Table of contents for 44 - 2018 in Inside Soap UK

Well, the Inside Soap Awards are over for another year! And while it’s amazing to be able to hand out trophies to the winners, the most important thing for me is that these are the awards voted for by you – the loyal, passionate, funny Inside Soap readers. And that certainly rang true to me on the night, with various stars delighted that these were the awards that came from you. “If Inside Soap says it’s true – it’s true!” “Inside Soap is legendary,” said Dean Gaffney, who as EastEnders’ Robbie has been in soap almost as long as Inside Soap itself. “It’s like the holy grail for us guys – if Inside Soap says it’s true, then it’s true!” Ah, shucks. Thanks, Dean! But as the awards fade away…

As Kim’s manipulation of Joe is revealed, she’s set to become Debbie’s new enemy. And there’s already speculation that Debbie might take her revenge by using Kim’s son, James. Fans are wondering if the vengeful woman may use James to punish Kim, and in the process fall in love with him, like Joe did with her. But Dales star Charley Webb, who plays Debbie, thinks it’d be a bad idea. “I’d find it interesting, but I don’t think she’d go near James, after what’s gone on with this random woman who’s come to the village and destroyed her life,” she muses. “To go for Kim’s son would be stupid. Maybe she turns it around and strings him along and dumps him. And then maybe I die and my finger twitches!”…

Emmerdale’s decision to show the complicated aspects of grief is one of the most important parts of Paddy and Chas’ story. For Dominic, it’s been enlightening. “It’s fascinating to find out how human beings grieve, because it’s messy and clumsy and there’s no straightforward way to do it,” he shares. “There are no textbooks to tell you what to do, and so many things like our backgrounds and everything we’ve been through feed into it.” The truth is that plenty of people go into a state of numbness and shut down emotionally when they lose someone – and Dominic insists that reaction isn’t wrong. “As an actor, you want a degree of sympathy, so you think, ‘Oh, do I want to be doing that?’” says the actor of Paddy’s behaviour.…

Deranged maniac Finn Kelly is back this week, and ends up pushed over the edge of a cliff! But who is responsible for the deadly shove – Susan, Bea, Elly or Xanthe? Finn makes his comeback when Bea returns to the remote cabin where the villain had previously been hiding out. Searching for closure, Bea is horrified as she comes across the twisted psychopath himself! “Finn has had some time out,” explains Rob Mills, who plays the tormentor. “Obviously, you can’t lock three people in a shipping container and expect to get away with it! The police are looking for him, so he’s been waiting for the heat to subside. Now he’s back for revenge!” “Finn is so psychotic – he’s back for revenge!” As Bea tries to stay calm,…

“ Nick and Shona’s hatred in Corrie is so charged, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Christmas shocker this year is them ripping each other’s clothes off!” …muses reader Anna from Acton “I wish they’d bring back Fatboy to EastEnders . He was a good double act with Dot – much better than Robbie. Fats and ‘Mrs B’ had a very special chemistry together. It wasn’t ever proved he was dead, was it?” …says reader Suze “I’d love to see James accept Romeo as his son in Hollyoaks . Maybe they could team up for revenge on Mac? What better father-son bonding activity!” …pleads reader Jas from Wakefield “I think Liv and Jacob would make a really cute couple in…

“Ken would have been advised to stick to his earlier writing style – gritty realism. Kitchen-sink drama. It’s a fascinating British cultural movement: social realism. The urban proletariat in the industrial north that is A Kind Of Loving , Billy Liar and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning .” …and, of course – as Roy is not quite saying – the early years of Coronation Street. “I want to be a Paralympian. Footballers are pampered millionaires who roll around crying when they’re tackled.” When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. “It’s a slippery slope. One minute you’re sat there with a box-set and a take-out… The next, the fire brigade are trying to haul you out of the sofa you’ve been…

Tom invites Peri to spend time with Steph this week, and the mum soon realises just how much of their little girl’s life she’s missed. With Steph now living with him at the Osbourne’s, Tom gives mum and daughter the chance to get to know one another. However, as the day rolls on, former couple Tom and Peri get closer. While jealous Harley observes the perfect family picture, will she push the two apart? And how is Peri set to deal with being a part of Steph’s life again?…

KNICKERS IN A TWISTER! Hollyoaks pulled off one of its biggest stunts to date when a killer storm ripped through the village – leaving destruction in its wake! And with Sinead back too, there was carnage all over the place… I know that actress Steph Davis has had a hard time in the press for her real-life antics, but bringing her back to Hollyoaks as Sinead was a stroke of genius! I’d forgotten just how good she was in the show. The scenes with her and Sami getting steamy in the back of his car were brilliant! I can’t wait to see what other mischief she’ll cause now that she’s back. James I can’t believe that Hollyoaks killed off Tegan! I know that it usually does kill someone off in…

Louise Mitchell proved that she was her father’s daughter last week, after she was revealed as the blackmailer tormenting Sharon over her affair. However, it soon became clear that she was still in the playground when it came to being a fully fledged Mitchell – with Sharon deftly pulling the wool over her eyes, by lying that her and Keanu had simply been engaged in some exercise! But while we join Tilly Keeper, who plays Louise, for a catch-up about her character’s recent dramas, she tells us that she’d like Louise to go maximum Mitchell – though reckons it may be a while before she is ready… “I don’t know if I could handle that kind of responsibility,” she chuckles. “Sharon is an amazing matriarch, and I think over time…

In a year that saw hard-hitting plots such as Phelan’s killing spree, David’s rape and Aidan’s suicide, Coronation Street has been accused of being ‘too dark’. But the voters don’t lie – and the cast might as well be walking on sunshine when they learn that you, the loyal and passionate readers of Inside Soap , have named them as your absolute best of the best… “It has been Corrie’s year – and I don’t think anyone else in the room at your party tonight would complain,” grins actor Connor McIntyre, who played Pat Phelan. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we respect them greatly, but some of our episodes have been as strong as everything else on television. And it’s unusual…

It’s not just big stunts that qualify for our Best Show-Stopper Award. When real and important issues are handled as expertly as Shakil and Keegan’s knife attack in EastEnders , soaps have the power to change and save lives. And some of the main players of that plot, Shaheen Jafargholi (Shakil), Zack Morris (Keegan) and Lorraine Stanley (Karen), are utterly thrilled to be crowned your winners… What does winning this award mean to you all? Shaheen For this story to have received so much recognition is amazing. The main thing is that we have made an impact, and the award is a lovely bonus. Zack It’s a real problem that you hear about all the time, but to see it on EastEnders has helped raise awareness. Lorraine…

Growing up on one of the soaps is no easy task – but star Isobel Steele has had no trouble taking everything in her stride, with no storyline too big for the 17-year-old Emmerdale actress to get her teeth into since joining the show in 2016. In the past 12 months alone, her alter ego Liv has hit the bottle, found herself behind bars – all while doing her level best to calm the volatile relationship of her brother Aaron and his husband Robert! So, Isobel is a truly deserving winner of our Best Young Actor gong… Nice work, Isobel – you must be pretty chuffed with picking up this award! Thank you! It means more than anything, because it’s the viewers who’ve voted. Awards like…

Super-villain Pat Phelan may have finally got his comeuppance this year, but there’s still time for star Connor to scoop our Best Bad Boy gong one last time! And he couldn’t have asked for a better swansong… This is the third year in a row that you’ve picked up the Best Bad Boy trophy! I know! I’m always delighted when I get any nominations, but three years on the trot – and against some serious competition – I’m delighted. Corrie also won Best Shock Twist for Anna coming back and killing Pat… What a great Corrie ending! Debbie Rush returning as Anna was just beautiful, wasn’t it? It was poetic, and so right that she was the one who came back and saw him off. Did you really…

JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT we’d seen everything parenting sitcoms had to offer, along comes this gently groundbreaking new comedy about a family whose daughter has a rare chromosomal disorder, inspired by writer Shaun Pye’s real-life experiences. It’s by no means a flattering portrait – parents Simon and Emily (played perfectly by David Tennant and Jessica Hynes) are shown in flashbacks frustrated and struggling to cope, and even in the present day they’re often on the back foot – but it’s still a joyful, honest, and genuinely funny portrayal of a situation we rarely get to see on TV.…

NEW GEAR Following Matt Le Blanc’s decision to step down from hosting Top Gear, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness will be joining Chris Harris to present the next series. Filming begins early in 2019, so look out for their debut next year. CASH TRAPPED Jill Halfpenny and Babou Ceesay are to lead the cast of new BBC1 drama Dark Mon£y. The four-parter follows a working-class family whose son reveals he was abused by a filmmaker while working in Hollywood – and they accept a major payout to keep the secret… FEELING PEAKY An exciting array of new cast members are joining Peaky Blinders for its fifth series. Humans star Neil Maskell, The Minaturist’s Anya Taylor-Joy and The Hunger Games star Sam Claflin, are all set to appear – but will…

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 Jan Jenning............................... Di Botcher Dylan Keogh........................... William Beck Jacob Masters....................... Charles Venn Omo Masters........................ Ellen Thomas Rash Masum........................... Neet Mohan Robyn Miller................ Amanda Henderson Alicia Munroe............... Chelsea Halfpenny Ruby Sparks.............................. Maddy Hill Louise Tyler........................... Azuka Oforka CORONATION STREET Dev Alahan........................ Jimmi Harkishin Lewis Archer........................... Nigel Havers Angie Appleton................ Victoria Ekanoye 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 Emma Brooker............... Alexandra Mardell Chesney Brown.......................... Sam Aston Claudia Colby..........................…

WHO’S MEETING THE DOCTOR? The new series of Doctor Who has been going great guns on Sunday nights, and there are lots of familiar faces in the guest cast. Hot on the heels of former Corrie star Shobna Gulati (Sunita), who turned up in last week’s fourth episode, comes another ex-cobbles name. Julia Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper) makes her own appointment with the Doctor in a few weeks’ time, as this rather stern-looking character! BOHEMIAN BEN! Former EastEnder Ben Hardy (Peter Beale) plays legendary Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the just-opened big screen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. “I was drumming 10 hours a day!” he reveals. “I was trying to focus on how Roger drums, rather than just being good at playing the drums.” CHERYL DINGLE? It’s been a good few years…

BULLSEYE! From Aidan’s suicide to Shakil’s murder, it’s been a year for devastating, emotional stories. But none, we think, have delivered the same gut punch as Chas and Paddy having to cope with the birth and certain death of their daughter, Grace. Lucy Pargeter and Dominic Brunt delivered powerful performances through the recent funeral scenes. Many tears were shed here at Inside Soap Towers! “I’ll turn into a teapot if I drink any more tea,” trilled Mary. Ah! So that’s who she reminds us of! It’s funny to have Bernice perpetually slagging off Daz to Kerry, given that actor Mark Jordon is Kerry star Laura Norton’s real-life partner. The writers are clearly having a laugh. This week, Sharon popped into the caff to order two iced…

The proposal is a delight for both Kate and Rana – but a big problem comes up when Kate tells Rana that one of the reasons she wants to marry her is because she’ll make a great mum. It’s a conversation that the couple have never had before, and what Kate doesn’t know is that Rana doesn’t want to have children. “Rana is keen to travel and see the world, so the fact that Kate wants kids straight away throws her,” shares Bhavna. “The more Kate talks about it, the more the fear is embedded in Rana, and she can’t shift it. She doesn’t want to disappoint Kate because she wants to give her everything she desires in life, especially after losing Aidan. They are really happy together at the…

Soap superwoman Kate Oates has steered both Emmerdale and Corrie to tremendous success – with the Street scooping the coveted gong for Best Soap at this year’s Inside Soap Awards (see p42 for the cast’s winning interview)! Now, just over a month into her new job – overseeing EastEnders as well as Casualty and Holby City – Kate gives us a few sneaky hints on what we can expect to see happen in the Square, and teases some of her long-term plans for the show… Hi Kate! How are you settling into life at EastEnders ? Good! I’ve hit the ground running, and…

Rob says that he loved shooting these exciting clifftop scenes… “They had nine cameras, and we usually have two,” he grins. “It was really well shot. Before the stunt guy came in, I nearly fell off that cliff – and all the girls freaked out! I mean, I was a good 30cm away, yet I still got pretty close to the edge, so their fear is all real. But I didn’t have to do the actual stunt where Finn goes over. “The stunt guy was amazing – it was terrifying. It was a good couple of days filming, though it was absolutely freezing!”…

Jailed Mick’s bid for freedom goes from bad to worse this week, as his wife Linda does the unthinkable and joins forces with evil Stuart! The Carter clan is flabbergasted when lawyer Ritchie arrives at the pub with an update on Mick’s case and Linda turns her away, insisting that her services are no longer needed. Tina can’t believe that she would be so reckless, and enlists the help of Halfway and Whitney to nab Linda’s phone and attempt to work out what the hell she is playing at. However, Tina is outraged after she makes a discovery – and is later horrified to have her suspicions confirmed as she spots Linda and Stuart seemingly in cahoots at the café. Struggling to contain her fury any longer, Tina interrupts the…

FAIR CITY Jackie and Hughie play peacemakers this week, as Renee and Bob continue to lock horns. Meanwhile, Carol’s reaction to Hayley and Robbie’s relationship is cause for concern for Yates, who soon makes a huge decision. Plus, Jane and Oisin’s feud rumbles on… RIVER CITY Nicole resorts to dirty tricks this week, when she engineers an argument between Bob and Kim – before trying to blackmail the groom-to-be! Also, Lenny and AJ suffer an awkward encounter, before Lenny chooses to mess with Lydia’s head! Elsewhere, Suzie wants new lodgers. THE ARCHERS The Bull is on the hunt for new bar staff this week, while Toby remains busy with his gin enterprise. Across the village, Emma is on the warpath as Elizabeth goes too far with her actions. Finally, Jim…

IN CUFFS At her party in the Vic the other day, Sharon was wearing a dark top with a lovely glittery sleeve. Do you know where I can buy one? Rachel, Preston You can pick up Sharon’s top from the Wallis website, where you need to search for ‘Embellished Cuff Layered Top’. It’s also available in berry! BETTER BEST FORGOTTEN? I’m confused! I watched every episode of the Kat and Alfie show Redwater – but what happened in that series never seems to have been referred to in EastEnders. Has it been written out of history? Bob It’s a tricky one. There were certainly references in EastEnders to Kat being in Ireland before Redwater , but since then, it does seem as if…

When Hollyoaks viewers were reunited with Liam Donovan a couple of months ago in Magaluf, they realised this wasn’t the same man who’d left the show last year. Not only has Liam changed his ways, but the actor who plays him has changed too – with Jude Monk McGowan taking over the role from Maxim Baldry. We caught up with Jude to find out how he’s getting on… Hi Jude! How have your first few months at Hollyoaks been? I’ve absolutely loved it! Everyone’s been so kind, considerate and helpful. I feel so settled and the character’s been so much fun. There’s been a big shift for Liam – it’s almost like a completely new character! What’s been your favourite part about…

After more than 18 years on the cobbles, Corrie star Jack has finally scooped the coveted Best Actor gong – and given the year that David’s had, it’s hardly surprising that Inside Soap readers voted for talented Jack in their droves… Congratulations! Best Actor is the one everyone wants to win… I suppose it is the one that everyone wants, yeah. I would love to have won Funniest Male, but I wasn’t nominated for that award! This is great, though – it’s so nice that people voted for me. I don’t take that for granted. How would you sum up your past 12 months? David’s had a terrible year full of darkness and drama, but I’ve had a great year, getting to…

It was the soap death that no one saw coming, but Shayne Ward’s triumph in our Best Exit category just goes to show that the memory of Corrie’s Aidan Connor continues to live long in your hearts… “This award means so much to me,” insists the star, returning to the world of soap for one night only. “It’s not easy going to places that you hope never to go to in real life, and that last scene where Aidan was in the pub, staring into space and completely zoned out – we all know what that feels like. The public got behind it, so this award is for them.” Shayne looks very different now that he has a thick head of hair and has grown a…

Kayla may have only been on the cobbles for a short amount of time, but she certainly made a big impact – big enough to earn star Mollie our award for Best Bad Girl this year… How does it feel to be our Best Bad Girl? Well, I’ve never won anything before, so it’s amazing! I’m really happy to be Best Bad Girl. Kayla was meant to be bad, so it means I did my job right! Why do you think viewers loved Kayla so much? Everyone loves a bad girl, don’t they? As much as people hate those characters and get quite frustrated with them, soap would be really boring without them! What’s been the highlight of the year for you? Definitely landing the job on Corrie. Acting is…

As anyone who’s ever queued in the post office knows, time is a strange and elastic thing that plays by its own rules. In that spirit, this new game show has done away with timers for its question rounds, and replaced them with something a little bit more fun: contestants will have the amount of time that it takes for a specified task to be performed, like completing a Rubik’s cube underwater or hanging out a football team’s shirts to dry. The trick is in figuring out which of these tasks will take the longest, and therefore give them the most questions. Inside TV caught up with host Joe Lycett and referee Alison Hammond to find out how it’s all going to work… Tell us about the show… “I CAN…

Last week’s opening double-bill of US drama Condor already has us enthralled, after CIA analyst Joe Turner narrowly escaped a massacre that wiped out the rest of his team – and is now wanted for their murder. We caught up with Max Irons, who plays Joe, to find out what lies ahead for his character. “Often you’re presented with a protagonist in episode one where you get who he is, what he stands for and what he believes in,” says the star. “Whereas when you come across Joe, he’s a young guy who has a set of principles that haven’t been tested by real-life adversity, so it charts his transformation.” One of the reasons that Max was keen to take on this part was because he…

RACHEL ADEDEJI (Lisa Loveday, Hollyoaks ) IN Rachel has been away from Hollyoaks on maternity leave for most of this year, having given birth to her first child. She was last seen on screen way back in December. However, she’s about to make her return next week – and Lisa is in for a huge shock when she discovers that in her absence, her dad Louis has married her Aunt Martine! Lisa has been away in Thailand, but what secrets of her own could she be hiding? Tuesday 13 November DEBRA STEPHENSON (Charlotte, Doctors ) IN It s been quite a long time since we last saw Debra in the world of soap. Corrie fans may remember her two-year stint as Frankie Baldwin – wife…

There’s more misery for Debbie this week, as her financial and legal troubles mount – and she finally receives word from runaway groom Joe. Debbie has been living a nightmare since her husband-to-be failed to show up to their hospital nuptials, and the police arrested her for ordering Ross’ acid attack. Worse still, she’s had to watch from afar as her ill daughter Sarah recovers from a heart transplant. So, although Debbie is out on bail and trying to rebuild her life, she’s in turmoil. Then she gets a text from Joe that simply says, ‘I’m sorry’. “This is going to come as a surprise to viewers since it looked as though Joe was six feet under,” muses our Dales insider. “The last we saw, his lifeless body was in…

There’s a surprise in store for Zara this week, when Daniel returns from Nottingham with his daughter Izzie in tow. As Daniel explains that Izzie and her mother Lisa haven’t been getting on, Zara struggles to work out how they’ll cope. Meanwhile, Izzie rocks the boat further by shamelessly stirring the pot between her dad and Zara. However, Daniel reckons they can still make it work if Izzie agrees that she wants to stay with them. So how will Zara feel about being a stepmum?…

Charity has had a roller-coaster 12 months – she met Ryan, the son she believed had passed away, watched crooked cop Bails go to jail for raping her as a teenager, and fell in love with her new partner Vanessa. And while Charity’s been enduring this emotional time, we’ve been gripped by her heartbreaking story. So it’s no wonder that Emma scooped our Best Actress gong… Congratulations, Emma! How do you feel? It’s really flattering and overwhelming when you get a lot of great feedback. I just find it humbling that people invest in you to that level, and there are no words. I’m in a bit of a cloud and a dream! We’ve worked so hard, and I’m delighted. Do you know yet where you might keep your trophy?…

Matty’s return to the Barton family fold – after moving away from the village as Hannah – took a lot of guts. Star Ash Palmisciano has embraced his new Dales role with positivity and respect, as both he and Matty have been welcomed with open arms. So, for delighted Ash, being voted the winner of our Best Newcomer trophy is the icing on the cake following a fantastic year… “I was surprised enough just to be nominated for the award!” grins the 28-year-old. “Coming into Emmerdale has been completely amazing, and I was so happy to see my name with all those other brilliant people. So I’m absolutely chuffed to bits to have won. My mum was with me when I got the call, and she had a little cry.…

Would you believe that Home and Away stalwart Ray Meagher (aka Alf) has never won Inside Soap’s Best Daytime Star gong? Luckily, the actor finally got his hands on the award this year, as the Summer Bay soap celebrates its 30th anniversary… Hi Ray! What does it mean to you to win this award in Home and Away’s anniversary year? The 30th anniversary has been pretty special, so winning this award just adds to that. I’ve been lucky enough to come to the UK quite a few times, and I’ve met a lot of the fans over there. It’s just incredible that a little show like ours reaches so many people on the other side of the world.…

Have you seen Succession ? Oh my God! My husband took our kids away to France for a 10-day visit thing, because I was doing a play at the Donmar and couldn’t go anywhere, and I had such a lovely time. I would go home every night, have a glass of wine and watch Succession – it was addictive! Anything Sharon Horgan touches is genius, but I also love Julia Davis – she makes me cry with laughter. I loved Nighty Night and Camping, and she has a podcast with Vicki Pepperdine called Dear Joan And Jericha, about two self-help gurus answering letters that come in – it’s totally hilarious. The film I always go back to is Heartburn , the Nora Ephron movie. I…

We like to think we’ve had a pretty sound education in the antiques trade, thanks to BBC1’s daytime schedule – but what if we wanted to turn that knowledge into a business? Now BBC1 has the answer to that too, as Paul Martin from Flog It! guides aspiring antique dealers through their first steps in the industry in this new series. “We are putting people to the test to see if they have what it takes,” says Paul. “They obviously have a passion for collectibles, and in this show, they can actually go out to try and become dealers, and it’s my job to impart my knowledge on them.” In each episode, Paul will meet two newcomers in an antiques centre where he’ll give them an…