Inside Soap UK 12 - 2019

“Some actors can’t help making us laugh” You know, I really don’t want to be one of those terrible namedroppers – as I was just telling my good friend Dicky Arnold from GMTV the other day – but one of the perks about working for Inside Soap is getting the chance to chat to the actors behind some of our favourite characters. They’re so full of surprises. Some actors are deadly serious, and only want to discuss their ‘craft’. Some are as big a fan of their show as we are, and love a chance to gossip about it. And others are just natural entertainers, who can’t help but make us laugh – even at the end of a long day on set. For an example of that, one of…

As the dust settles this week following the devastating roof collapse at the factory, the Street is united in its grief for the local who lost their life in the disaster. However, sympathy is in short supply for one person, and that’s Underworld boss Carla. She quickly becomes public enemy number one as her friends and neighbours question whether she knew how dangerous the roof was – and if she deliberately orchestrated its destruction… “Carla understands full well that she could be looking at a manslaughter charge,” grimaces our cobbles insider. “Whether she arranged for the roof to be tampered with is another matter entirely, but the fact that it was already a safety hazard means that she is partly responsible anyway. It doesn’t take long for people to reach…

Health and safety inspector Wayne Hayes is on the hunt for Underworld’s fiddler on the roof this week, and he knows the area well – having been fostered by Roy and his late wife Hayley as a child. We chat to Coronation Street newbie Adam Barlow, who is taking over the role that was previously played by actor Gary Damer… Hi, Adam! What is it like playing a character that has been in the show before? It is great to have a point of reference. Wayne has many scars from childhood, so it’s given me a lot to draw upon. What sort of man has Wayne turned out to be? He could have gone down a very different path, but thanks to Roy and Hayley’s care, Wayne has carved out…

Keanu finally arrives back in Walford this week, battered and bruised from his time working for Phil in Spain! Judging by the look on his face – and the fact that he’s not come home carrying a straw donkey – we’d say that Keanu hasn’t spent his time away sunning himself on a Spanish beach. But while he was hoping to put his ordeal on the Costa del Crime behind him, he’s in for a rude awakening when the vicious gangsters who beat him to within an inch of his life rock up on his home turf! “Keanu has returned to the Square a much darker character…” “Keanu is scared – he’s obviously suffered a lot of trauma in Spain at the hands of this gang, who left him for…

One person who’ll be eager to catch up with Keanu is his former lover Sharon – the very person who sent him into danger in the first place! But while she’s relieved that he’s come to no serious harm, Keanu doesn’t see things in quite the same way. “If it wasn’t for Sharon sending Keanu to Spain, none of this would have happened!” says Danny. “Keanu’s suffered a lot of pain because of her, so he wants to highlight that and make Sharon feel guilty for what she’s done. There’s a lot of anger from Keanu, so viewers will have to wait and see what happens when they come face to face again…” Turn to p36, where Danny teases difficult times ahead for Keanu, Sharon and Phil!…

Tracy ends up on the wrong side of the law this week, when she wades in to protect her boyfriend Billy while he’s being questioned by police officers – then gets arrested for her troubles! It all kicks off while the couple are waiting to collect April from the park. But when Tracy pops away to buy a cup of coffee, and police approach Billy believing he’s acting suspiciously, his girlfriend sees red – and she’s the one who the officers lead away… “Tracy reckons Billy’s being targeted because of his race,” explains Jay Kontzle, who plays Billy. “What’s actually happened is that a worried mother, who’s never seen Billy around the park before, is suspicious of him. To make things worse, he’s pacing around trying to persuade April to…