Inside Soap UK 51/52 - 2020

“We’ve chatted to the biggest stars!” We adore Christmas – not just the excitement of the big festive plots, but the fact that we get to make an extra-big double issue, packed with Christmassy goodness! We’ve chatted to the biggest stars of the most wonderful fortnight of the soap year, who have told us their on-screen – and off screen – festive secrets. This issue takes us right up to 1 January 2021 – a whole new year. We know what a struggle the past nine months has been, and we hope Inside Soap being there each week has helped give you some feeling of normality. Putting the mag together every week has certainly helped us. I wish you a very merry Christmas, and here’s to a happy new year.…

There’s a Nightmare Before Christmas for Ian this fortnight, as he becomes convinced that whoever tried to kill him is coming back to finish the job! There’s no doubt that Ian is at the top of the naughty list this year, having wronged practically everyone on Albert Square. But while his enemies are busy plotting over their mulled wine, Ian is cowering at home, scared for his life! “It’s very clear that at least one person in Walford wants Ian dead!” gasps our Square secret Santa. “Whoever tried to finish him off is still at large, and they could be waiting in the wings to strike again – and this time, they’ll make sure they do the job properly! Ian’s right to be very afraid.” As the festive fortnight kicks…

Do you think Ian has any idea who attacked him? Well, he believes he knows, yes – straight away, a name comes to mind, but whether Ian is right is another matter. And let’s be honest, there seems to be a few people he has got on the wrong side recently. Has Ian seen his attack as a wake-up call? What more of a wake-up call could he need! There are a fair amount of people lining up to hurt him, so I think he’ll start to connect the dots and see that what he was brushing off as non-important – isolated incidents were actually all connected, and his actions and comments really do hurt people. That especially goes for his family, who he does really care for – he…

The net closes in on Tina this fortnight, as she finds herself in the frame for Ian’s attack! While Whitney assures Tina that lawyer Gray will be quick to clear her name, things take a dramatic turn when the police arrive and haul Tina down to the station! So could she be spending Christmas Day behind bars? “Tina is in a real panic,” confirms Luisa Bradshaw-White, who plays her. “The whole thing gets her down, it’s exhausting for her. She’s living with the constant anxiety that someone could turn up at the door at any moment, it’s full-on. By this point, she’s had enough.” Things go from bad to worse for Tina when Gray tells her that the police have a witness, who saw her following Ian into the Vic!…

Denise comes face to face with a terrible reminder of her past this fortnight, after her serial killer ex-husband, Lucas Johnson, turns up out of the blue with their daughter, Chelsea. “Denise’s blood runs cold,” reveals our Square insider. “She’s paralysed with fear as memories of Lucas’ unspeakable crimes come flooding back. The look of pure horror that washes over her says it all.” Denise thought she’d seen the last of Lucas in 2016, after she rumbled his plan to escape prison with the help of his son Jordan. Lucas had already been inside for six years for multiple killings at that point, not to mention the attempted murder and subsequent abduction of Denise herself! What’s more, Chelsea lived through all of this drama – and went as far as…

While Denise’s festive reunion with her daughter is far from your average family fun and games at this time of year, the fiery Fox gal’s return is a must-see for fans. Firstly, former Corrie star Zaraah Abrahams (Joanne Jackson) makes her Walford debut, taking over the role of Chelsea from Tiana Benjamin. And if the mystery surrounding Chelsea’s alliance with Lucas isn’t gripping enough, there’s the added drama of Chelsea’s saucy past with Jack, who was recently in a relationship with Denise. We have a feeling it’s not over for Dee and Jack, either – so will Chelsea’s return pour cold water over a potential reunion between her mum and the copper? And what part will Jack play after Kim and Patrick turn to him for help getting rid of…