Inside Soap UK 13 - 2019

Oh, I love it when soaps use their history, of course I do – I’ve been a mega-soap fan my whole life! But there can be a fine line between giving your long-time fans a treat, and alienating your more recent viewers. However, I think EastEnders has got that balance just right this week. “EastEnders has the balance just right!” Firstly, there’s a return to the Square for Ben, with a new attitude – and a new face – as well as an old friend, Lola, the mother of his daughter Lexi. The pair have loads of connections to Walford, but also come straight in with an intriguing mystery that will see newer fans’ interest piqued, while the older ones will enjoy seeing the duo reunited with their friends and…

Underworld boss Carla is handcuffed and taken to Weatherfield police station this week – charged with gross negligence manslaughter following the factory collapse. Her arrest comes after she is forced to admit her part in the horrifying incident to mourners at Rana’s memorial, provoking fury from the survivors, her family and Rana’s loved ones. Carla’s world starts falling apart once investigator Wayne concludes his structural report and informs Carla she has more questions to answer. Although she tries to stick to her story, the intensity of Carla’s guilt and the police probe push her beyond her limit. Peter’s horrified when Carla decides the only thing that she can do is tell the truth – but there’s worse to come when it tumbles out at Rana’s emotional memorial. “Kate looks to…

SEB Given the scale of the devastation, it seems that whoever was up on the roof that night knew what they were doing – and we know they went equipped with the tools for the job. So, we think the finger points to  hot-headed builder Seb. “I’m going to teach Gary and his dodgy workers a lesson!” he vowed, having been humiliated by his former boss. He also looked very guilty when he discovered his own mum, Abi, was almost killed. NICK If Seb has the means, then Nick most certainly has the clearest motive. We know that he considered an insurance claim on the factory to be his only means of paying off his blackmailer, Natalie. And while we’ve seen a dark side to Nick recently – and have…

There was outcry from Kate and Rana – aka ‘Kana’ – fans following Rana’s tragic death in the factory roof collapse last week, with many furious that bosses had decided to rip her and Kate apart in such a devastating way. But as we sit down for one final chat with star Bhavna Limbachia – who leaves the show after playing Rana for three years – she tells us that bumping off her character was her decision… How did you feel about Rana’s exit? It was my choice for Rana to die, as it was the only fitting end for the character. Kate and Rana had fought so hard to be together, there was no way Rana was going to have a change of heart, hop in a cab and…

Dan is hoping for a happy ever after this week, when he proposes to girlfriend Kerry – but is he in need of a miracle? Dan’s keen to get their relationship back on track after Kerry flirts with another man – yet it’s fair to say that she doesn’t exactly look bowled over with excitement when he gets down on one knee in the Woolpack! As Dan’s daughter Amelia looks on with pride, however, can Kerry somehow be persuaded to say yes? “It’s the last throw of the dice so far as their relationship is concerned,” admits Liam Fox, who plays the wannabe husband. “He’s hoping that when he steps up to the mark and gets that engagement ring out, all the bad vibes of their relationship will be forgotten…

As he braces himself for the prospect of walking down the aisle with Kerry a second time, has Dan forgotten the disaster that was his and Kerry’s first wedding? The couple got hitched back in 2014, in a Big Fat Gypsy- style wedding – the likes of which the village had never seen. But it was in the midst of this outrageous ceremony that Kerry was unveiled as being a bigamist, when her other husband Kev arrived and it all kicked off in the middle of the Woolpack! So as Dan chooses the very same location for his latest proposal, here’s hoping Kerry’s reaction isn’t quite as humiliating as that unforgettable moment……