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Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Soap Awards 2025 nominations are REVEALED with iconic category set to make surprise return after six years
The nominations for the 2025 Inside Soap Awards have been revealed, with one category set to make a surprise return after six years away. After a string of iconic characters have bid farewell in recent months, bosses have brought back the Best Exit award. A whole host of gripping storylines and showstopping moments, along with the iconic characters at the forefront of them, lead this year's nominations. These include Corrie's Debbie being diagnosed with dementia, Phil's mental health struggles in EastEnders, Robert crashing Aaron and John's wedding in Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks ' hard-hitting teen sexual exploitation plot. It comes at a time where many of TV's biggest soaps are facing huge shake-ups, with ITV favourites Coronation Street and Emmerdale set to have their weekly episode counts slashed in 2026. Once again, a string of big names will battle it out for Best Actor, including Corrie's Jack P Shepherd, Emmerdale's Danny Miller and EastEnders' Steve McFadden. Meanwhile nominees for Best Actress include Corrie's Sue Devanet, EastEnders' Lacey Turner, and Hollyoaks' Jennifer Metcalfe. Nominations for Best Storyline once again include Debbie's battle with dementia on Corrie, Phil's mental health struggles in EastEnders, Joe Tate's fight for survival on Emmerdale, and Cleo's shocking abuse ordeal in Hollyoaks. 'The Inside Soap Awards remain the only trophies of their kind to be voted for entirely by the real experts – the soap viewing public,' said Inside Soap magazine editor Sarah Ellis. ' 'Over 90,000 soap fans vote each and every year; and in addition to our list of nominees, our Soap Superstar category allows readers to put forward their own suggestions of who they feel deserves to be honoured. 'The past 12 months have been an epic time in soap, and I can't wait to see who the readers of Inside Soap have decided to crown their favourites this year.' 2025 also sees the return of the Best Exit category, paying tribute to those characters who've either met tragic ends, or moved on to pastures new this year. 'Sadly, we've had to say goodbye to some truly beloved soap characters over the past 12 months,' Sarah said. ''Who didn't cry their eyes out at Martin's shock death during EastEnders' live episode? 'And we're still not over poor Craig's tragic demise in Corrie, or the loss of Leyla and Amy in the devastating Emmerdale limo crash. But it's up to the fans which exit will get their vote.' Voting for the Inside Soap Awards 2025 opens at midday on Tuesday, July 8, and winners will be announced at a star-studded ceremony in London this September. Fans can vote online by visiting or by filling in the voting form in the Inside Soap magazine. The move comes after it was revealed earlier this year how ITV bosses are slashing their soaps' episode count. Emmerdale currently airs six episodes weekly, Monday to Friday with a double bill on Thursdays. Meanwhile, Coronation Street also airs six episodes per week, with two episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Next year, only five 30-minute episodes of each show will air - a real terms cut to soap broadcast time of 17%. Bosses will introduce a soaps power hour from Monday to Friday with 30-minute Emmerdale episodes airing at 8pm and 30-minute Coronation Street episodes airing at 8:30pm. However, the start of the new 2026 schedule will at least be marked in style, as both soaps embark on an ambitious, never-before-seen stunt as part of a week of special episodes. Defending the changes, ITV's Managing Director of Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo said: 'The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led. 'We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX and we want to present their favourite soap to them, in the most digestible way.' 'In a world where there is so much competition for viewers' time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows.' Over on the BBC, fans can watch new episodes of EastEnders from 6am on iPlayer before they're broadcast that evening on BBC One. Inside Soap Awards 2025 Nominations Best Actress Cait Fitton (Lauren Bolton, Coronation Street) Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster, Coronation Street) Vicky Myers (Lisa Swain, Coronation Street) Diane Parish (Denise Fox, EastEnders) Lacey Turner (Stacey Slater, EastEnders) Michelle Collins (Cindy Beale, EastEnders) Amy Walsh (Tracy Robinson, Emmerdale) Beth Cordingly (Ruby Miligan, Emmerdale) Emma Atkins (Charity Dingle, Emmerdale) Isabelle Smith (Frankie Osborne, Hollyoaks) Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes McQueen, Hollyoaks) Nadine Mulkerrin (Cleo McQueen, Hollyoaks) Best Actor Gareth Pierce (Todd Grimshaw, Coronation Street) Jack P Shepherd (David Platt, Coronation Street) Jacob Roberts (Kit Green, Coronation Street) Paul Bradley (Nigel Bates, EastEnders) Scott Maslen (Jack Branning, EastEnders) Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell, EastEnders) Danny Miller (Aaron Dingle, Emmerdale) Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle, Emmerdale) William Ash (Caleb Miligan, Emmerdale) Ashley Taylor Dawson (Darren Osborne, Hollyoaks) Kieron Richardson (Ste Hay, Hollyoaks) Rory Douglas-Speed (Joel Dexter, Hollyoaks) Best Comic Performance Jack P Shepherd (David Platt, Coronation Street) Jodie Prenger (Glenda Shuttleworth, Coronation Street) Patsy Palmer (Bianca Jackson, EastEnders) Tameka Empson (Kim Fox, EastEnders) Michael Parr (Ross Barton, Emmerdale) Nicola Wheeler (Nicola King, Emmerdale) Jessamy Stoddart (Liberty Savage, Hollyoaks) Nicole Barber-Lane (Myra McQueen, Hollyoaks) Best Villain Claire Sweeney (Cassie Plummer, Coronation Street) Joe Layton (Mick Michaelis, Coronation Street) Jonny Freeman (Reiss Colwell, EastEnders) Navin Chowdhry (Nish Panesar, EastEnders) Ned Porteous (Joe Tate, Emmerdale) Oliver Farnworth (John Sugden, Emmerdale) Gemma Bissix (Clare Devine, Hollyoaks) Jeremy Sheffield (Jeremy Blake, Hollyoaks) Best Young Performer Liam McCheyne (Dylan Wilson, Coronation Street) Ryan Mulvey (Brody Michaelis, Coronation Street) Lillia Turner (Lily Slater, EastEnders) Sonny Kendall (Tommy Moon, EastEnders) Amelia Flanagan (April Windsor, Emmerdale) Fred Kettle (Dylan Penders, Emmerdale) Ava Webster (Ro Hutchinson, Hollyoaks) Dan Hough (Arlo Fielding, Hollyoaks) Best Newcomer Jonathan Howard (Carl Webster, Coronation Street) Ryan Mulvey (Brody Michaelis, Coronation Street) Alice Haig (Vicki Fowler, EastEnders) Laura Doddington (Nicola Mitchell, EastEnders) Bradley Riches (Lewis Barton, Emmerdale) Shebz Miah (Kammy Hadiq, Emmerdale) Brandon Fellows (Tommy Odenkirk, Hollyoaks) Zak Sutcliffe (Bobby Costello, Hollyoaks) Best Exit Charlotte Jordan (Daisy Midgeley, Coronation Street) Colson Smith (Craig Tinker, Coronation Street) James Bye (Martin Fowler, EastEnders) Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Fowler, EastEnders) Natalie Ann Jamieson (Amy Barton, Emmerdale) Roxy Shahidi (Leyla Harding, Emmerdale) Nikki Sanderson (Maxine Minniver, Hollyoaks) Tyler Conti (Abe Fielding, Hollyoaks) Best Family The Platts (Coronation Street) The Websters (Coronation Street) The Fox-Truemans (EastEnders) The Slaters (EastEnders) The Dingles (Emmerdale) The Miligans (Emmerdale) The Blakes (Hollyoaks) The Osbornes (Hollyoaks) Best Partnership Alison King & Vicky Myers (Carla Connor & Lisa Swain, Coronation Street) Sue Devaney & Vinta Morgan (Debbie Webster & Ronnie Bailey, Coronation Street) Angela Wynter & Rudolph Walker (Yolande & Patrick Trueman, EastEnders) Diane Parish & Scott Maslen (Denise Fox & Jack Branning, EastEnders) Beth Cordingly & William Ash (Ruby & Caleb Miligan, Emmerdale) Danny Miller & Ryan Hawley (Aaron Dingle & Robert Sugden, Emmerdale) Gemma Bissix & Tamara Wall (Clare Devine & Grace Black, Hollyoaks) Harvey Virdi & Louis Emerick (Misbah Maalik & Donny Clark, Hollyoaks) Best Storyline Debbie's dementia (Coronation Street) Mason's death & Abi's PTSD (Coronation Street) Phil Mitchell: Hypermasculinity in crisis (EastEnders) Who attacked Cindy? (EastEnders) Joe Tate's wicked fight for survival (Emmerdale) John's Hero Complex (Emmerdale) Cleo's abuse at the hands of Abe (Hollyoaks) Teenage sexual exploitation (Hollyoaks) Best Showstopper Awarded to a soap event that had the audience on the edge of their seats Craig's death (Coronation Street) The Platt house explodes (Coronation Street) EastEnders at 40: Angie Watts returns (EastEnders) Nish & Suki's final showdown (EastEnders) Robert crashes Aaron & John's wedding (Emmerdale) The Limo crash disaster (Emmerdale) Clare Devine back from the dead (Hollyoaks) Mercedes faces her cancer scars (Hollyoaks) Best Daytime Star Ethan Browne (Tane Parata, Home and Away) Georgie Parker (Roo Stewart, Home and Away) Nicholas Cartwright (Cash Newman, Home and Away) Stephanie Panozzo (Eden Fowler, Home and Away) Annie Jones (Jane Harris, Neighbours) Lucinda Armstrong Hall (Holly Hoyland, Neighbours) Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson, Neighbours) Xavier Molyneux (Byron Stone, Neighbours) Best Drama Star Anna Chell (Jodie Whyte, Casualty) Barney Walsh (Cam Mickelthwaite, Casualty ) Michael Stevenson (Iain Dean, Casualty) Sarah Seggari (Rida Amaan, Casualty) Hattie Dynevor (Libby Guthrie, Waterloo Road ) Jason Manford (Steve Savage, Waterloo Road) Summer Bird (Tonya Walters, Waterloo Road) Zak Sutcliffe (Schuey Weever, Waterloo Road) Best Soap Coronation Street EastEnders Emmerdale Hollyoaks
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Karen Henthorn returns to EastEnders as Nigel Bates' wife Julie arrives in Walford
Karen Henthorn is reprising her role as Nigel's wife Julie Bates in EastEnders this summer - 27 years after she was last seen in Albert Square. Nigel left Julie last year without explanation and returned to Walford, initially telling friends that they had separated. Later, Nigel admitted that he didn't want to become a burden to Julie, so he chose to disappear and deal with his dementia alone. However, Julie is set to discover the truth when she arrives in Albert Square. Watch EastEnders on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist Karen last appeared in the show in 1998 when Julie and Nigel moved to Scotland to start a new life together. Executive Producer Ben Wadey says: 'We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel. Julie hasn't seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them.' Karen Henthorn says: 'It's very surreal to be back in Albert Square after 27 years and working with the delightful Paul Bradley again - it's scary how fast the time has gone! Julie has got some awful surprises ahead of her after the initial relief she feels to discover Nigel is still alive. It's been great to film with Paul and Steve (McFadden), who are such lovely actors, as Julie discovers Nigel's dementia diagnosis and why he chose to hide it from her.' Karen's voice was heard on-screen earlier this year when viewers saw Nigel listen to a voicemail message from Julie. CT3 Follow For More
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EastEnders legend returns to soap after 27 years off screens for 'awful surprise' - as star admits 'it's scary how fast the time has gone'
EastEnders legend Karen Henthorn is set to return to the BBC soap after 27 years off screens for an 'awful surprise'. The actress, 62, played Julie Bates on the show between 1997 and 1998. Karen did make a voice cameo in Walford again this year, but now she's back for good. Her alter-ego was last seen in Walford 27 years ago when she moved to Scotland with her husband Nigel (Paul Bradley). But as viewers will know, Nigel returned to the Square in 2024, and told everyone that they had split... but it was actually he wanted to deal with his dementia by himself. The cafe worker felt as if he was weighing his wife down. However she's about to make it clear that she's around to help - by returning to the Square. Karen said of reprising her role: 'It's very surreal to be back in Albert Square after 27 years and working with the delightful Paul Bradley again - it's scary how fast the time has gone! 'Julie has got some awful surprises ahead of her after the initial relief she feels to discover Nigel is still alive. 'It's been great to film with Paul and Steve (McFadden), who are such lovely actors, as Julie discovers Nigel's dementia diagnosis and why he chose to hide it from her.' Executive Producer Ben Wadey added: 'We are delighted to have Karen Henthorn returning to reprise her role as Julie, who arrives looking for Nigel. 'Julie hasn't seen Nigel in almost two years and is unaware of his diagnosis and reasons for leaving, so her arrival will pose questions for the pair of them.' EastEnders isn't the only role that Karen has held on a soap over the years - she also played Teresa Bryant on Coronation Street between 2007 and 2009. She's also been in Doctors, Heartbeat and Trollied. The star also played the school inspector in Young Dracula. More recently she took on the role of Emily in The Listeners.
The Irish Sun
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
EastEnders fans rage about ‘continuous blunder' on soap as they beg bosses ‘sort it out' – did you spot it?
Advertisement EASTENDERS fans were left utterly enraged by a 'continuous blunder' on the soap. Advertisement As hard as the soap actors try, there is one aspect of their job that has seriously gotten on the wrong side of BBC One viewers. Advertisement 6 EastEnders fans were left raging at producers for a continuous blunder on the soap Credit: BBC Advertisement 6 A recent scene shown on the show has raised serious questions amongst viewers Credit: BBC 6 Soap enthusiasts have claimed that often the cups in the cafe are completely empty Credit: BBC Advertisement If the residents of Walford are not sinking back pints in the Vic, they are often seen drinking tea at Kathy's Cafe ... or are they? Advertisement EastEnders fans have claimed that when some characters are seen with a hot drink either at home or in the 'caf', they are in fact just taking in air from empty cups or mugs. Advertisement One recent scene saw Phil (Steve McFadden) making George Knight ( However, the mugs which were meant to have hot drinks appeared to be completely clear of any drink. Fans took to social media fan forum site Reddit in their droves where they fumed at the prop mishap in a thread titled 'Empty Cups!'. One fan wrote: "Dunno if anyone else here can not stand when the actors clearly give someone an empty cup pretending it's a full cup of tea or in the cafe, an empty takeaway cup! Advertisement "Why can't they just put an actual drink in it! It is one of my biggest pet peeves watching soaps ." Advertisement The soap enthusiast added: "Ben Wadey, sort it out please! " Advertisement Most read in Soaps Other fans seemed to completely agree as they flooded the post with affirming comments. Advertisement An additional user noted: "The way they throw around their clearly empty cups like they're so light and don't need to worry about spillages drives me insane also." Advertisement Kat Moon takes over the Queen Vic: A new era in EastEnders "Glad it's not just me," stated a third viewer. Advertisement As a fourth fan insisted: "It is indeed not just you. It's so easily solved, too, it's ridiculous that no one has done this basic stage prep. I'm hoping that changes now with the new regime." Advertisement While someone else claimed: "Even just water in a cup would make it more believable." This was as a sixth exclaimed: "YES! It's bothered me for so many years, just put some liquid in there! The fake drinking acting is always so obvious." Advertisement Pointing one particular scene with former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Advertisement "No disrespect to Patsy as she's a top notch actor, but she was CLEARLY swallowing air and the mug completely empty while she was gingerly putting it down." Advertisement 6 Viewers have claimed some of the hot drink mugs are completely empty as the actors are left just drinking air Credit: BBC 6 One fan was left fuming as Patsy Palmer's mug was completely empty Credit: BBC Advertisement 6 A social media user on Reddit took issue with the way the prop was handled by bosses Credit: BBC Advertisement EastEnders continues on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
EastEnders fans rage about ‘continuous blunder' on soap as they beg bosses ‘sort it out' – did you spot it?
EASTENDERS fans were left utterly enraged by a 'continuous blunder' on the soap. As hard as the soap actors try, there is one aspect of their job that has seriously gotten on the wrong side of BBC One viewers. 6 6 6 If the residents of Walford are not sinking back pints in the Vic, they are often seen drinking tea at Kathy's Cafe ... or are they? EastEnders fans have claimed that when some characters are seen with a hot drink either at home or in the 'caf', they are in fact just taking in air from empty cups or mugs. One recent scene saw Phil (Steve McFadden) making George Knight (Colin Salmon) a comforting cuppa in his kitchen. However, the mugs which were meant to have hot drinks appeared to be completely clear of any drink. Fans took to social media fan forum site Reddit in their droves where they fumed at the prop mishap in a thread titled 'Empty Cups!'. One fan wrote: "Dunno if anyone else here can not stand when the actors clearly give someone an empty cup pretending it's a full cup of tea or in the cafe, an empty takeaway cup! "Why can't they just put an actual drink in it! It is one of my biggest pet peeves watching soaps." The soap enthusiast added: "Ben Wadey, sort it out please! " Other fans seemed to completely agree as they flooded the post with affirming comments. An additional user noted: "The way they throw around their clearly empty cups like they're so light and don't need to worry about spillages drives me insane also." Kat Moon takes over the Queen Vic: A new era in EastEnders "Glad it's not just me," stated a third viewer. As a fourth fan insisted: "It is indeed not just you. It's so easily solved, too, it's ridiculous that no one has done this basic stage prep. I'm hoping that changes now with the new regime." While someone else claimed: "Even just water in a cup would make it more believable." This was as a sixth exclaimed: "YES! It's bothered me for so many years, just put some liquid in there! The fake drinking acting is always so obvious." EastEnders stars who've been on Strictly Come Dancing Throughout its 20-year history, Strictly Come Dancing has welcomed several stars from BBC soap EastEnders. Here's a look at how some of them did over the years. Christopher Parker (Series One): Christopher played Alfie Moon's (Shane Richie) younger brother Spencer from 2002 to 2005. finished as runner-up in Strictly's first series. Jill Halfpenny (Series Two): Jill starred as Kate Mitchell in EastEnders from 2002 to 2005. She triumphed over Denise Lewis and Julian Clary to win the second series of Strictly. Louisa Lytton (Series Four): Known for her role as EastEnders' Ruby Allen, Louisa took part in Strictly's fourth series. She finished in fourth place. Letitia Dean (Series Five): Letitia, who debuted as Sharon Watts in the show's first episode, took to the Strictly dance floor in series five. She finished in fourth place. Matt Di Angelo (Series Five): Dean Wicks actor Matt also competed in series five of Strictly, finishing as runner-up behind Alesha Dixon. Gillian Taylforth (Series 6): Gillian, known for her long-running portrayal as Kathy Beale, took part in series 6. She ended up being the second person voted out. Jessie Wallace (Series 6): Kat Slater actress Jessie also competed in series 6, but was fourth voted out. Scott Maslen (Series 8): Scott, who plays Jack Branning, reached a respectable fourth place on Strictly. Kara Tointon (Series 8): Kara, who played Dawn Swann, won Strictly series 8 back in 2010. Sid Owen (Series 10): Sid, who played Ricky Butcher, was eliminated in the show's fourth week. Jake Wood (Series 12): While his EastEnders character Max Branning was unlucky-in-love, actor Jake fared better with a fifth-place finish on Strictly. Kellie Bright (Series 13): Kellie - aka Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter - finished as the runner-up of series 13. Emma Barton (Series 17): Known for playing Honey Mitchell, Emma reached third place on Strictly in 2019. Maisie Smith (Series 18): Formerly playing Tiffany Butcher-Baker, actress Maisie was 2020's second-place Strictly finalist. Rose-Ayling Ellis (Series 19): Rose won over viewers' hearts when she soared to victory in 2021. Bobby Brazier (Series 21): Having joined the cast as 'Freddie Slater' in 2022, Bobby joined the 2023 Strictly line-up. He finished in third place. Jamie Borthwick (Series 22): Jamie, aka Jay Brown, won the 2023 Strictly Christmas Special - and h as been signed up for the next full series. Pointing one particular scene with former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Patsy Palmer, another watcher added: "The scene where Bianca was drinking tea when Reiss snuck back into the house anniversary week drove me mental. "No disrespect to Patsy as she's a top notch actor, but she was CLEARLY swallowing air and the mug completely empty while she was gingerly putting it down." 6 6 6
