Inside Soap UK 22 - 2019

Here at Inside Soap, we receive dozens of letters and emails every day, from readers eager to tell us what their favourite shows are doing wrong – or, sometimes, right! Our ‘Wish List’ feature attracts a host of ideas for new storylines – everything from crashing a meteor into Home Farm to giving a kitten to Gail Platt. “Who should return to the Square next?” However, one request arrives more frequently than any other: to bring Bianca back to Walford. And so it is that, this week, I can be sure that many Inside Soap readers have been made very happy, thanks to the big news from EastEnders on p13. Following so soon after the all-too-brief return of Sean Slater, it seems that Walford bosses have set aside a pot…

The gloves are well and truly off for Gail’s sons this week, as Audrey reports Nick and David to the police, and her grandsons go head-to-head in a bid to avoid a jail sentence. While heartbroken Audrey struggles with her conscience for dobbing in her supposed nearest and dearest, Nick does his utmost to ensure that David goes down for the crime, and not him. But could he be underestimating his brother’s capabilities? “This is a fight for survival as far as Nick is concerned, and he’s not bothered about David,” claims Ben Price, who plays the older sibling. “He has to protect Leanne and Oliver, and he wants the factory back. So he needs to get David to admit that he stole the money from Audrey – Nick will…

Nick’s selfish determination to keep hold of Leanne looks set to be in vain, when she forces him to tell her the truth. Suspicious after Nick does his best to keep her from attending his court hearing, she fears the worst – but can Nick talk round his other half? “If Nick could keep the details of what happened from her, he would,” admits Ben. “He doesn’t want her in court because he wants her to hear his version of the truth. But she’s savvy, and gives him this tough ultimatum, leaving him no choice. He still tells her what he believes is the truth, though…” However, as beleaguered Leanne is advised by Liz that she must put herself and son Oliver first, will what Nick tells her convince her…

It turns out this week that Jamie is more of a dark horse than we thought, as his mum Kim learns that he has been nurturing his very own Tate dynasty. And not only that, but Kim is a glamorous grandma! Joining Jamie in the village are his wife, Andrea, and their five-year-old daughter Millie – and Kim doesn’t take kindly to the thought of sharing her precious son with them… “It’s a shock,” grins Alex “Kim doesn’t take a shine to Jamie’s wife Andrea – she thinks he can do better!” Lincoln (Jamie), as he is finally able to spill the beans on his alter ego’s secret other life. “I think Kim has this idea that Jamie is still her little boy, and didn’t expect him to have his…

Can you fill us in on Jamie and Andrea’s backstory? They met at university in Liverpool, and have been married for about five years. Andrea is less innocent than Jamie, in the way that he doesn’t assume the worse in people – apart from his mum. Andrea is harder, and that makes it quite interesting when she and Kim meet. She’s not going to take any nonsense from her! Is Andrea as feisty as Kim? She’s not manipulative like Kim is, but there is a definite feistiness, yes. Andrea is trying to protect Jamie, which oddly enough is what Kim’s trying to do as well. So you have these really strong women trying to do what they think is best, and Jamie is caught in the middle! Do you think…

There’s an epic fallout in the Slater house this week, as Kat and Stacey cross swords. Ever since Kush told her that he wants to apply for joint custody of son Arthur, Kat’s been panicking about how Stacey and Martin are going to take the news. Kush and Martin have fallen out catastrophically over the situation with Bex, so Kat and Stacey have been focused on mending bridges between them, by staging a truce dinner. However, after Kat accidentally lets slip that Kush plans to seek custody, Stacey goes ballistic. “Kat knows she’s made a mistake when she sees Stacey’s reaction – she loses it!” shares our Walford insider. “Although they’ve allowed Kush to be a part of Arthur’s life, neither Stacey nor Martin want him to have legal rights…