After a year’s hiatus, the British Soap Awards are back to celebrate the country’s most beloved soaps and their stars.

The ceremony itself will take place this June and will be hosted by Jane McDonald, with awards on the night being presented by a slew of well-known faces from the world of TV.

The categories have been split into those that viewers can vote on themselves (which are now open) and panel judged nominations, which include the awards for Best On-Screen Partnership, Best Storyline, Best Newcomer, Scene of the Year and more.

In the category of Best Newcomer are Jacob Roberts (Kit Green) Coronation Street,  Shebz Miah (Kammy Hadiq) Emmerdale,  Isabelle Smith (Frankie Osborne) Hollyoaks, and Laura Doddington (Nicola Mitchell) EastEnders. 

Alex Priestly Talent is proud to represent three of the four nominees.

The first episode of the new Lonesome Pine productions miniseries aired on Monday evening (April 14) and delved into the gritty neighbourhood drama storyline. 

With a talented cast including Jill Halfpenny as Emma Barnett, Gavin & Stacey’s Larry Lamb as Terry and Downtown Abbey’s Amy Nuttall as Sonia and our very own Megan Trower as Beth Barnett, it is set to impress viewers. 

The Feud follows couple, Emma and John Barnett, who seemingly live a peaceful life with their neighbours. However, this all changes when Emma and John decide to add a kitchen extension to their house, which causes a lot of tension.

So far, the series has received many positive verdicts from fans including one who posted on X: ‘I rather enjoyed the first episode. Good cast of dodgy characters and a brisk pace. The flashforward opener was a great hook.’ 

Episode two will air on Channel 5 the same timeslot on Tuesday, April 15 with the third following on Wednesday, April 16.

After that, the remaining three episodes will air in the same Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday pattern the following week.

The BBC has announced their new show ‘Just Act Normal’, from award-winning writer Janice Okoh (Sanditon, Hetty Feather). The six-part series is based on Janice’s play Three Birds, winner of the prestigious Bruntwood Playwriting Prize, and is made for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three by The Forge Entertainment (The Buccaneers, Help, Ackley Bridge), a Banijay UK Company. 

Set in Birmingham and filmed across the West Midlands, Just Act Normal, focuses on when mum to Tiana, Tionne, and Tanika disappears and they fight to hide the truth from the outside world in order to stay together as a family. As Tiana struggles to keep their regular lives afloat, Tionne displaces his grief and Tanika tries to convince her teacher to adopt them, chaos erupts when their mum’s hapless drug dealer, Dr Feelgood, moves in.

The series is an irreverent portrait of black working-class teenage life. A coming-of-age story of sorts. The first times, the f*ck-ups, and the excruciating desire to be more grown up than you’re ready to be. It’s a celebration of black joy, of council estates, and corner shops. Of working-class living and working-class dreams. It is human and tender, with a thumping great heart.

Catch Kelise Gordon-Harrison playing series regular Shanice from 16th April 2025 on BBC 3 and iPlayer.

The Liverpool’s Royal Court and National Theatre production of Alan Bleasdale’s BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF by James Graham, is coming the Lowry, Salford Quays.

‘80s Liverpool. Chrissie, Loggo, George, Dixie and Yosser are used to hard work and providing for their families. But there is no work and there is no money. What are they supposed to do? Work harder, work longer, buy cheaper, spend less? They just need a chance. Life is tough but the lads can play the game. Find the jobs, avoid the ‘sniffers’ and see if you can have a laugh along the way.
 
James Graham’s powerful new adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s BAFTA award-winning TV series is directed by Kate Wasserberg and comes to Salford direct from the National Theatre and the West End featuring our very own Victoria Oxley.

Playing from 22nd to 26th April as part of a 20 venue tour.

Follow the dashing Richard Hannay as he embarks on a thrilling adventure filled with daring antics, romantic encounters and ghastly murders. Get set for a whirlwind of suspense taking you from the bustling streets of London to the remote Scottish Highlands, as four talented actors play over 150 characters. Don’t miss this exhilarating escapade that will have you laughing, gasping, and cheering for more!

Experience the mystery of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic spy thriller, The 39 Steps, in Patrick Barlow’s brilliantly hilarious stage adaptation. This Olivier and Tony Award-winning comedy comes to life in a brand new production starring the brilliant Phil Yarrow.

Playing from the Wednesday 16th April to Saturday 10th May at the Octagon Bolton Theatre. 

In a recent Coronation Street storyline, Dee-Dee Bailey, a young solicitor, experiences severe complications during childbirth, including a haemorrhage and life-altering surgery, following a series of preventable errors by hospital staff. The storyline sheds light on systemic failings in UK maternity care.

After being rushed in for an emergency delivery, Dee-Dee suffers a haemorrhage and undergoes critical surgery—complications that could have been avoided if proper care had been given. She later considers filing an official complaint for gross negligence, believing that her concerns were dismissed due to her ethnicity.

The storyline, featuring Natalie Blaire and Kevin Finn, is inspired by real-world disparities in maternal healthcare. Research from MBRRACE-UK, an organisation that investigates maternal and infant deaths, reveals that Black women in the UK are 3.7 times more likely to die during pregnancy or within a year of giving birth compared to white women.

The eight-part series This City Is Ours, created by acclaimed writer Stephen Butchard, is set in the heart of Liverpool. It follows Michael, a man deeply entrenched in the city’s organized crime scene, whose newfound love makes him yearn for a life beyond his criminal past. As he attempts to break free, a missing shipment and his boss’s potential retirement ignite a fierce power struggle within the gang.

Starring Charlie De’ath, the full series will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am on March 27, with the first episode airing on BBC One at 9pm that evening.

A must-see Northern comedy-drama, Departures dissects a toxic relationship with biting humor and raw emotion. Inspired by real heartbreak, this Manchester-made feature follows Benji, who meets the elusive and dominant Jake (David Tag) at an airport check-out gate. Their whirlwind monthly getaways to Amsterdam soon spiral into a doomed power dynamic. After being dumped, Benji struggles to move on, slipping into addiction and fleeting hook-ups, haunted by the love he lost. Created by a collective of working-class LGBT+ filmmakers, Departures is a darkly comic, emotionally charged ride—think Shirley Valentine meets LGBTQ Trainspotting. The film will premiere at the Manchester Film Festival before heading to London’s BFI Flare Festival. 

This fantastic film also features 10 other of our fantastic talents – Kimberly Hart-Simpson, Olly Rhodes, Isabelle Smith, Kelsea Knox, Andrew Purcell, Charlotte Linighan, Lynn Roden, Harvey Weedon, John O’Neill and Jake Haymes.

ITV has confirmed that The Bay will return to ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 2nd March at 9pm.

The Morecambe-based crime drama was last on our screens for its fourth run in 2023 and was renewed for a fifth outing soon after that. 

The series is co-created and written by Daragh Carville, and the first three episodes of the new run will be directed by actor Shaun Evans – known for his roles on Endeavour and Vigil.

A synopsis for the new run teases: “When 23-year-old university student Hannah is found dead on the edge of the docks, Morecambe’s MIU team has another case to solve – Jenn, who is returning to work following the death of her father, pushes aside her own grief to support Hannah’s bitterly divided family.”

David Carpenter returns to reprise his role of Conor in the series. 

There’s a brand new character arriving in Emmerdale and he’s about to cause an almighty stir.

In March, viewers will be introduced to Kammy – played by Shebz Miah – who makes an entrance by stealing a quad bike from Moira’s farm.

Speaking of his new role, Shebz Miah – who has previously appeared in Casualty and Doctors – said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. Everyone has been so welcoming and I already feel like a part of the family.

In August 1990 Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, triggering a war that would reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. This is the extraordinary story of the passengers and crew on BA flight 149 who landed in the warzone on the morning of the invasion, becoming Saddam’s hostages in a rapidly escalating international crisis. For decades the British government denied they knew the invasion had begun before the plane landed. Then two years ago, an MI6 officer broke his silence contradicting this official account. Now the hostages are launching a legal case against the British Government and British Airways in their search for the truth about why the plane landed in the first place. Starring our very own Matthew Koon, Flight 149 will premier at SXSW Film and TV Festival 2025.

Your favourite new face this year is Hollyoaks’, and our very own Isabelle Smith, who wins the Best Newcomer award for her brave performance as sibling abuse survivor Frankie.

And huge congratulations to Kirsty Leigh Porter who was nominated for Best Actress as well as Best Partnership with her on screen boyfriend.

Following his release from prison, Danny tries to take control of the mental health issues that have shaped his life. However, an encounter with a former flame (Becky Bowe) evolves into tragic obsession. Treading Water looks with compassion and bracing realism at the lack of opportunity afforded to many people in British society. It’s a fascinating portrait of a changing city and evidence of an authentic Northern voice. Premiering at the London BFI film festival 2024, Treading Water will be released in cinemas in 2025. 

The new drama steels the story of a town’s fight for justice after 19 children were born with deformities following a ‘botched steelworks clean up’. Leading the cast are Jodie Whittaker, Brendan Coyle, Aimee Lou Wood, Rory Kinnear, Robert Carlyle, Claudia Jessie, Joe Dempsie and Michael Socha. The series is based on one of the UK’s biggest environmental scandals which saw families of those affected take Corby Council to the high court in an attempt to force them to take responsibility. Toxic Town lands Thursday 27th February on Netflix and will star our very Own Susan Jayne-Robinson.