Inside Soap UK 49/50 - 2017

“All the soaps are really hotting up!” Christmas is definitely on its way. You can tell by the pretty lights on the streets, the excited chatter of children who can’t wait for Santa – and, of course, the fact that the soaps are hotting up as they approach their biggest time of the year. Emmerdale sees Emma’s killer finally unmasked, which will have huge repercussions over the next few weeks. EastEnders has Max out in the cold, but there’s some sizzling drama on the horizon, and in Corrie, poor Anna makes a break from her jailers – determined that evil Phelan won’t have a merry Christmas! We’ve been hard at work putting together our big Christmas preview to bring you all the gossip – so turn to p38 for our…

“Time rewinds again, and we’ll see what really happened” The wait is over, as we finally learn this fortnight who bumped off Emma Barton! “Over the past few weeks, a series of flashbacks have revealed that none of the seven suspects has been entirely truthful about what happened on the day Emma was pushed from the viaduct,” whispers our Dales mole. “But as the village gathers for the funeral, time rewinds again – and we’ll see what really took place between Emma and her assassin prior to the fall.” However, there are plenty of twists and turns still to come ahead of the big reveal, as Ross receives a visit from the police with a warrant to search his house. Meanwhile, youngsters Arthur and Elliot make a chilling discovery when…

ADAM The police know that the tyres on Adam’s car were changed after Emma’s murder, but they don’t know that he has her suicide letter. This fortnight, he appears to make peace with Pete and Ross – but later calls the cops to say that Ross killed Emma! Is he trying to frame him? ROSS Through flashbacks, we know that Ross fled the scene of Emma’s death, burned evidence – and read the letter she wrote detailing her killer confession. As the police close in on him this fortnight, will they find the evidence to prove that he’s a murderer? PETE Pete had an angry confrontation with Emma on the day she died – and from the expression he wears at his mother’s funeral, he is clearly on edge. With…

As Emma’s story builds to its stunning climax this fortnight, Victoria is central to the plot after she overhears Adam call the police on Ross. She soon realises that her hubby is up to something, and takes action – but can Victoria repair the damage before it’s too late? Star Isabel Hodgins (Victoria) tells us what it’s like to be in the thick of the drama… Hi, Isabel! What have you made of everything so far in Emma’s murder plot? It’s been non-stop! It’s been one thing after another, and I like the shock factor – like when Holly Barton died. No one expected Finn to go, either. Everything with Emma and the whole mystery has reached a really nice peak, and it’ll be interesting to see the fallout. Are…

“Willmott-Brown isn’t happy that Lauren is sabotaging his plans” This fortnight, Willmott-Brown may live to regret messing with old enemies in Walford – as Ian makes a move to get rid of him forever! Meanwhile, Lauren is the woman on the inside, trying to bring down Willmott-Brown from within his company. But are the pair really clever enough to outwit the evil schemer? CONFESSION TIME! Ian is sickened by the horror visited on mum Kathy by her rapist’s return, and enlists Phil and his dodgy connections to take revenge. Ian tells Phil that he wants to remove Willmott-Brown from Walford, and he won’t rest until Kathy is fully protected. Phil agrees, but it’s Ian who fronts up to the vile businessman as they finally come face to face again. “Ian…

She’s going to see who her father really is… Fi faces the truth about her father this fortnight – as her brother Josh begs her to see sense. She’s already aware of her dad’s dark side, having witnessed Willmott-Brown tighten his grip on the people of Walford over the past year. But when Fi decides to have a frank conversation with her old man, his angry response leaves her reeling. As she later ends up being comforted by Kathy, Fi decides to ask again for her side of the story regarding her accusations that Willmott-Brown raped her. But will she accept Kathy’s version of events, or remain loyal to her poisonous father?…