Inside Soap UK 50 - 2020

“It’s funny how plots echo each other sometimes…” Isn’t that just typical? You wait months on end for a body to be dug up, then two look as if they’re set to be exhumed at once! Yes, Corrie’s Gary and Emmerdale’s Harriet and co are in a whole heap of trouble (well, more six feet’s worth of bother, but never mind). It’s funny how soap plots sometimes echo each other, so you feel as though the same one is happening in two soaps at the same time. You’d think there would be a soap council they could form, where the bosses sit around a big table and, if they have a clash, toss a coin to decide who keeps their ‘affair revealed by baby monitor’ plot, or whatever is that…

It looks as though Gary’s luck will run out this week, when his furious ex Sarah finally reports him to the police over the death of Rick Neelan – whom he buried in a nearby wood. Now she knows that Gary has been conspiring with wicked Ray in order to get his hands on half the properties on Coronation Street – including her family home – Sarah is out for revenge. Her fury is heightened by the fact that Gary was in league with the slimy sex pest who tried it on with her daughter Bethany, and that she destroyed her marriage to keep his secret. However, now that Gary’s villainy has been exposed, Sarah refuses to cover for him any longer. Meanwhile, Gary has no idea that she’s about…

Sarah isn’t the only Street woman with Gary on her hitlist this week – Debbie’s gunning for him too. She’s horrified when she goes to reason with her former cohort, and Gary flat-out refuses to do business with Ray ever again. Debbie doesn’t know the full extent of Ray’s crimes against Gary’s sister Faye, but she’s left in no doubt about where Gary stands regarding the abusive businessman. Not only does Gary rebuff Debbie’s attempts to put the factory sale back on, but he tells her that he’ll have nothing to do with Ray ever again, now he knows that he’s a sex pest. With her development dream in tatters, Debbie isn’t sure what her next move will be. Meanwhile, the locals are still fighting back, trying to track down…

Malone’s ghost returns to haunt Harriet this week, after she and Will are left with no choice but to dig up his body! Having learnt that Jean – the daughter of the man whose grave Harriet crammed Malone into after Dawn killed him – is planning on exhuming her father’s remains, Will suggests moving the copper’s corpse to a new burial site. But will they get away with it? “As you can imagine, it’s complete terror at this point for Harriet,” shares Katherine Dow Blyton, who plays her. “The situation has spiralled out of control and she turns to Will, who is of course furious with her for so many reasons. However, he agrees that they have no choice. It’s got to be done – and quickly!” At the start…

While others have crumbled around Harriet, the nerves of steel that the vicar has shown since the day of Malone’s murder have been nothing short of mesmerising. However, it’s only a matter of time before she cracks, warns Katherine… “I’m sure viewers are wondering if this is the week where Harriet finally caves – and let’s just say that it’s going to reach a crashing conclusion before it gets better,” teases the actress. “People know where Malone’s body is, and what the consequences are going to be if that grave is dug up, so it’s enjoyable to play. We should have some tense or spooky music in the background of these scenes!”…

Linda finally comes face to face with her husband’s abuser Katy this week – just as Katy sets out to destroy the Carters’ marriage… “Linda thinks that Katy is some kind of superwoman!” When Linda meets Mick’s former care worker, she has no idea that Katy is the reason her husband has been so distant of late. And she certainly has no idea that Katy is encouraging her husband to leave her! “As far as Linda is concerned, this is the woman who stepped up to look after Mick when his family couldn’t,” explains our Walford mole. “And the way Mick and Tina rave about Katy, it sounds as though she’s some kind of superwoman! Little does Linda realise that Katy is plotting to drive a permanent wedge between her…