Inside Soap UK 27 - 2018

“Max and Rainie are my fave couple!” Ooh, we’ve seen some right odd pairings in the soaps over the years, but I think that Walford’s Max and Rainie might be my most twisted favourite ever. Thrown together by Max’s desire to get his hands on baby Abi and appease the guilt over his latest kid’s deadly fall from the Queen Vic roof, neither trusts the other as far as they can throw them – which in Max’s case, would be just over the edge of that roof, we imagine! This week, things are complicated further by the arrival of Cora – another of my favourites – carrying little baby Abi and a big, fat cheque. Is the tricky twosome set to turn into a terrible trio? And talking of double…

“Linda wants Stuart out of their lives for good” Thuggish Stuart Highway manages to let his mask slip further when he’s left alone with Linda this week, leaving her stunned! Ever since Mick’s childhood pal Stuart arrived in Walford, it’s been clear that wife Linda hasn’t been too pleased to have him around. But even she is taken aback by the lout’s latest threatening behaviour. The scene for the confrontation is set when Stuart’s much more affable brother Halfway arrives at the Vic, and plays a video from seemingly remorseful Stuart. He accepts the blame for messing things up with Fred, who – thanks to their recent bungled sting – was wrongly accused of being a paedophile. Stuart promises he has now given up hunting child-abusers, leaving it to the…

When Tina arrives back in Walford this week, it’s clear she’s shocked to see Stuart in the family home. And a recently aired trailer showed Tina declaring, “He is evil!” about Mick’s old friend. So what’s going on there? “Don’t forget that Tina grew up alongside Mick and Stuart,” says our mole. “They’re not far apart in age, so she was well placed to see what Stuart was like when they were all kids. But what did he do to elicit such a bad reaction from Tina?” Tina tells her family she’s going to the 80s night at E20, but when it’s clear no one else will accompany her, she ends up going with Stuart. However, on the pair’s night out together, something happens that makes Tina pause for thought.…

There’s a cruel blow in store for Kevin this week, when doctors inform him that his poorly son Jack – who is currently in hospital after collapsing at home – must have his leg amputated if he is to survive. Medics make their diagnosis as it transpires that Jack is suffering from blood poisoning, known as sepsis, after grazing his leg while playing football. Kevin is devastated to hear that the only way to stop the infection spreading is to remove Jack’s lower leg. “If Kevin doesn’t agree to the amputation, Jack could die,” sighs Michael Le Vell, who plays Kevin. “He doesn’t know where to turn or who to talk to – he feels lost, and he’s heartbroken. He can’t believe how quickly this situation has escalated from a…

The Corrie team has worked closely with the UK Sepsis Trust in developing Jack’s storyline, hoping to raise awareness of the life-threatening condition – and here is the charity’s guide to help identify symptoms… “Sepsis could occur as the result of any infection, and symptoms will present differently between adults and children,” explains the Trust. “It’s a reaction to an infection in which the body attacks its own organs and tissues. It’s a serious condition that can initially look like flu, gastroenteritis or a chest infection. There is no single sign for sepsis, but seek medical help urgently if you develop any of the following: Slurred speech or confusion Extreme shivering or muscle pain Passing no urine (in a day) Severe breathlessness It feels like you’re…

Playing a character who loses a limb is a huge challenge for any actor, let alone an 11-year-old boy in his first TV job! But star Kyran Bowes – who plays Jack – has responded admirably, and tells us how he feels to have been given such a huge responsibility… How did you feel when you heard about Jack’s story? My first words were, ‘Wow, that is a big story’. I did feel nervous at first, as I’d never heard of sepsis before and didn’t know what it does to you. My mum and dad explained to me as much as they knew, and we looked it up on the internet quite a bit. Did your research involve talking to someone who has survived sepsis? Yes, I met a 14-year-old…