Inside Soap UK 33 - 2020

“The drama will come pouring down in autumn” We’ve had a bit of a soap drought this summer, haven’t we? Fewer episodes of Corrie and Emmerdale, EastEnders and Hollyoaks taking a break and now Holby and Casualty coming to the end of their current runs. In fact, several of you have written to us this week with your thoughts on the matter (turn to p36). But never fear, while summer may have been a little dry, the drama will come pouring down when we hit the autumn. So, we thought we’d whet your appetite (or should that be ‘wet’ if I carry on with this weather thing I’m doing here?) and bring you a big preview of the coming months – and we hope you’ll be blown away by the stormy…

Blushing bride Maria excitedly prepares for her marriage to Gary this week, blissfully unaware that he’s actually considering jilting her at the altar for his former fiancée, Sarah! The groom is torn over which of the two women he truly loves, after sharing a charged moment with his ex-lover Sarah on the morning of his nuptials, leaving him with major doubts as to whether he can still go through with the ceremony. Meanwhile, poor Maria has yet to realise that her entire world could come crashing down at any moment! “From Maria’s point of view, she and Gary are in a really good place right now,” explains actress Samia Longchambon, who plays her. “All the stuff that happened with her ex Ali [Neeson] has disappeared since he left, so Maria’s…

As Gary makes a call on his emotions, Sarah likewise continues to weigh up her feelings towards him. But the decision may well be taken out of Sarah’s hands, if husband Adam makes it for her! Relations have been strained between the newlyweds ever since it became increasingly clear to Adam that Sarah is covering for Gary – and, by the end of the week, the Barlows are the talk of the cobbles, with Sarah furious to hear her employee Alina gossiping about them. Will Sarah’s dithering over Gary spell the end of her marriage to Adam?…

Evil Malone pulls a gun on terrified Dawn this week, and orders her to take a heroin overdose – or he will target her son Lucas next! The twisted cop wants to be rid of Dawn as her testimony against him to the police looks set to ruin his career. Dawn’s horrified when she returns home to find the vicious cop at the house. And when he produces a wrap of heroin and a syringe, Dawn realises she’s in grave danger. “I don’t think in her wildest dreams Dawn thought Malone would go as far as he does,” explains Olivia Bromley, who plays the reformed addict. “She’s trapped, as she’s scared he could harm her son. Dawn’s witnessed what a dangerous character he is and is terrified.” “Malone hopes that…

Hi, Olivia! It would be awful if Dawn was to die, she’s worked so hard to get clean… Olivia I know, so much has changed and she’s managed to get a support system around her. Recovery is something she’ll always live with, but she’s worked so hard to get here. Mark, this is undoubtedly Malone’s most despicable act. Is he bad through and through? Mark Whenever you play a part, you always have to find redeemable qualities. What I like about Malone is his single-mindedness! But there will be repercussions for this, whatever they are. What was it like to film those gripping scenes together? Mark I really enjoyed it. It was intense, and we were given quite a lot of freedom to play around. I didn’t expect that –…

David and Shona will find themselves on rocky ground this autumn – but it won’t just be the cracks in their marriage giving the couple a sinking feeling! The Platts are set to be at the heart of the Street’s next big disaster after a giant sinkhole appears in their back garden – causing chaos for the entire family and neighbouring residents. “It’s going to cause huge issues for the already hard-up residents of the cobbles,” warns our Corrie insider. “No one wants a sinkhole in their garden, especially with the damage they can do…” This won’t be the first time that the cobbles have fallen victim to an underground chasm. Bosses battled the catastrophe for real in 2014, when a sinkhole appeared overnight just outside the Rovers Return pub…