Latest news with #LetitiaDean
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Anita Dobson wins big for her surprise EastEnders return while Emmerdale's Amelia Flanagan is overcome with emotion as she accepts Best Young Performer gong at British Soap Awards
Anita Dobson looked jubilant as she won Scene of the Year for her surprise EastEnders return, while Amelia Flanagan held back tears as she accepted her gong at the British Soap Awards on Saturday night. Stars of the country's favourite soaps descended on London's Hackney Empire for the annual bash which was hosted by Jane McDonald. And among the biggest moments of the night was Anita, 76, scooping an award for her reprisal of the iconic Angie Watts for EastEnders' special anniversary episode in February. The actress returned as the Queen Vic's first landlady for the first time in 37 years for a heartbreaking cameo with daughter Sharon - played by Letitia Dean. Her shock return left viewers stunned and in tears, with fans branding it the 'TV moment of the year', so her win came as no surprise. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Anita Dobson looked jubilant as she won Scene of the Year for her surprise EastEnders return (left), while Amelia Flanagan held back tears as she accepted her gong (right) at the British Soap Awards on Saturday night Anita won the prize over stiff competition from Mason's death in Coronation Street, Amy's deathly plunge in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks' Mercedes confronting of her mortality. Meanwhile, Amelia was overcome with emotion as she was announced as the winner of Best Young Performer for playing April Windsor in Emmerdale. The 16-year-old - who previously won the prize for Best Young Performance for the role in 2015 - couldn't hid her shock as she took to the stage to accept the trophy. The actress beat out Corrie's Will Flanagan, EastEnders star Sonny Kendall and Hollyoaks' Noah Holdsworth for the win. Another standout moment of the ceremony was Sir David Jason taking to the stage to present the coveted Best Soap award. The Only Fools and Horses star, 85, cut a dapper figure in a classic black suit and bow tie as he announced EastEnders as the winner. It capped off a good night for the residents of Walford, with the BBC soap coming out the victor of this year's awards with a whopping eight wins. Following in their wake was Hollyoaks with three gongs, Emmerdale two and Coronation Street only receiving one win on the night. Meanwhile, Amelia was overcome with emotion as she was announced as the winner of Best Young Performer for playing April Windsor in Emmerdale The 16-year-old - who previously won the prize for Best Young Performance for the role in 2015 - couldn't hid her shock as she took to the stage to accept the trophy. As well as their wins for Anita and Best Soap, EastEnders also nabbed the Best Episode award for Phil's Psychosis: The Mitchells In 1985. Steve McFadden, who plays fan favourite Phil Mitchell, won the Best Dramatic Performance award while Patsy Palmer won Best Comedic Performance for her role as Bianca Jackson. The popular progamme also scored Best Villain for Navin Chowdhry for his role as Nish Panesar, while Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey Slater, won the Best Leading Performer Award. Rudolph Walker & Angela Wynter (Patrick & Yolande Trueman) delivered another win for EastEnders as they won Best On-Screen Partnership. Hollyoaks' three awards started with Isabelle Smith who won Best Newcomer for her role as Frankie Osborne. The Osbornes then won the Best Family award while Hollyoaks' sibling sexual abuse storyline received the Best Storyline award. Emmerdale's camera operator Mike Plant took home the Tony Warren Award which is given to employees working behind the scenes. Coronation Street's sole gong of the night was the Outstanding Achievement Award which went to David Neilson who has played Roy Cropper for 30 years. Denise Walsh and Martin Kemp presented the Best Newcomer award together, before Denise was surprised with an award herself by Shirlie Kemp. The actress was given the special CHEE award, standing for Corrie, Hollyoaks, Eastenders, Emmerdale, for someone who has appeared in all four soaps. Last year's show was suddenly cancelled with no explanation after the nominees had been announced. The June 2023 edition reached 5.7 million viewers in total with just under one million streams on ITVX and a peak of 3.2m viewers via its linear overnight broadcast. Singer and self-confessed soaps lover Jane, 61, stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Phillip Schofield two years ago after he quit ITV after admitting to an affair with a young male This Morning colleague. Host Jane said: 'I'm beyond excited to be hosting The British Soap Awards again as I had such a ball hosting the awards last time. 'You all know I love my soaps, so to be in a room giving recognition to all these wonderful actors and their fantastic hard work is simply joyous. I can't wait to get my glittery frock on and celebrate with everyone.' Meanwhile, Gemma John-Lewis, Entertainment Commissioner ITV said: 'The British Soaps Awards are an opportunity to celebrate and shine a light on the incredible actors and production teams that deliver gripping drama and captivating stories throughout the year. 'We're delighted Jane McDonald, a self proclaimed number one soap fan, is returning to host the awards.' The British Soap Awards airs on Thursday at 8pm on ITV1 & ITVX.
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Soap star's secret music careers revealed from EastEnders actress's 80s pop single to Corrie legend's TOTP appearance
WHILST they are best known for their time on screen as popular soap stars, you may be surprised to learn that some of our acting favourites had secret singing careers. From releasing their own singles to high-profile TV spots, a raft of stars from Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks have had a turn at being a popstar - but how many do you remember? John Altman - EastEnders 14 14 Whilst fans best know him for his controversial role as Dot's son Nasty Nick in the BBC One soap opera, John also had his time making music in a bid to break the charts. Having sang in many theatre productions and pantomimes over the years, John decided to have a go at releasing an official single in 2020. He penned the track Looking For The Love of My Life and even recorded a music video to go with it. The rock'n'roll track saw John singing about finding a lasting love as he wandered aimlessly in the snow in the track's official video. Sadly, the song failed to ignite the charts and has so far, only received 7,200 plays on YouTube. Letitia Dean - EastEnders 14 14 Whilst Letitia is one of the country's most famous soap actresses thanks to her long-running role of Sharon Watts in EastEnders, she's also tried her hand at music. You would be forgiven for forgetting her stint as a singer however, as it proved much less successful that her iconic soap role. As a teen, she played the leading roles in a number of musicals but it was in 1986 that her music career kicked up a notch. As part of an EastEnders plot line, she and co-star Paul Medford came up with their very own song, Something Outta Nothing. Proving popular, the BBC issued the track as a single with Letitia and her co-star performing it across the country. Coronation Street favourite left for dead in brutal attack after actor is axed from soap It eventually landed at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. Shane Richie - EastEnders 14 Shane Richie, known for his role as Alfie Moon, is another one of the EastEnders cast who isn't afraid to burst into song at any given opportunity. In 1997 and 2000, Shane attempted to become a popstar by releasing two albums. However, both albums performed very poorly and failed to chart. In 2003, he attempted to revive his music career once again - just a year into his soap stint. Aiming to use his newfound fame, he released the single, I'm Your Man, a cover of the Wham track for Children in Need. The song was a bigger success and managed to reach number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2009, it was reported that he would be the opening act for Michael Jackson 's run of concerts planned for The O2 Arena, however, these were cancelled following his death. Stefan Dennis - Neighbours Aussie actor Stefan rose to fame after appearing in the very first episode of Neighbours in 1985 playing the role of Paul Robinson. He has largely remained as part of the show's cast ever since and will appear in the programme's final episode which is scheduled to air this year. But apart from playing the role of Paul, Stefan has also put his singing voice to good use. In 1989, his track, Don't It Make You Feel Good, became a number 16 hit on both the UK and Irish charts. Tracy Shaw - Coronation Street 14 Tracy played the role of Maxine Peacock in Coronation Street between 1995 and 2003. She eventually quit the role amid a rumoured pay dispute in which soap bosses told her that she would be forced to take a £20,000 pay cut, something Tracy was unhappy with and as such, left the show. But during her time on the cobbles, she also attempted to purse a career as a popstar. She released her original track, Ridin High, as well as a cover of the Lonnie Gordon hit, Happening All Over Again. However, neither had a huge impact on the charts and she ceased releasing music soon after. Kevin Kennedy 14 14 Corrie's Curly Watts was secretly a singer in a career move that may have been forgotten by many fans. In 2000, he released his track, Bulldog Nation, via the RCA Records music label. Kevin even got to perform the track live on Top of the Pops in a surprise move. He even went on to release an album under the same name as well as a follow-up record in 2002 titled Present Kennedy. Will Mellor - Hollyoaks 14 14 Hollyoaks hunk Will Mellor is yet another fan favourite soap star who tried his hand at becoming the next big thing on the charts. Will's music proved more successful than many of his soap counterparts. His cover of Leo Sayer's hit When I Need You became a top-five hit. Will's second track, No Matter What I Do, was also a considerable hit, reaching 23 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2003, he also won the first series of the BBC singing contest, Comic Relief does Fame Academy.
