British Soap Awards 2011 - Corrie wins big; EastEnders retains top prize

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

CONTINUED: EastEnders won the coveted prize again

EASTENDERS won the main award again last week at the British Soap Awards.  Once again, it set an example as to why it is considered as the best soap on television in recent times as it swept to a fourth success in a row for Best British Soap.

     For the first time in history, the awards moved away from its usual home of the BBC Television Centre but instead of relocating down the road to The O2 Arena like many other awards shows now, it chose the ITV Granada Studios in Manchester.  With 17 awards to fight for, and most critics this was the best year gone by for British Soap, everything than just pride was all to play for.

     The relocation to Manchester seemed to pay dividends for Coronation Street.  Despite missing out on the main gong, the local soap took away nine awards from the evening.  Michelle Keegan retained her crown for ‘Sexiest Female’ for the third year in the row whilst the Tram Crash for the 50th Anniversary at Christmas deservedly won ‘Spectacular Scene’ as did for ‘Best Single Episode’ for its live episode and ‘Best Storyline’ for Kevin Webster’s affair with Molly Dobbs, which climaxed around the time of the crash.

     The soap’s other successes came from Jane Danson winning ‘Best Dramatic Performance’, Alexander Bain becoming the inaugural winner of the ‘Best Young Performance’ award, Patti Clare earning ‘Best Comedy Performance’ whilst the biggest plaudits went the legendary Bill Tarmey for getting the ‘Best Exit’ gong and then the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his 30 years of work on the show as the legendary Jack Duckworth.

     There was to be only four awards on the night for EastEnders.  There was another ‘Sexiest Male’ gong for Scott Maslen and the ‘Best Actress’ award for the recently-returned Jessie Wallace who also took the ‘Best On-Screen Partnership’ award with Shane Richie.  By claiming ‘Best British Soap,’ it shows the influence that former Hollyoaks boss Bryan Kirkwood has had, since his arrival last year.

     The remaining soaps were left with few scraps again though Emmerdale broke the recent tradition of Corrie and EastEnders dominating the viewer-voted awards as Danny Miller rightfully won ‘Best Actor.’  The rural soap’s only other success came in the form of a posthumous honour for the late Gavin Blyth with the ‘Special Achievement’ award.  The 51 year-old, who has helped turn around the soap’s fortunes, tragically died back in November after a short battle with illness.

     Hollyoaks also earned two awards, both going to popular newbie Emmet J. Scanlan with awards for ‘Best Newcomer’ and a viewer award for ‘Villain of The Year.’  After only being nominated in two categories, daytime soap Doctors unsurprisingly went home empty-handed, ending its surprise success in recent editions of the ceremony.

     In truth, the year that soap has produced has been breathtaking. Corrie won the battle but it was truly EastEnders who won the war.

British Soap Awards 2011 - The nominations

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

NEXT Saturday, the stars of Britain’s five premier soaps will gather at the BBC Television Centre in London to celebrate, reflect and reminisce the big events in soap over the past twelve months.  Several talking points have been raised following the release of the British Soap Awards nominations last week, so it’s only fitting to have a look at some of the contenders and possible winners or losers.

PROMISE: Will Danny's acting skills finally earn him an award?

     The viewing public once again have their say in six of the awards, which are the most hotly contested.  In ‘Sexiest Male’, Keith Duffy and Chris Fountain of Coronation Street (Ciaran McCarthy and Tommy Duckworth), the latter has only been present since last month, will go up against EastEnders’ Scott Maslen (Jack Branning) and Emmerdale’s Danny Miller (Aaron Livesy).  The ‘Sexiest Female’ award also swayed in favour of Corrie with nominations for Alison King (Carla Connor) and Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre) with competition from EastEnders’ Rita Simons (Roxy Mitchell) and Hollyoaks Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes McQueen).

     In ‘Villain Of The Year’, EastEnders heads the running with Charlie Brooks (Janine Molloy) and Don Gilet (Lucas Johnson) but they will have their work cut out with Kate Ford (Tracy Barlow) from Corrie, beating obvious candidate Graeme Hawley (John Stape) and Emmet J. Scanlan (Brendan Brady) from Hollyoaks.

     A strong field for ‘Best Actress’ features Corrie’s Katherine Kelly (Becky McDonald), Jessie Wallace from EastEnders (Kat Moon), Emmerdale’s Jane Cox (Lisa Dingle), who won honourable praise for her recent rape storyline and a surprise nod for Claire Cooper (Jacqui McQueen) from Hollyoaks.  In ‘Best Actor’, Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow) from Corrie and Shane Richie (Alfie Moon) from EastEnders will compete alongside popular figures Danny Miller and Emmet J. Scanlan.

     The remaining awards are determined by an expert panel.  They have made some questionable choices in the past but they believe they know they are doing.  One of the most anticipated awards will be for ‘Spectacular Scene of the Year.’  The clear favourite is Corrie’s Tram Crash with opposition from EastEnders’ Queen Vic Fire, Emmerdale for the extreme car crash that left Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock) paralyzed and Hollyoaks for its lift shaft stunt.  In ‘Best Single Episode,’ Corrie’s Live Episode is also the obvious choice with no rather stiff competition for it whilst the ‘Best Storyline’ is contested by Corrie for Kevin Webster’s (Michael Le Vell) affair with the late Molly Dobbs (Vicky Binns) which destroyed the closely-knitted Webster clan, Doctors for Karen’s abortion and Emmerdale hoping to cause an upset with Holly Barton’s (Sophie Powles) drug addiction.  Despite a national outcry, EastEnders’ Baby Swap storyline is nominated.  If it wins, many would expect outrage and fury from fans and media commentators alike.

OUTSIDER: Steph's Hollyoaks exit last November was a tearjerker

     For ‘Best Comedy Performance’, it’s a close call with the favourites being EastEnders Tameka Empson (Kim Fox) and Hollyoaks Alex Carter (Lee Hunter).  Despite not being put forward for Best Actress, Jane Danson (Leanne Barlow) is still preferred by many to win the ‘Best Dramatic Performance’ award.  She will be hard pushed by Danny Miller, his third nomination overall, Claire Cooper and EastEnders Lindsey Coulson (Carol Jackson).  The ‘Best Exit’ award will sometimes shed a tear or two, and this year is no exception with Corrie’s Bill Tarmey (Jack Duckworth), Emmerdale’s Andy Devine (Shadrach Dingle), EastEnders Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning) and Hollyoaks Carley Stenson (Steph Roach).  It isn’t surprising that Turner would be considered favourite but Stenson’s exit in November’s Il Gnosh fire was very well-handled and could be Hollyoaks best chance at success this year.

SNUB: Sophie and Sian's Corrie romance is popular, but not enough for an award

     One new award is for ‘Best Young Performance,’ a simple renaming of the dramatic performance for a young actor or actress.  The main contenders are all nominated, Corrie’s Alexander Bain (Simon Barlow), EastEnders Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher), Emmerdale’s Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle) and Hollyoaks Ellis Hollins (Tom Cunningham).  The real surprises come from the ‘Best On-Screen Partnership’ nominations.  Although well-known contenders Katherine Kelly & Simon Gregson, Jessie Wallace & Shane Ritchie and Emma Atkins & Jeff Hordley are in the running, it’s very surprising to see only one same-sex duo in the list, Kieron Richardson and Emmet J. Scanlan for Hollyoaks.  I emphasise that because the last year has seen a sharp rise in focusing on storylines with same-sex relationships.  So it’s very shocking that EastEnders Christian Clarke and Syed Masood (John Partridge & Marc Elliott), Emmerdale’s Danny Miller & Marc Silcock (Aaron Livesey & Jackson Walsh) and Corrie’s lesbian couple Brooke Vincent & Sacha Parkinson (Sophie Webster & Sian Powers) weren’t considered to be nominated considering all of their heightened popularity from viewers.

     Finally, the ‘Best Newcomer’ is also widely contested between four popular new faces.  Corrie’s Paula Lane (Kylie Turner), EastEnders Ricky Norwood (Fatboy Chubb), Emmerdale’s Pauline Quirke (Hazel Rhodes) and for Hollyoaks, you guessed it, Emmet J. Scanlan, five nominations for him.  To conclude, all five soaps are nominated for the viewer-voted ‘Best British Soap’ as usual and the ‘Special Achievement’ and ‘Lifetime Achievement’ will be unveiled on the night.  Although no clues have been given yet, the Lifetime honour is rumoured to go to Corrie again for either Bill Tarmey or William Roache (Ken Barlow), who has been in the soap since day one.  Once again, This Morning host Phillip Schofield presents the ceremony.

     In closing, this year’s awards are so close for contention.  Corrie, EastEnders and Emmerdale have nominations in every category, Hollyoaks managed to get more than many experts first predicted whilst Doctors only got two nominations, perhaps sealing that it will go away empty handed.

The ceremony takes place next Saturday and will be broadcast on ITV1 next Wednesday.  May the best soap win!

Soap's spectacular scenes of 2010/11

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IN A few months time, it will be the time of year again for the British Soap Awards.  This is when the stars of the nation’s biggest shows gather to see who the cream of the crop was in the last twelve months.  One of the most anticipated awards this year will be for ‘Spectacular Scene of the Year’ with each of the big four soaps having a big contender for the award.  I will now analyse all four of them in closer detail.  All that I will say is that one word keeps popping up in them.

EastEnders – The Queen Vic Burns

Date: 9 September 2010

The Build-Up

Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) is always someone never to mess with, as are any of the Mitchell’s.  He was left seething when mother Peggy (Barbara Windsor) gave away his daughter and swore revenge on her.  Before he did, he started drinking more heavily before succumbing to an addiction of crack cocaine.

The Disaster

Peggy soon took matters into her own hands, barricading Phil inside a locked room in the Queen Vic for him to go cold turkey.  He soon broke out and a furious confrontation with Peggy led to Phil striking a match.  Peggy called his bluff, believing he wouldn’t be able to do it, so Phil dropped a match and in a few ghastly seconds, the packed pub erupted into a blazing inferno.  Miraculously, everyone escaped before a huge explosion destroyed what was very little of it left.

The Aftermath

The Vic was reduced to shell; everything had been completely wiped out.  Depressed, Peggy left Albert Square, refusing to tell anyone where she was going and determined never to come back again.  Kat and Alfie Moon (Jessie Wallace & Shane Ritchie) soon returned to the Square and purchased the pub.  Within weeks, it was back to normal.

The Verdict

The scenes were literally breathtaking but it was a bitter disappointment to many that nobody perished in the explosion as rumours were hype that the fire would ultimately claim Peggy’s life.

Hollyoaks – The Il Gnosh Disaster

Date: 8 – 12 November 2010

The Build-Up

Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) may be ambitious in his Il Gnosh restaurant but over recent months, it had been facing financial ruin.  This was not helped by his ex, Mandy (Sarah Jayne-Dunn) returning with the help of Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) to destroy him.  Warren even gets Tony’s brother Dom (John Pickard) onto his side by offering him cash to burn the eatery down.

The Disaster

On bonfire night, a mysterious figure set light to the store room of the restaurant and it quickly spread to the flat upstairs.  Mercedes (Jennifer Metcalfe) and Malachy (Glen Wilson) are thrown to the ground by the resulting explosion.  Gilly (Anthony Quinlan) and Steph (Carley Stenson) run to the scene and Steph runs in to save Amy Barnes (Ashley Slainia-Davies) and her children Leah and Lucas.  Knowing that she is dying of cancer, Steph remains in the building as it burns whilst Malachy later dies in hospital.

The Aftermath

Amy left to receive treatment in Manchester on her injuries.  Mercedes soon got over Malachy’s death by getting into a love triangle whilst Kris (Gerard McCarthy) returned to mourn the loss of his brother.  Ravi Roy (Stephen Uppal) is found in Middlesbrough, having been suspected as a fatality in the fire and leaves to be with his parents, as his aneurysm has returned.  Eventually, Dom confessed to Tony that he set the fire off to destroy a laptop which Bart McQueen (Jonny Clarke) had told him had pictures of Amber (Lydia Lloyd-Henry).  Tony had previously accused Dom of getting Amber pregnant.  Despite Dom’s pleas to allow him to leave the village, Tony phones the police and watches on as his brother is led away for a long stint in jail.

The Verdict

This was no doubt a ploy by the soap to give it attention by falling ratings.  Nevertheless it was spectacular as they could have made it.

Coronation Street – The Tram Crash

Date: 6 December 2010

The Build-Up

This incident really came out of the blue but several situations were ongoing at the time.  Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) were making preparations to marry, against the wishes of her ex Nick Tilsley (Ben Price).  Molly Dobbs (Vicky Binns) was preparing to leave the Street and before leaving, dropped a bombshell on husband Tyrone (Alan Henshaw) that he wasn’t baby Jack’s dad and John Stape (Graeme Hawley) was determined not to have his murderous secret ousted.

The Disaster

Set on the night of Peter & Leanne’s stag and hen nights, Nick had the intention of revealing his and Leanne’s sordid affair in The Joinery bar.  Whilst Leanne and Ken Barlow (William Roache) were making their way over to the bar to try and stop him, a sudden explosion ripped through the building.  As shocked residents raced over to help the wounded, a tram suddenly derailed thanks to the viaduct being damaged in the blast and crashed onto the cobbles, wrecking the Corner Shop.  One of its carriages then smashed into The Kabin and sent the Peacock’s house up in flames.  Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold) and Molly were killed in the devastating events whilst Peter married Leanne in hospital before undergoing life-saving surgery.

The Aftermath

It may have been three months ago now but its effects are still being felt today.  Following Ashley’s death, his wife Claire (Julia Hallam) and her kids left the Street to start afresh abroad.  Meanwhile before she died, Molly confessed to Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor) about her and Kevin’s affair which was subsequently came out in public at Molly’s funeral.  Sally threw Kevin (Michael Le Vell) out of the Webster house.  Kevin soon became public enemy number one with everyone in Weatherfield. Finally, Leanne’s affair with Nick was also exposed with the aid of the returning Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) who told all to Peter and leading to Peter embarrassing the pair at a second wedding ceremony on Valentine’s Day.

The Verdict

This was quite simply some of the best scenes ever to grace soap.  I reckon it will still be talked about for years and even decades to come.

Emmerdale – The Arson Attack

Date: 13 January 2011

The Build-Up

The new police inspector Nick Henshall (Michael McKell) seemed to be charming and innocent but unknown to anyone, he had a criminal past.  The only person who was suspicious of him was Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher).  Then again, it was because Henshall was dating his ex, Katie (Sammy Winward).

The Disaster

Sure enough Andy was right as Henshall, dressed in black, committed the worst possible crime by setting fire to a rubbish bin outside Katie’s house and it soon spread out of control.  Andy and Carl King (Tom Lister) braved the flames to save Katie along with her housemates Gennie Walker (Sian Reese-Williams) and Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter).  The flames soon rushed along the row of neighbouring houses before eventually resting at Viv Hope’s flat.  Terry Woods (Billy Hartman) dived in to try and save Viv (Deena Payne) but fears arose when he took longer than expected.  When the downstairs Post Office Shop exploded in a fireball, Terry and Viv had no chance and their bodies were soon dragged out.

The Aftermath

Given his criminal past, it was no surprise that Andy was among the accused for starting the fire.  A successful frame from Henshall himself had him charged with the crime.  Later, Katie discovered documents surrounding Henshall’s ex-wife dying in similar circumstances.  Henshall came clean and confessed but not before taking her hostage for several hours before ending it all by shooting himself dead.

The Verdict

Emmerdale just loves a good disaster and this is no exception.  While it certainly wasn’t among the ranks of EastEnders or Corrie, it was still pretty impressive.

These are four spectacular scenes that have graced the screens of soap over recent months but the question is what the best was?  That will of course be decided by a panel of soap experts come the awards itself in May. 

Previous Explosive Soap Fires

As we prepare to say goodbye to the Queen Vic as we know it, it is time to look back at some of soap's biggest and fiery pub fires.  Tomorrow night, EastEnders will provide the latest drama in this long tale, but it won't be the first, nor the last.


EastEnders - The Queen Vic - 1992
Phil Mitchell sets fire to the Queen Vic tomorrow night, but he is sixteen years too late.  His brother Grant did it back in 1992, desperate to claim on the insurance.  However, his estranged wife Sharon was in the building at the time of the blaze.  Grant eventually went to jail for a while and Sharon ended up having an affair with Phil.  Now, that's brotherly love for you.....

Hollyoaks - The Dog in the Pond Explosion - 2006

Sam Owen had escaped from prison and wanted revenge on Sophie Burton for setting him up and putting him in jail.  When he kidnapped his sister Nicole and found out that his brother Russ was sleeping with Sophie, it got Sam even more angry.  So, he took a lighter and a can of petrol to The Dog in the Pond, when Russ was meant to be meeting Sophie.  After a tense struggle between Sam and Sophie, and a vain attempt from Calvin Valentine, the pub exploded in a bull of flame.  Sam, Sophie, Mel Burton and students Olivia Johnson and Joe Spencer lost their lives.  This explosion storyline was under the guidance of Bryan Kirkwood, now the producer of EastEnders.

NOTE: The music used is from the BBC America edition, 'Club Foot' by Kasabian was used on the Channel 4 edition.

Coronation Street - The Rovers Return - 1986

Coronation Street's famous bar, The Rovers Return is not totally extinct to fire.  In 1986, the pub went up in flames, after Jack Duckworth fitted a damaged fuse which only had the potential to cause a deadly explosion.  The quick reactions of Sally and Kevin Webster saved the life of landlady Bet Gilroy, who was sleeping upstairs at the time of the blaze.

Neighbours - Lou's Place - 2004

The 2004 season finale of Australian soap opera Neighbours proved to be one of the most dramatic in the show's established history.  A mysterious individual set fire to the storeroom at Lou's Place, which led to the whole Lassister's complex being set alight.  Max Hoyland was knocked unconscious, whilst Stu Parker and his girlfriend Cindi were trapped in the rubble of the collapsed pub.  Harold Bishop's coffee shop also went up in flames and the end marked the return of Erinsborough's golden bad boy, Paul Robinson.

Excellent Enders Storm The Soap Awards

      

On Wednesday night, ITV screened the annual 12^th British Soap Awards bash, held at BBC Television Centre on May 7^th.  The night was dominated by the stars of BBC’s EastEnders, which scooped a staggering ten awards, the highest for any soap in any given year.

EastEnders, celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year was a class above the rest from the competitors this year, Coronation Street, Doctors, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.  It scooped all of the key awards, including Best British Soap for a third consecutive year.  Its spectacular live episode, as part of the anniversary celebration in February, which featured Stacey Slater being revealed as Archie Mitchell’s killer was the clear winner of Best Single Episode.  Lacey Turner, who is leaving the show later in the year, scooped the double for Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance.  Also collected a duo of awards was Scott Maslen.  The former star of The Bill, who plays the dynamic Jack Branning won the Best Actor category and was voted Sexiest Male for the second consecutive year.  Charlie Clements, whose character Bradley Branning, fell to his shocking death in the live episode won Best Exit, holding off stiff competition from Jamie Lomas demise in Hollyoaks.  Finally, the evil Archie Mitchell, played by the distinguished Larry Lamb won Best Villain.

With EastEnders storming away with all the key awards, it left the rest fighting over the minor crumbs and comforts.  Like Hollyoaks last year, Emmerdale was nominated in every single category, yet failed to pick up an award.  That was apart from established writer Bill Lyons, who won the Special Achievement Award.  Lyons has been part of the writing team since 1984, and was behind the brains of the dramatic Emmerdale Plane Crash storyline in December 1993, which turned the show’s fortunes around.  For the second consecutive year, Hollyoaks had a tough time of things, as their domination of the 2008 ceremony seems a distant memory.  However, they did win the Most Spectacular Scene award, for the parachute skydiving stunt during its Hollyoaks Later show last October and saw Sarah Barnes (Loui Batley) plunge to her death. 

BBC daytime show Doctors did well again, collecting two awards, for Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor/Actress and Best On-Screen Partnership, which left Coronation Street, normally a traditional frontrunner with a tame three winners.  Michelle Keegan won Sexiest Female and there was a deserved Lifetime Achievement Award for Betty Driver, who is famous for Betty’s hotpots in the Rovers Return.  The most emotional part of the how evening was the fitting tribute to the dearly missed Maggie Jones.  Maggie, who played the hilarious Blanche Hunt, Deirdre Barlow’s mum in Coronation Street passed away last Christmas.  As the VT finished of her video tribute, the whole auditorium stood up in appreciation and applause, with many tears shed for a fantastic icon of Weatherfield.

However, the night firmly belonged as expected to EastEnders.  The other soaps have a lot to do over the next twelve months, to avoid this kind of whitewash from the Walford stars again.   

   

Theresa Pulls The Trigger - Calvin's Killer Is Finally Revealed

Push came to shove and once again, a TV show has produced the total unpredictable when it comes to solving the famous ‘Whodunit!’ mysteries.  Tonight (or last night, if you watched First Look on E4) saw Hollyoaks conclude their latest storyline, which saw the ex-bent copper, Calvin Valentine murdered on his wedding day.

Valentine, played by Ricky Whittle, has been jerking everyone off of recent, which meant he has as many suspects who wanted to do away with him, as a typical ASDA shopping list.  

As he enjoyed his first dance with his new wife, Carmel, the unidentified assailant shoots Calvin down to an expected demise, though shock death in Carmel’s eyes.  After months of speculation and intrigue as the big day approached, as a ‘Flash-forward’ episode was shown before Christmas, tonight the identity of the killer was revealed as the gorgeous Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter).

Other suspects had their motives, stronger than Theresa’s.  Jake Dean for a chequered history with Calvin, stringing back four years and Jacqui McQueen after finding out the kind of person Calvin was on his wedding day.  Sasha Valentine has a stronger motive than many, having discovered that her brother had left her lover, Warren Fox to die in the Loft explosion last May.  Of course, Malachy Fisher has a big incentive, as he had known for months about Calvin’s steamy affair with his cheating wife, Mercedes.  However, all these would probably have ended up being too obvious, and a weak reputation, possibly to do with biological genes, or character personality.

However, Theresa is made of stronger stuff, as she now proven by pulling the trigger and giving Carmel (Gemma Merna) the most unpleasant wedding present of all-time.  Viewers may have seen Theresa and Calvin enjoy a passionate night in The Loft before Easter.  In this cliffhanging episode, Calvin meets Theresa in the nail salon, Evissa, where she confesses to him that she is pregnant, with his baby.  Unsurprisingly, Calvin doesn’t take the news very well, and offers Theresa money to abort the baby, which makes her very angry.  When Carmel comes into the salon, and starts interrogating the pair, Theresa reveals her pregnancy, but Calvin covers up who the father is, saying it was ‘a random stranger she met at a club.’  The final curtain is when Theresa finds out from Mercedes that she had an affair with Calvin. 

As Calvin and Carmel dance the night away, infront of many angry wedding guests, the gun which Malachy had been carrying almost goes on a pass-the-parcel routine.  Just when Mercedes considers doing away with her former lover, Theresa snatches the gun out of her hand and almost instantly pulls it, with a stunned Mercedes and Jacqui by her side. 

The repercussions for this story are set to be huge.  The McQueen family is what is keeping Hollyoaks alive, after too many far-fetched storylines of recent months.  Fortunately, new executive producer Paul Marquess has kept the family together, so there are no plans for this crazy bunch to be among the 10-15 characters that have already been given the chop by Marquess.  So, expect a lot more secrets, lies and deceit from the McQueen sisters, and Theresa now has a dark secret to hide.  I wouldn’t want to be her when Carmel eventually discovers the truth.

As for Ricky Whittle, his death marks the end of four years on the Channel 4 show.  Last year’s Strictly Come Dancing runner-up has the potential to go many places now his Hollyoaks career is over.  Calvin may have gone, but Ricky hasn’t for sure.  Like Gemma Atkinson, Gary Lucy, Elize du Toit, Chris Fountain and Darren Jefferies before him, he should be able to carve out a very successful acting career for the future….

Always expect the unexpected…..

Hollyoaks - The Conclusion Is Drawing Near To Who Shot Calvin Valentine!

This Friday, Channel 4’s teen soap drama, Hollyoaks will reveal the mystery assailant behind the shooting of former copper, Calvin Valentine.  Starting this week, the conclusion to this dramatic storyline reaches its conclusion, as Calvin gets ready to marry the love of his life, Carmel McQueen for the second time.  However, although the wedding ceremony goes ahead without a hitch, Calvin’s ‘Till death do us part’ vows come sooner than expected, when he is shot during his first dance in marriage.

Valentine, played by 2009 Strictly Come Dancing runner-up, Ricky Whittle has a long line of suspects, all vying for his blood for various reasons.  Regular viewers of the show will have seen UK soap’s first ever flash-forward episode on Monday 21^st December 2009, when Calvin was gunned down in this episode.  However, his murderer remains in the closet, until this Friday.  The December episode was show then, rather than the traditional May 2010 slot and was thought of by ex-executive producer of the show, Lucy Allan.  It is probably her high point of a rocky year for the Chester-based drama, which has plummeted in award gatherings and TV ratings since Bryan Kirkwood’s departure from Lime Pictures last year.  For five months, the storyline has unravelled as Calvin’s suspects have been getting bigger and bigger, with larger grudges to settle than ever before.  And there is a major list of people who could pull the trigger on the former good lad of the show, now turned the villain of the piece.  

Here are some of the possible frontrunners.

Malachy Fisher – Back in December, Malachy caught Calvin sleeping with his wife, Mercedes Fisher.  Their marriage may be on the rocks, but Malachy has kept this secret to himself for months, and now, as Calvin’s best man at the wedding, will he reveal all or gun down his rival to keep a grip on his failing marriage.

Mercedes Fisher – Mercedes is hurting with rage and fury.  She doesn’t know that Malachy has this secret, and has been playing with fire for months.  For someone who saw her first marriage, to Russ Owen end in 2007 under similar circumstances, you would have thought she would have learnt her lesson.  She wants Calvin badly, but Calvin insists their fling was no more than fun, and is hell-bent on marrying Carmel.  Can Mercedes stand back and let her sister marry a cheat?

Jake Dean – Jake Dean and Calvin Valentine have a chequered history, stretching back as far as 2006, when Jake killed Calvin’s mum in a hit-and-run incident.  Calvin may have saved Jake in the Dog in the Pond Explosion that same year, but their past has never been forgotten.  When Holly Cunningham went missing earlier this year, Jake was accused of snatching her and Calvin took great pleasure in dismissing him from his job at The Loft nightclub.  Now Jake is out to settle the score.  With actor Kevin Sacre leaving the show, he must be a leading frontrunner. 

Spencer Fox – The illiterate Spencer Fox trusted Calvin, but his poor heart was ripped to pieces, when first Calvin shopped him into the cops for his role in Holly’s disappearance, then Calvin’s role in his brother’s death, was revealed.  Due to his disabilities, there is no doubt that Spencer could handle a murder weapon without understanding the full consequences of his actions.

Lauren Valentine – Lauren’s criminal boyfriend, Gaz Bennett was recently put in jail.  Now, Lauren wants revenge and she won’t let family loyalty getting in the way for Gaz’s downfall.  However, I would have to say, she would be a distant outsider.

Sasha Valentine – Sasha Valentine has a very strong motive for doing the deed on her brother.  Not only did Calvin despise her relationship with the former bad lad of the village, Warren Fox, she found out that Calvin left Warren to die on this week in May 2009, when Claire Cunningham blew up The Loft nightclub.  Sasha has never forgiven Calvin for his actions on that fateful night, and like Lauren, she will not care whether Calvin’s related or not.

Kris Fisher – Like Kevin Sacre, Gerard McCarthy who plays the Irish cross-dresser is leaving the show in the coming months, which might make him a frontrunner.  Kris also caught Mercedes sleeping with Calvin ages ago, and is annoyed that his brother, Malachy seems willing to let Calvin and Mercedes getaway with their affair.  So, will he carry out the deed, to protect his brother from more hurt and turmoil?

Jacqui McQueen – Jacqui is stunned to the core when Mercedes reveals her fling with Calvin to her on the day of the wedding.  Suddenly, Jacqui’s mood has changed and a confrontation with Calvin only spices up her blood.  Plus, she is seen with the gun that Calvin bought to protect himself from anonymous death threats.  Similar to Mercedes, will she step aside and allow Carmel to marry a love rat?  After all, the McQueen sisters stick together, through thick and thin.

Theresa McQueen – Theresa was another McQueen sister to experiment with Calvin’s underwear, when they had a night of passion in the nightclub only one month ago.  Calvin insisted it was a one-off, and Theresa is hurting, because she has her eyes on Calvin.  Can she stand back and see Calvin marry someone else, who is biologically related and not her.

The Rest – Well, Tony Hutchinson could pull the trigger, due to his conditional love for Theresa.  Then there’s Zak Ramsay, who is lost and confused with everything in his life, following the tragic death of his brother, Caleb in Afghanistan.  I wouldn’t trust Darren Osbourne near a weapon too; he has a colourful history with almost every villain in the village.  Long shots may even include the likes of Leo Valentine, India Langsford, Rhys Ashworth, Myra McQueen, or even little Tom Cunningham.

Personally, these sorts of mysteries never seem to be the obvious suspect, so don’t be surprised to see it be an unlikely assailant.  If you wanted me to put my money on, I would back either Jake Dean or Kris Fisher, but it could be anyone?

Everybody is a suspect!  Don’t miss the drama of Hollyoaks, this Friday at 6.30pm on Channel 4.

British Soap Awards 2010 - The Nominations

Soap's biggest TV night of the year is coming very soon, with the announcement today of the nominations for the annual bash, The British Soap Awards.  The forces of EastEnders, Emmerdale, Doctors, Hollyoaks and Coronation Street will lock horns once again, to see which soap the public has voted the creme of the crop in the past twelve months.


Below are all the nominations for the nine panel-based categories.  The Best Actor, Best Actresses, Sexiest Male, Sexiest Female and Villian of the Year will be announced on the night (The public have been voting on these awards since February)

Best Comedy Performance

Craig Gazey (Graeme Proctor, Coronation Street)

Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood, EastEnders)

Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk, Emmerdale)

Bronagh Waugh (Cheryl Brady, Hollyoaks)

 

Best Dramatic Performance

Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow, Coronation Street)

Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning, EastEnders)

Danny Miller (Aaron Livesy, Emmerdale)

Glen Wallace (Malachy Fisher, Hollyoaks)

 

Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actrees

Alexander Bain (Simon Barlow, Coronation Street)

Ami Metcalf (Sapphire Cox, Doctors)

Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher, EastEnders)

Oscar Lloyd (Will Wylde, Emmerdale)

 

Best Exit

Reece Dinsdale (Joe McIntyre, Coronation Street)

Charlie Clements (Bradley Branning, EastEnders)

Maxwell Caulfield (Mark Wylde, Emmerdale)

Jamie Lomas (Warren Fox, Hollyoaks)

 

Best Newcomer

Sophie Abelson (Cherry Malone, Doctors)

Marc Elliott (Syed Masood, EastEnders)

Lyndon Ogbourne (Nathan Wylde, Emmerdale)

Bronagh Waugh (Cheryl Brady, Hollyoaks)

 

Best On-Screen Partnership

Katherine Kelly & Simon Gregson (Becky & Steve McDonald, Coronation Street)

Jan Pearson & Chris Walker (Karen & Rob Hollins, Doctors)

Sid Owen & Patsy Palmer (Ricky & Bianca Butcher, EastEnders)

Nick Miles & Nicola Wheeler (Jimmy King & Nicola De Souza, Emmerdale)

 

Best Storyline

Peter's Alcohol Addiction (Coronation Street)

Zara's Revenge (Doctors)

Who Killed Archie Mitchell? (EastEnders)

Aaron's Sexuality (Emmerdale)

 

Spectacular Scene of the Year

Joe Drowns To His Death (Coronation Street)

The Siege (Doctors)

A Car Crashes Through Home Farm Shop (Emmerdale)

Skydiving Disaster/Sarah Plummets To Her Death (Hollyoaks)

 

Best Single Episode

Peter's Drinking Gets Out Of Control (Coronation Street)

'Master Of The Universe' - The Siege (Doctors)

The Live Episode/Archie's Killer Is Revealed (EastEnders)

Aaron Confesses That He Is Gay (Emmerdale)

 

Best British Soap (voted by the viewers)

Coronation Street

Doctors

EastEnders

Emmerdale

Hollyoaks

 

Despite a barrage of criticism from many, it is to many surprise that Emmerdale has the honour this year of earning a nomination in each panel-based category.  It doesn't guarantee success though, as Hollyoaks found out last year, when they had similar treatment, but walked away empty-handed.  Emmerdale has 9 nominations, Coronation Street and EastEnders have been nominated for 8, with daytime soap Doctors scooping 6 nominations and Hollyoaks a disappointing 5.

The awards ceremony will be on Saturday night at BBC Television Centre and will be hosted by This Morning anchorman Phillip Schofield.  The ceremony will be broadcast on ITV1 on Wednesday 19th May, a week later than planned, due to Fulham's involvement in the UEFA Europa League final.

Best of luck to everyone who has been nominated!

Hollyoaks - Drastic Changes Taking Place, Is It On The Slide Already Though!

This week, new Hollyoaks producer Paul Marquess has really being stamping his authority on the Channel 4 soap, but is it too late already.  The soap drama has already been on the decline for a good while now, and many will see this latest move as an act of pure desperation…

Marquess’s previous work includes Brookside, The Bill and Footballers Wives and on each occasion, he has been known to produce a dramatic overhaul of each show, with varying fortunes.  The cast members of Hollyoaks must have been trembling with fear in recent weeks, fearing for their future and now for many, that niggling thought is now a horrific reality.  Marquess claims that the show needed ‘a decent shake-up,’ and that is no disgrace, because realistically, it does.  However, his claims that loads of contracts up for renewal haven’t been renewed sound a tad far-fetched.  To axe 17 members in quick succession sounds really mad.  For many Hollyoaks fans, there will be plenty of tears to be shared over the coming months.

Already this year, fans have said very tameful and undramatic goodbyes to Mike Barnes (Tony Hirst), Zoe Carpenter (Zoe Lister) and Hannah Ashworth (Emma Rigby).  Hollyoaks has suffered massively from the loss of iconic actors/actresses such as Chris Fountain, Matt Littler, Gemma Bissix, Roxanne McKee and Darren Jefferies.  The core of the show has been ripped apart in the last two years, as many have wanted to pursue their careers elsewhere, which is understandable.  However, the replacements have not been up to scratch.  Combine that with producer Bryan Kirkwood’s departure after The Loft Fire last May, in which Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) was killed and the show has lacked the stability and inspiration to be driven forward since then.  Lucy Allan’s Kirkwood’s long-term deputy stepped into the breach, but most storylines have been unrealistic and dire.  Hollyoaks non-linear week last September which saw bad boy Gaz Bennett attacked was so dismal and although the Flash-forward episode last Christmas was a success, there hasn’t been enough to convince everyone that Hollyoaks has been able to continue in the right direction. 

Strictly Come Dancing runner-up Ricky Whittle, a.k.a Calvin Valentine has already quit.  He was the victim of the Flash-forward episode, as his character was shot on his wedding day.  Gerard McCarthy, who plays the cross-dressing Kris Fisher is also set to leave, and rekindle his love with the West End.  The others who have had their contracts terminated are the following:

Neville Ashworth (Jim Millea)

Suzanne Ashworth (Suzanne Hall)

Josh Ashworth (Sonny Flood)

Sasha Valentine (Natalie Emmanuel)

Leo Valentine (Brian Bovell)

Lauren Valentine (Dominique Jackson)

Loretta Jones (Melissa Walton)

Jake Dean (Kevin Sacre)

Newt (Nico Mirallengro)

Zak Ramsay (Kent Riley)

Spencer Gray (Darren Langford)

Dave Colburn (Elliot James Langridge)

Des Townsend (Kris Deedigan)

However, the plus point is that the phenomenal McQueen family remain untouched and Marquess has already promised at least two new families to enter the show, with the promise they will add to the show’s supposed strong core.  It’s a brave new world out there, but this move seems to be just desperate.  Can Hollyoaks stay strong or go into total obscurity, the next year is crucial to see if this gambled transformation actually works?