There’s no shortage of drama at this year’s Inside Soap Awards, as Coronation Street nearly sweep the board – scooping seven trophies, including ‘Best Soap’.
A host of cast members connected to Coronation Street’s dramatic ‘hate crime’ storyline – which saw the death of character Seb Franklin – are rewarded for their performances: including ‘Best Actor’ David Neilson (Roy Cropper) and ‘Best Actress’ Sally Carman (Abi Webster).
Inside Soap editor Gary Gillatt said: “The 36th annual Inside Soap Awards are dominated not so much by one soap as a single storyline: the hate crime attack on Coronation Street’s Seb and Nina, and the ripple effect it had on their families and community. It’s the kind of intimate story – taking us close to an all-too-real tragedy – that packs a punch, delivered by the most talented and popular actors working in Britain today.”
Coronation Street worked closely with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation on the hate crime storyline, seeking to explore social intolerance and prejudice often suffered by people from stigmatized social groups.
The winners
BEST ACTRESS
Sally Carman
Abi Webster, Coronation Street
“This is ace. I’m just so happy to be getting these storylines – and to be recognised for doing a good job is the best feeling. The writing of the storyline was so beautiful, so it was an honour to be asked to deliver those words. The great thing about Corrie is that it feels like a different job one month to the next. One minute I’m filming in Kevin’s house, the next I’m in a film studio submerged in a sinkhole with a gun in my hand. Then I’m doing a scene with Dame Maureen Lipman. It’s just phenomenal to be paid to do this – so awards are a bonus!”
BEST ACTOR
David Nielson
Roy Cropper, Coronation Street
“It’s lovely for me and Mollie that idiosyncratic characters such as Roy and Nina appeal so much to viewers. They can be seen as eccentric, but they are valued and loved – and that’s wonderful.”
BEST NEWCOMER
Jude Riordan
Sam Blakeman, Coronation Street
BEST VILLAIN
Paige Sandhu
Meena Jutla, Emmerdale
“I’m glad the audience approve of Meena’s villainousness, and she’s taken the crown. Playing a villain is so much fun, and Meena’s so unpredictable – I love it! I don’t mind being called ‘Best Villain’ because, to be fair, Meena is awful! Every time I open my new script, I’m like, ‘She does WHAT?’ The writing team always shock me with what they’ve got in store next.”
FUNNIEST PERFORMANCE
Maureen Lipman
Evelyn Plummer, Coronation Street
“It’s wonderful to be funny in this day and age – and I’m as pleased as if I was 19. To come in at 75 years old and be named Best Newcomer in 2019 and now the funniest person in soap – it’s really, really nice. I think people wish they could say the sort of things Evelyn says, because most of us spend our lives holding our tongues!”
BEST PARTNERSHIP
Mollie Gallagher & David Neilson
Nina Lucas & Roy Cropper, Coronation Street
BEST FAMILY
The Dingles
Emmerdale
BEST STORYLINE
Nina and Seb’s Hate Crime Horror
Coronation Street
FEEL-GOOD MOMENT
Ben and Callum’s Wedding
EastEnders
“In a year that’s been so utterly atrocious for so many people, it’s nice to be accredited for something positive. And the wedding episode was certainly one that we put so much into. That was the first cohort that Tony and I have been a part of, and it gave us a chance to really act again together. It was lovely.”
BEST DRAMA STAR
Rosie Marcel
Jac Naylor, Holby City
BEST DAYTIME STAR
April Rose Pengilly
Chloe Brennan, Neighbours
BEST DAYTIME SOAP
Neighbours
BEST SOAP
Coronation Street
- Due to ongoing Covid restrictions required for TV production, full coverage of the Inside Soap Awards 2021 can be found in this week’s edition of Inside Soap magazine, including interviews with all the winners. The traditional presentation ceremony will return in 2022.
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