Coronation Street baby row, EastEnders special and Hollyoaks return – the week’s biggest soaps news
All of the week's major stories.
We’ve seen another busy week of soaps news, with Coronation Street facing a backlash over a leaked spoiler, EastEnders making an intriguing schedule change, and Hollyoaks confirming all the latest cast updates in a dramatic new trailer.
Did you miss any gossip? Don’t worry, here’s our round-up of the biggest soaps news which came our way this week – and our reaction to the major headlines.
Coronation Street’s baby plot backlash
Leaked storyline spoilers often pass by without much comment, but Coronation Street‘s latest plot bombshell has seen the soap facing significant criticism from fans online.
Reports have revealed that Toyah Battersby’s traumatic past will be revisited in the coming weeks, as viewers discover that she became pregnant after being raped by Phil Simmonds in 2001.
The new story is expected to reveal that Toyah’s baby was stillborn and she buried the child in a park, leading to emotional scenes in the present day when she finds out the land is due to be dug up.
It’s usually wise to see how a story plays out on screen before making a final judgement, but Corrie fans have certainly raised some valid questions about how this plot will fit in with established continuity.
Toyah was present on screen at the time these events would have happened (which are fresh in the memory of many viewers after featuring on ITV3’s classic airings not so long ago) and there was never any hint of such a storyline.
Former cast member Vicky Entwistle, who played Toyah’s mum Janice Battersby, also waded in on Twitter/X by openly criticising the show’s plans.
It’s a timely reminder that, while soap fans appreciate nods to the past and characters’ histories being revisited, ‘retcons’ which appear to rewrite history can often be controversial.
Although unrelated, Coronation Street bosses also released a statement defending the soap this week after separate criticism from former cast and fans over current dark storylines. It’s fair to say it’s been a week the show would probably rather forget…
Comings and goings in Coronation Street
It isn’t just the Toyah storyline hitting the headlines for Corrie this week. The show has also just confirmed that Kimberly Hart-Simpson is returning to her role as Nicky Wheatley.
Daniel Osbourne tracks down Nicky this month in the hope that she can help solve the mystery of Lauren Bolton’s disappearance.
Kimberly recently said: “It’s been four years since we first met Nicky and it is once again a pleasure to be back on the cobbles. Stories surrounding women within the sex industry have often been forgotten, shamed or unspoken.
“But not at Coronation Street, they respectfully explore the world these women live in, the impact it has on the community and at some points dangers attached to the work.
“The story of Lauren Bolton has allowed the safety of other characters to come forward such as Cassie but unfortunately led to the devastating effects of conspiracy theories by other folk. Nicky has fought against all stereotypes and I am looking forward to the audience finding out who and where she is today.”
Meanwhile, former Hollyoaks star Gemma Merna confirmed that she’ll be making a guest appearance this month as Rebecca, a new love interest for Adam Barlow, although the character isn’t expected to stay on beyond this.
Elsewhere, Tracy Barlow made a surprise departure from Weatherfield to pursue a new life in Spain with Tommy Orpington – the show is keeping tight-lipped on whether we can expect to see her again anytime soon.
EastEnders’ hour-long special
Soap schedule changes usually mean our favourite shows making way for live sports coverage, but the latest EastEnders update has created a bit more intrigue than usual.
BBC One has scheduled in a rare hour-long EastEnders special for Wednesday, April 17. Curiously, a repeat of Garden Rescue has been scheduled into EastEnders‘ usual 7.30pm slot the following day on Thursday, April 18.
This seems to suggest that an hour-long episode is a deliberate editorial choice, rather than EastEnders being shunted around the schedules in favour of something else.
The short synopsis for the episode reads: “A shocked Jay realises he needs to tell his family some news, the Beales gather to remember Lucy, the fundraiser event takes a dark turn, and Elaine supports a friend in need.”
The Lucy scenes air on the 10th anniversary of her death, while the fundraiser refers to Yolande Trueman’s charity efforts with the church community group.
Louis Emerick joins Hollyoaks
On Tuesday, Digital Spy excitedly broke the news that former Brookside star Louis Emerick is joining the cast of Hollyoaks as Vicky and Andre’s dad Donny Clark.
Fans can look forward to seeing Donny make his first appearance in Monday’s episode (April 8) on Channel 4 streaming or wait until Tuesday (April 9) when the episode airs on E4.
Louis, best known for playing Brookie‘s Mick Johnson, told Digital Spy: “Donny is coming back to see his son and it collides with his daughter’s birthday, which is very emotional as it’s the first time he has met her.”
We also enjoyed a more in-depth chat with Louis about future storyline developments, which can be found right here.
Hollyoaks brings back Robbie Roscoe
Donny’s arrival wasn’t the only big Hollyoaks casting news this week. The show’s spring trailer featured an exclusive scene showing Charlie Wernham back in his role as Robbie Roscoe, who’ll be in cahoots with Hannah Ashworth in a future scam storyline.
Robbie was our favourite member of the Roscoe family back in the day and Charlie Wernham was always brilliant in the role, so we’re excited to see him back.
Hollyoaks seemed to shy away from bringing back familiar faces over the past few years, but this problem seems to have been quickly rectified since Hannah Cheers took over as executive producer late last year. Tamara Wall is also reprising her role as fan favourite Grace Black this spring.
EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale characters behind bars
It’s been a busy week for updates on characters who aren’t currently in their soap following brushes with the law.
EastEnders spoilers revealed that a six-year sentence will be confirmed for Ben Mitchell next week, which seems to close the door on speculation over an immediate recast.
Not to be outdone in the “bad boys behind bars” department, Coronation Street also released spoilers announcing a six-year sentence for Damon Hay. We wonder who’ll be let out for good behaviour first?
Over on Emmerdale, there was a strange mention this week of how Angelica King is currently causing havoc at the Secure Children’s Home, despite being terrified when she was hauled off to face justice a few weeks ago. If the soaps keep this up, we may need a prison spin-off to see how everyone’s getting on.
Drama Queens is on the way
ITVBe’s new soap-focused reality show Drama Queens launches next Wednesday (April 10). The fly-on-the-wall series follows some of the best-known female soap stars, including Lucy Fallon, Rita Simons, Laura Norton, Amy Walsh and Jamelia.
All of the cast involved have been giving interviews all week and we’ve published updates on Amy filming the show with real-life husband Toby-Alexander Smith, a possible engagement for Lucy, and a first tease of Jamelia’s surprise Hollyoaks exit.
Drama Queens airs for eight hour-long episodes each Wednesday and it’s sure to be a perfect companion show for anyone who loves their soaps.
Haz’s hacking drama in Neighbours
Neighbours is upping its game each and every week at the moment and is well worth another look if you’ve been missing any of the action on the show’s new home on Amazon Freevee.
Our favourite story at the moment? The deep fake hacking drama which has plagued Ramsay Street, with Aaron receiving a call supposedly from his late husband David, and Jane being humiliated by a doctored video.
New spoilers have revealed that the drama hots up next week, as Holly becomes Haz Devkar’s next target and the café owner’s scandalous secrets are finally exposed.
Home and Away’s baby drama
Home and Away aired some of its most dramatic scenes for a while at Australian pace this week, as Tane Parata went missing with a baby girl he’d grown attached to after finding her abandoned on the beach.
The serious repercussions of Tane’s decision brought in several characters, leading to some standout scenes involving Rose Delaney, Mali Hudson, Mackenzie Booth, Harper Matheson and Dana Matheson.
