Inside Soap UK 25 - 2018

“Really, what was Toyah thinking?!” Usually in soap, you feel sorry for characters when they make some huge, horrible mistake. You understand their motivation, and you can sympathise with them as they face the terrible consqeunces of their actions. But at other times, you just want to grab them by the shoulders, look them straight in the eye and scream: “Did you really think that this wasn’t how this was going to end, you total imbecile! Have you never even seen a soap?!” Well, today we’d like to say hello to Toyah Battersby! Really, what was she thinking?! This baby situation was a tram crash waiting to happen. But sometimes the fun comes from waiting for that tram to crash, and enjoying all the fallout that comes with it! The…

Flora’s life is left on the line this week, after Simon’s lowlife sidekick Tyler breaks into the corner shop flat and attacks her! The heartless teens are trying to steal £250k, which Flora has inherited from her son Vinny. But when she returns home early from the Bistro to find the boys turning the place upside down, there are violent consequences. CASHING IN! The horrific scenes unfold after news of Flora’s windfall spreads around the Street – and soon more than one resident’s interest is piqued. “It’s Adam who looks into Vinny’s estate, and finds that he’s left Flora all this money,” reveals star Rob Mallard, who plays Daniel. “It’s the most money Daniel or Sinead have ever been close to, and they’re pleased she’ll finally be able to afford…

Tracy’s malevolent manipulation of Flora has disastrous consequences for Steve this week, when he accidentally asks his former wife to marry him again! Steve is landed right in it after Daniel gets back at Tracy for her attempted conning of Flora by blowing the fact that her other half made a move on Michelle on her wedding day. “Daniel sinks to Tracy’s level in getting his own back like this,” admits star Rob Mallard, who plays Daniel. “He’s managed to keep a lid on his temper recently – but it’s mostly in his interactions with Tracy that we see it starting to come out again!” Outraged to discover that Steve’s been trying it on with another of his countless exes, glum Tracy is left to assume that Steve doesn’t care…

“Ollie seemed like the perfect gentleman – how could he do this?” The Slaters band together this week, when Jean lets slip that she can’t go back to husband Ollie – because he hurt her! The revelation comes as Kat returns to Walford after a month away – and she can’t believe what she finds. Upon her arrival back on the Square, Kat is stunned to see that her dad’s old black cab is parked outside. But her shock turns to anger when she finds out that Jean, Mo, Stacey and Hayley are planning to keep the vehicle for ‘sentimental reasons’. “Kat and the whole family are in dire need of cash, so she can’t see why they wouldn’t want to make the most of this bit of good fortune,”…

While Kat and Mo are quick to take Jean’s side against Ollie, could it be that Jean is actually the one who has something shameful to hide? “I’m very keen to keep the writers in check, to ensure that the dark side of Jean is still present, and could come through,” actress Gillian Wright – who plays Jean – said in March, as the Slater family reassembled on Albert Square. Remember that when we first met Jean way back in 2004, she was far from the adorable scatterbrain that we have since got to know and love. “Jean was vicious to Stacey in those early episodes – nasty!” Gillian was keen to remind us. “She’s a character who can turn on a sixpence. You never know what to expect from…

“Belle wants it to work between Lachlan and her, so he’s relieved” There’s terror for Lachlan this week when Jai violently confronts him – is Belle about to discover Lachy’s terrifying secret? Lachlan made a big mistake recently after he involved drunken Priya in his latest murder attempt. He thought she was out for the count when he tailed Freddy in his car and prepared to bludgeon the oblivious investor with a rock. But it looks as if Priya saw enough to be scared of Lachlan, and now Jai is hopping mad. “This is a nightmare scenario for Lachlan – how will he explain his way out of this one?” muses our Dales spy. “Priya was drunk, but she’s not stupid, and she saw enough of his darkness to be…