fella’s demise! Following his recent release from a young-offenders’ institution, Cormac has been working shifts at the Bistro, after his gangster father put pressure on Adam to find his son some work. However, as Cormac makes himself comfortable in his new job, Ryan and Daniel are very wary of the new arrival… “Ryan and Cormac go way back, and Ryan was stunned when he discovered that Cormac was still dealing drugs,” our cobbles insider reminds us. “When Cormac suggests that Ryan and Daniel go out with him and some mates to a dodgy nightclub in town, Adam tells Daniel that Cormac’s…

Ryan, Ali and Michelle had all better start sleeping with one eye open from now on, as Cormac’s dad Ronan has already proved that he’s a man not to be messed with! With a bag of deadly pills now hidden inside Ryan’s coat pocket, it will surely only be a matter of time before they are discovered – and linked to Cormac’s death. And if menacing Ronan comes to believe that Ryan was directly responsible for his son’s demise, he’ll doubtless seek bloody revenge on the Connor clan……