The week’s biggest soaps news
Watch: Emmerdale Soap Scoop! Tom goes on trial
In this week’s biggest soaps news, Emmerdale teased two big returns for this year’s Christmas episodes.
Elsewhere, Coronation Street released first-look images for Gail Rodwell’s exit episode, and EastEnders promised a New Year that Walford will never forget.
Did you miss any gossip this week? Don’t worry, as here’s our regular Sunday guide to the biggest headlines from the past 7 days.
Jump to:
- Emmerdale return for Piper
- Emmerdale to reveal Kim’s enemy
- Coronation Street’s Gail sees Richard again?
- EastEnders’ dramatic New Year wedding
- Neighbours return for Chelsea Murphy
- Casualty’s Christmas episode
- Waterloo Road return for Jason Merrells
- Hollyoaks’ New Year story revealed
Emmerdale return for Piper
Forget the tears and tantrums which usually occur in a soap Christmas special – the biggest headline news of the week was surely the confirmation that Piper the dog will be back on Emmerdale this festive season.
In the fallout from Tom’s trial, Belle starts to suspect that Piper’s supposed “death” wasn’t entirely genuine. Before long, Vinny and Gabby are on the case and manage to track down Piper, who has been living with new owners after Tom secretly gave her away.
The heartwarming scenes air on Christmas Day and will hopefully open up a positive new chapter for Belle after her year-long ordeal with evil Tom.
Emmerdale to reveal Kim’s enemy
Piper may not be the only Emmerdale character making a shock appearance on Christmas Day. This week’s episodes saw scheming financial advisor Peter inform Will that a mysterious third party will be calling the shots in their attempts to bring down Kim.
Clearly fond of raising dramatic tension, Peter refused to give away the identity of the person in question but promised that all would become clear at Christmas.
Peter told Will: “It would be worth you trusting this other man. There could be a much bigger prize for all parties. He’s out of the country until Christmas Eve, that’s why we have to wait.”
Coronation Street’s Gail sees Richard again?
Coronation Street fans were stunned last weekend when tabloid reports revealed that the ghost of Richard Hillman could appear as part of Gail Rodwell’s exit episodes.
Although show bosses haven’t confirmed the rumours, they did release a telling spoiler picture this week showing Gail looking suitably startled by a “surprise visitor” as she drifts in and out of sleep on the sofa on Christmas Eve.
The drama comes just as Gail is wondering whether it’s the right move to marry Jesse following her family’s disapproval, as well as some surprising revelations over the secrets he’s keeping from her.
Could the ghost of Tricky Dicky give Gail some clarity over her dilemma? Stranger things have happened during Gail’s 50 years in Weatherfield…
EastEnders’ dramatic New Year wedding
Suki and Eve are determined that their happy ceremony should take place as planned, despite the possible threat posed by Nish. Unfortunately, with Nish lurking nearby in Walford and even getting dressed up for the occasion, he clearly plans to make an appearance.
As terminally-ill Nish has nothing left to lose, how far will he go to get revenge?
Balvinder Sopal, who plays Suki, recently teased: “There’s always a lot of drama. The Panesars were born into drama! Drama follows them everywhere, so yes in true EastEnders, Walford style, you can expect the Panesars to bring a whole load of high-intensity drama.”
Neighbours return for Chelsea Murphy
Neighbours has run continuously since being revived by Amazon in September 2023, but after 15 months of Ramsay Street drama, it’s time for a break.
The Aussie soap will go off air for two weeks from Thursday, December 19 until Monday, January 6 – finishing the year with some big cliffhangers.
As well as a dramatic road collision outside Grease Monkeys, fans can expect ruthless Chelsea Murphy to reappear when she arrives back in Melbourne and is visibly pregnant. Is her ex-fiancé Paul in for a big surprise?
BBC
Casualty will soon air its first Christmas episode since 2019, titled ‘All I Want For Christmas’.
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The episode is set on Christmas Day as the ED experiences an emergency blood shortage. Real-life testimonies are included from people who have been impacted by blood donation in the UK, as well as key workers involved in the blood service.
Digital Spy caught up with Elinor Lawless (Stevie Nash), Michael Stevenson (Iain Dean), Melanie Hill (Siobhan McKenzie), Charles Venn (Jacob Masters) and Barney Walsh (Cam Mickelthwaite) ahead of the episode, which airs on December 21.
Read the full interview: Casualty stars confirm heartbreak in “beautiful” Christmas special
Waterloo Road return for Jason Merrells
BBC
Waterloo Road this week released further details about its next series, which will hit screens in February.
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Jason Merrells has filmed a return appearance as former headteacher Jack Rimmer, who was last seen on the show in 2008.
“Jack Rimmer was probably my favourite long-running character I’ve played on television, and going back for this new incarnation to tell this story of who Jack has become over the intervening years has been an absolute pleasure,” Jason said this week.
“It’s a different building, but the same ethos, drama, humour, and integrity are still in place, it felt like coming home.”
Lime Pictures
The Hutchinson family will play a central role in Hollyoaks‘ New Year episodes as Ro’s alcohol storyline comes to a head.
Ro suffers a worrying collapse in his bedroom after drinking heavily without his father Tony’s knowledge.
The incident leaves Diane feeling guilty, as she has covered up Ro’s problems in order to make Tony believe that she’s the one struggling with alcohol issues.
Diane’s bid for sympathy has clearly backfired badly, but how will this affect the family dynamic moving forward?
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