It’s been a tough couple of months for Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) and Callum ‘Halfway’ Highway (Tony Clay) in EastEnders, but — in spite of everything that’s transpired as of late — the pair could be set to find some happiness in the coming episodes, as Ben decides to ask Callum out.

Upon discovering that Callum had been struggling with his sexuality, Ben made every effort to help the young lad come to terms with who he really is. Initially, Callum rebuked Ben, but he was eventually able to open up about his inner loneliness and — with the chemistry between the pair simply too hard to resist — they ended up sharing a night of passion.

The subsequent months saw Callum attempt to keep his fling with Ben a secret, but he was unable to do so, and thus came clean to Whitney (Shona McGarty) on the night before the wedding. Despite Whitney’s initial reaction to the news, she opted to go ahead with the wedding, but — when the moment came to say ‘I do’ — she simply couldn’t go through with it.

Tragedy later struck on the wedding day when Ben was shot during Hunter’s (Charlie Winter) siege at the Vic, but — against all odds — he managed to pull through.

Yes, it’s certainly been a tough few weeks for both Callum and Ben, but with the former’s relationship with Whitney officially over, what’s next for the two men? Well, with Ben on the mend, he decides to seize the day and thus he asks Callum out for a drink.

Callum, filled with nerves, is taken aback by Ben’s invitation — but will he accept or decline?

With everything that’s transpired over the last few months, a little happiness for the pair certainly wouldn’t go amiss.

Following his ordeal, it’s likely that Ben’s realised that life’s too short to hang about. What’s more, it’s likely that Ben’s near-death experience made Callum realise how much the Mitchell lad means to him, so perhaps this reason alone will be enough to persuade him to go for it?

Having said that, Callum’s only just starting to come to terms with who he is, and after a hectic few months, perhaps he will need some time to simply be — before he starts dating.

One to watch: Tuesday 17th September at 7:30pm on BBC One.

Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) has unknowingly been radicalised by Jonny Baxter (Ray Quinn) and Stuart Sumner (Chris Simmons) in Hollyoaks but, with the far-right extremists set to enact a huge plan in the coming episodes, will the young man find himself facing jail as a result of his blind loyalty?

Ste gives a speech at Stuart’s family day, and his words go down a storm with the listeners — all of whom give the young man a round of applause. Following this positive reception, Ste is on cloud nine, and wastes little time in taking selfies with his new adoring fans.

Elsewhere, Stuart and Jonny discuss whether or not it would be a good idea to let Ste in on their upcoming plan — something which they’re hoping to carry out later in the day.

After some deliberation, the pair decide to enlighten Ste, and he agrees to assist them — but he hasn’t a clue of what he’s about to let himself in for.

What this plan entails has yet to be revealed, but if Jonny and Stuart’s past efforts are anything to go by, then it’s no doubt going to cause chaos. What’s more, with this being a much bigger plan than anything they’ve previously orchestrated, it’s safe to say that the people of Hollyoaks will be left reeling as a result.

Afterwards, an incredibly emotional Ste struggles with everything that’s transpired — and the police are ready to take action for today’s events.

Will Ste find himself in trouble with the law because of his blind devotion to Jonny and Stuart?

Or will the events of the day in question help him to see what his so-called pals are really like?

One to watch: Wednesday 17th September at 7pm on E4.

Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) has found it incredibly difficult adjusting to life back in Walford in EastEnders, and his struggle is set to persist in the coming episodes, as Kathy (Gillian Tayforth) makes a decision which leaves him reeling.

Upon learning that Bobby’s decided to stay with Max (Jake Wood), Kathy pleads with her grandson to reconsider. However, her attempts at changing his mind prove futile and — after receiving a text from his pal Imran — he makes a quick exit.

With Bobby getting along rather nicely with Max, the young lad asks if Imran could possibly stay with them too — but Jack (Scott Maslen) overhears, and is furious with his brother for agreeing to let Bobby stay in the first place. Bobby’s upset and exits — leaving Max feeling incredibly guilty over what’s transpired.

Later, Kathy arrives home to find Bobby, but she’s perturbed when she sees how uneasy he is. Of course, she’s got no idea that it’s his hallucinations of Lucy that’s causing his anxiety.

As a result of her concerns, she resolves to take matters into her own hands — a decision that could end up having huge ramifications for her relationship with Bobby.

Upon learning of what Kathy’s done, Bobby is furious, and storms out — leaving Kathy shocked.

The question is: what exactly is it that Kathy’s done?

Moreover, will Bobby be able to forgive her for her actions?

One to watch: Monday 16th September at 8pm on BBC One.

It’s been an incredibly tough year for James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) in Hollyoaks, what with his relationship with Harry Thompson (Parry Glasspool) having crashed and burned in a huge way, but could the solicitor be set to find love again in the coming episodes?

This year got off to such a promising start for James. After some time away from the village, Harry returned and made it his mission to win him back. In spite of some initial resistance, James finally welcomed his boyfriend back into his life, and the pair started anew.

However, it didn’t take long for the cracks to show once more, and after Harry found himself embroiled in police investigation following Grace Black (Tamara Wall) having been injured in a hit-and-run involving his car, things took a sinister turn.

Paranoia set in for James, and he found himself unable to trust a word that came out of Harry’s mouth. As a result, he began drugging his boyfriend — something which ultimately led to the breakdown of their relationship. Harry was later murdered by Breda (Moya Brady) but James remains unaware of this.

With it having been a few months since his relationship with Harry came to an end, Marnie (Lysette Anthony) thinks it’s time for James to get back out there.

As a result, she sets up a dating profile for her son in the coming episodes, and Juliet (Niamh Blackshaw) decides to get in on the action — and she helps Marnie improve her dating game.

Later, Marnie is delighted when James gets a match.

Will this be the beginning of a new era for James? Will he find love? Or is he still too much in love with Harry to be able to move on?

Either way, the question is: how will he react when he learns of Marnie’s meddling?

One to watch: Thursday 19th September at 7pm on E4.

Stephanie Davis has split from her Hollyoaks co-star Owen Warner after nine months of dating.

The actress had moved in with Owen a month after meeting him on the soap and previously said they had plans to get married next year.

But the reality star, 26, and her model partner, 20, have decided to call it quits, with Stephanie’s rep confirming the news to Digital Spy.

Stephanie is reportedly ‘devastated’ about the split as Owen had been such a good ‘father figure’ to her one-year-old son Caben-Albi – who she shares with ex Jeremy McConnell.

‘Stephanie and Owen have decided to split after weeks of trying to work through their differences. They decided to end it today and Steph is insisting there’s no going back,’ a source told the Sun.

‘She couldn’t be more devastated as she saw a real future with Owen, particularly as he’s been a father figure to Caben.’

The insider added: ‘Steph is absolutely heartbroken and devastated it’s over – she wanted to be with Owen forever and now all of a sudden she’s mourning the loss of him in her and Caben’s lives.’

Owen, who plays Romeo Quinn on Hollyoaks, appears to have removed all traces of Stephanie from his Instagram account.

It comes just days after Stephanie’s rep shut down claims that Owen had moved out of her house and blocked her on Instagram.

An insider told the Mirror at the time: ‘It was all a bit too much for him. Stephanie has been very full on the last few months.

‘It was blatantly obvious she was moving the relationship forward at a rate of 100 miles an hour and him being the age he is found it very difficult to breathe.

‘It was all very suffocating. He’s moved out of her house but the fact they are still working together is proving very difficult for both cast and crew.’

Stephanie’s team denied the rumours at the time, saying they were ‘not true’.

The pair began dating in December, shortly after the Celebrity Big Brother star returned to Hollyoaks following a three-year absence.

Up until recently, the exes shared loved-up snaps and referred to each other as ‘husband’ and ‘wife’.

Stephanie even revealed she’s going to marry Owen, who she called ‘The One’.

‘He’s the one I am going to marry, so hopefully it’ll happen next year. That’s what he tells me,’ she told Closer magazine.

She added: ‘I used to ask people, “How do know if they’re The One?”, and they’d say, “you just know”. I can’t imagine my life without him.

‘He’s so good to me, and he love the bones of me. He’s shown me what a real relationship is like.’

MORE: Ellen DeGeneres reveals she fed baby Archie when she met with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in London

MORE: Myleene Klass trolled for putting ‘pressure’ on new mums as she breastfeeds six-week-old baby at work

Mandy Dingle’s (Lisa Riley) return to the Dales was always going to spell trouble for the Dingles, but it’s Aaron (Danny Miller) who steps up and makes a shock move to protect his family in Emmerdale. But could he be causing them even more trouble in the process?

Mandy made it clear when she hot-footed it out of the Dales earlier this year that she was taking with her a shocking secret. But she was never going to keep it to herself forever and now she’s back it’s about to come spilling out – with Aaron being the one to take action against her.

Chas (Lucy Pargeter) is the one who discovers the secret when she follows her gut feeling to Butler’s Farm and finds Mandy and Vinnie (Bradley Johnson) desperately searching for something. They strike gold – finding their bag of stolen cash and casino chips they’d been after.

Chas is disgusted by her hi-jinks and so are the rest of the family when she blabs to them, but Robert (Ryan Hawley) is bemused when Aaron offers to help Mandy change up the cash. What is he up to?

He and Mandy arrange to meet at the scrapyard, but Mandy is left raging when Aaron reveals he’s already taken his cut of the dosh for his services. She picks a fight with the lad as she demands her money back, but things go haywire when Aaron ‘accidentally’ drops the money in a burning barrel that’s nearby.

Mandy has to watch her cash go up in flames, but has Aaron really just destroyed all of that haul? Or has he got his own plan up his sleeve?

He might have to think fast with whatever he’s up to as no doubt Mandy’s stolen money will be bringing more trouble to the Dales when whoever she’s stolen it from manages to track her down…

Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) has had a tough few years with her health, with everything that happened with Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), and then with her mum Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb) deciding to leave her behind for a life in Scotland.

But things might not be about to get any easier for the abandoned teen.

With Sarah’s mum out of the picture, Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwich) and Charity Dingle (Emma Atkin) are left with the responsibility of looking after her, but she’s not about to make it easy for them, especially when a new lad catches her eye.

It seems like Sarah is beginning to go off the rails without her mum’s stern influence keeping her in line, as Vanessa is fuming when she discovers Sarah has been neglecting her schoolwork to spend time with this boy.

Vanessa is forced to dob her into Charity for wasting her time with Danny, preferring to try and impress him rather than focus on her education. Could Danny be about to turn Sarah into a wild child?

Feeling poorly from chickenpox, Charity isn’t in the mood for Sarah’s behaviour and she gives her an angry telling off in front of Danny. But that move could backfire as the embarrassment might just tip Sarah over the edge.

Charity reminds her she’s grounded and is shocked when the teenager gives her an insight into her attitude.

Vanessa, meanwhile, decides to make things up to Sarah by arranging a surprise for her and Danny. But what does she have in mind and could it make everything worse?

Mel Owen (Tamzin Outhwaite) has had to deal with a lot this past couple of weeks in EastEnders — what with Hunter (Charlie Winter) having lost his life as a result of the hostage situation he orchestrated at the Queen Vic — but there’s more heartache ahead for the E20 manager in the coming episodes, as her son’s funeral arrives — and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) proves to be a thorn in her side.

Phil and Sharon (Letitia Dean) are perturbed when they realise that money has been withdrawn from E20’s account — but it doesn’t take Phil too long to work out that Mel’s the person responsible. He cuts Mel off — which leaves her distraught, as she won’t be able to pay for Hunter’s funeral without that cash.

Meanwhile, Phil’s outraged when he realises that Jay (Jamie Borthwick) is arranging Hunter’s funeral, and thus he demands the young man find somebody else to do it — which leaves Jay in a rather awkward situation. Mel goes to speak to the young man about perhaps scaling her son’s funeral back a bit due to her cashflow problems, but she’s left heartbroken when he informs her that he can no longer help her with the arrangements.

However, in spite of Phil’s stance on the matter, Jay soon has a change of heart, as he lets Mel slip into the funeral parlour so that she can be with Hunter. Lisa (Lucy Benjamin) manages to track Mel down, and the two end up reminiscing about the past.

Later in the week, the day of Hunter’s funeral arrives, and Lisa does her utmost to support Mel. Meanwhile, at the Mitchell household, Phil puts his foot down, ordering his family to stay away from the service — something which leaves Louise (Tilly Keeper) conflicted.

Later, Mel and Lisa pop into The Vic, but things are awkward as the Mitchell clan are all present.

It doesn’t take Phil long to realise that — in spite of his demands — Jay helped Mel in organising the funeral, and an argument ensues. As a result, Mel leaves the pub.

Sharon tries to smooth things over — much to Mel’s surprise — but their alliance is short-lived, as the pair end up at each other’s throats.

Will Mel perhaps seek revenge on Phil by taking out her frustrations on Sharon?

One to watch: Friday 20th September at 8pm on BBC One.

Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn) in Coronation Street has discovered that her cancer has sadly returned and she only has three or four months to live.

With this horrific discovery, Sinead is about to make a huge decision about her death much to shock and upset of Sinead’s husband Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard).

Sinead arranges a visit to a hospice as she’s considering her options.

After being shown around, Daniel admits that as her husband he wants to care for Sinead at home until the bitter end.

Sinead assures Daniel that any decision on where to spend her final days will be in the best interests of him and Bertie but back home from her chemo session, an exhausted Sinead is sick in a bucket while baby Bertie cries in his bedroom.

Later, Sinead is still suffering from sickness after her chemo and as Sinead sleeps, Beth (Lisa George) bemoans to Daniel that Sinead is too tired and sick to be with Bertie.

When Sinead wakes, she is too weak to hold Bertie and Daniel suggests that she should stop having chemo.

Sinead declares she’s going to try one more round of chemo and if she still feels dreadful, it will be her last.

As Sinead’s emotional storyline continues, it’s clear we will begin to see the affect it will have on Sinead’s family but most importantly Daniel.

He has tried to remain strong throughout Sinead’s cancer journey but with Sinead only wanting to try one more round of chemo, how will Daniel cope?

There is a shock in store for Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) in Emmerdale as the soap has killed off another member of the Spencer family. Just a couple of years after the untimely passing of Ali in a car crash, news reaches the village that Rachel Breckle – mother to Jai’s son Archie – has died.

Rachel was played by Gemma Oaten and Archie was conceived on the floor of the sweet factory while she worked as a cleaner for Jai. What followed was a very bitter battle for Archie in which Jai’s nastiness reared its head.

Rachel was also instrumental in getting Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) sent down after she forced her to leave the village. She also had a relationship with Sam Dingle (James Hooton) which became abusive when a stressed Rachel had troubles with her temper.

In upcoming scenes, Dan (Liam Fox) will arrive in the village with Archie in tow, leaving Jai dumbfounded at being reunited with his son after all of this time. Dan reports rhat Rachel has passed away and as Jai reels from the news, he struggles to bond with Archie again.

Archie is distant following the loss of his mother and naturally sees Jai as a stranger but Jai pulls out all of the stops to try and engage with him. As Jai feels the pressure, can Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) or his sister Priya (Fiona Wade) help him out by creating a welcoming atmosphere for Archie?

As Archie has to adapt to his new settings, it remains to be seen how badly affected he is by his mother’s death and whether Jai will manage to help him through this difficult time.

It’s a turbulent time for Jai, who is at the mercy of Kim Tate (Claire King) in their new business venture.

Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson) has been faking symptoms and pretending to be ill for the best part of a year now in Hollyoaks, and the young woman is set up her game in the coming episodes in an attempt to get Damon (Jacob Roberts) off the hook.

Maxine was devastated several weeks back when Damon was arrested on suspicion of fraud. However, things are set to get worse for the young woman in upcoming episodes, as she finds herself the victim of online harassment. Mind you, this proves to be the least of her worries, what with the impending trial looming.

With James (Gregory Finnegan) pulling out all the stops to get Damon off the hook, the solicitor reveals to Maxine that her illness could possibly work in their favour.

As a result, he suggests that it would be a good idea for her to appear at the trial, so that the jury can see for themselves just how ill she really is. However — following James’ comments — Maxine comes up with an idea of her own.

Ahead of the trial, she uses makeup in an attempt to make herself look poorly — and Sienna (Anna Passey) is stunned as a result.

In spite of this, Maxine expertly carries out her plan, and — after laying their eyes upon her — both James and Damon become incredibly concerned for the young woman’s health, as they’ve no idea it’s all fake.

The big question is: will Maxine’s plan work?

Or will she finally be caught out?

One to watch: Thursday 19th September at 7pm on E4.

The couple have taken the next, important steps to establishing what could be a new romantic relationship in EastEnders – with Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) showing his softer side and asking Callum Highway (Tony Clay) out and Callum saying out loud for the first time that he is gay, they have taken some huge steps since that stolen night together.

Ballum fans are deeply invested in the pairing and what should come as music to their ears is that there are no plans for the complex, dramatic yet endearing journey to end any time soon as the next few months will see things develop further.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk at the TV Choice Awards, where Danny Dyer won Best Actor and Kara Leah Fernandes won Best Newcomer, Max enthused: ‘I think in terms of characters there’s so much more they can give each other, definitely. We love working together, we absolutely love what we do. If we get to work with each other every day, it’s a bonus so fingers crossed.’

Of course, the affair presents that unique position for viewers where no-one involved is sympathy free – and the growth of Ballum has meant heartbreak for Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). But Tony is confident that they can form some sort of friendship beyond the carcass of their broken relationship.

He mused: ‘If you’re invested in anyone as a human being you’re always going to have that love for someone and he does actually love her, he genuinely loves her. But equally, someone has walked into his life now and he’s been hiding who he is. I think it will be good to see that develop in the coming months.

‘Can they be friends? I think so. I think they’ve been through a lot. So I think when acceptance and everything else happens they can maybe move past it.’

As autumn gets underway, there is bound to be a rollercoaster ride for Ballum fans – and we are so here for it.

There’s only one reason why Christmas is the most wonderful time of year – and it has nothing to do with the heartburn, overpriced gifts, plummetting temperatures or a *shudder* Mrs Browns Boys special. Nope, it’s a great few weeks for soap fans as the shows save their stellar episodes to celebrate the festive season – and this year’s Coronation Street episode promises to be a cracker.

Departing star Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany Platt in the soap, has enthused that there are major scenes for fans to enjoy over their cold turkey sandwiches while Grandpa Joe snores in the corner – but she was remaining tight lipped over whether they will deliver any build up to her character’s major exit scenes in 2020.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk on the red carpet of the recent TV Choice Awards, where her co-star Alison King won Best Actress, Lucy teased: ‘There’s quite a lot happening over Christmas. There’s a big episode on Christmas Day. It’s a secret though I imagine, I can’t tell you about that.’

Bah humbug!

And Lucy seems equally cryptic about what her final plots as long suffering Bethany may be as she prepares to film her final scenes after New Year is done. One thing she can assure us though is that there will be tears and trauma along the way as fans have seen a growing attraction between her alter ego and Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), whose wife Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn) is dying.

She sighed: ‘I don’t know what else happens to Bethany to be honest, I’m going to a meeting next week so I’ll be able to tell you then. She’s not going to have happier moments. Basically she starts to fall for Daniel and obviously Daniel has a wife who is dying of cancer so that’s never going to end well.’

An absorbing episode of Holby City sees the return of the Tan twins, first seen in 2008. They were the conjoined twins who were separated in ground-breaking and dramatic surgery at the hospital and they return to seek Ric Griffin’s (Hugh Quarshie) help when one of the twins becomes ill. As we know, Ric’s been feeling under pressure recently – is he up to dealing with a complicated and emotionally-charged case?

Elsewhere, Essie (Kaye Wragg) has to bring baby Isla to work and questions are naturally asked. And Evil Evan (Jack Ryder) shifts his focus to Fletch (Alex Walkinshaw) as a way to get to Chloe and Ange. Here are all the spoilers to look out for.

1. Zav (Marcus Griffiths) tries to hold AAU together as an increasingly erratic Ric continues to make mistakes, have anger outbursts and blame the rest of the staff for anything that goes wrong. It’s Ric’s 65th birthday, too – which isn’t helping his mood at all.

2. When the babysitter lets her down again, and with Frankie not answering her calls, Essie is forced to bring Isla to work. But how will she explain the presence of the baby to an inquisitive Sacha (Bob Barrett)?

3. Chloe (Amy Lennox) returns to work after a week off, determined to put the whole Evan business behind her, but when she sees Evan outside she panics. He’s already been warned off by the police – so what is he up to this time?

4. Despite Zav’s attempts to take the pressure off Ric, there’s a nasty incident in theatre and Lofty (Lee Mead) ends up getting the blame. Despite Zav’s attempts to smooth things over, Lofty’s determined not to let Ric get away with it.

5. Fletch tries to make amends with Ange (Dawn Steele) but she isn’t having any of it, because she feels he isn’t taking the threat of Evan seriously enough. When Fletch and Evan meet up later, Evan gives Fletch his own version of events and it looks as though he’s found himself an ally.

6. How is Jac (Rosie Marcel) feeling after the cataclysmic events of last week?

7. Mrs Tan (Aewia Huillet) notices that Ric doesn’t seem like his old self and he tries to pass it off as tiredness and stress. But after a particularly difficult and exhausting day, will he finally admit that something is wrong?

Sue Haasler is the author of the official Holby City book, which you can read about here. Her latest novel, Half A World Away, is out now.

Ross Kemp can’t quite turn his back on EastEnders for good – nor Emmerdale for that matter as the former soap star has reminisced on his forgotten cameo in the Dales.

The 55-year-old played Grant Mitchell from 1990 until 1999 before reprising the hardman role various times over the years, most recently in 2016.

However, before he became the nation’s favourite mechanic as the steely Mitchell brother, he actually made an appearance in rival soap, ITV’s Emmerdale.

If you’re too young to remember, Ross played Graham Lodsworth 22 episodes of Emmerdale Farm from 1986 to 1987.

Yes, back when it actually had ‘Farm’ in its title.

Teasing his return to soapland, Ross told Metro.co.uk while promoting his new campaign with Marella Cruises: ‘I would never ever rule out EastEnders – nor would I rule out a return to Emmerdale Farm,’ before reminding us of his short-lived character.

‘I don’t think you can ever rule out anything in life to be honest with you, having been around the world and seeing how incredibly short some people’s lives are,’ he continued.

‘I think while you’re on the planet, you should enjoy as much as you can, as long as you’re not harming other people while doing so.’

In recent years, Ross has focused more on his gritty series of documentaries from following gangs to tackling knife crime in the UK.

But he’s keen to jump back into acting at some point as it’s still a big passion of his.

‘I do think I’d like to do a bit of acting now and again,’ he admitted.

‘I would never rule that out, I enjoy doing it and I trained three years to become one a long time ago. It’s not so bad when you’re working [on a TV show], it’s just not very good when you’re not.’

If he doesn’t make it back to soaps, Ross is open to ‘playing against type’ and joked he wouldn’t mind taking on the challenging role of… a hairdresser.

Even if he is bald.

Ross’ last appearance in EastEnders centered around the funeral of his on-screen mum Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor.

In real life, Barbara, 82, is battling with dementia and Ross has maintained a close relationship with his beloved mother figure.

The TV star visited the iconic actress last month and fondly revealed that it’s ‘always lovely to see her’.

Marella Cruises has recruited TV hardman Ross Kemp to test out their brand new Smiletinerary programme, a checklist of smile-giving activities to ensure maximum smiles onboard at all times.

The Smiletinerary can be found onboard Marella Explorer and Marella Explorer 2 for guests to enjoy from 4 September. To watch Ross’ smiletinerary experience on Marella Explorer 2, visit: http://www.tui.co.uk/cruise/nauticalsmiles.

MORE: Ross Kemp admits feeling ‘guilty’ leaving wife and kids behind for documentaries but it ‘pays the mortgage’

MORE: TV toughman Ross Kemp wishes he’d had kids sooner instead of being ‘selfish’

There are heartbreaking scenes ahead for Emmerdale fans – and for poor Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) – as Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) is about to make a devastating exit from the show and it’s not going to be a happy ending. With a long prison sentence hanging over him, it’s all that Robert can now do to protect those he is leaving behind, including Aaron as well as Victoria Barton (Isabel Hodgins) and Liv Flaherty (Isobel Steele).

However, Ryan has hinted that not everything may play out as it seems. While acknowledging that it was disappointing that news of his departure from the show got out there, he did imply that there were other twists to play out so fans should keep watching to see Robert’s final months play out – anything could happen!

Chatting to Metro.co.uk on the red carpet of the TV Choice Awards, where Emmerdale was crowned Best Soap, the popular actor shared: ‘We know that Robert is going to prison for some period of time – we know it’s for GBH with intent. It was quite a long time ago we filmed this. From now, it’s all about Robert and Aaron getting to spend time together before the inevitable happens.

‘They’re trying to make the most of the time they have left, which is nice. Also, Robert starts to set up all the things he believes people need before he goes away, so leaving money for the family, make sure everyone’s taken care of like Victoria as she’s about to give birth. From there, other events will transpire and will maybe take an unexpected twist or turn but as always you’ll have to tune in to find out.’

Ryan added that he was pleased to be able to show his character’s selfless side but admitted he was sad that his exit couldn’t come as a major shock to viewers. He mused: ‘Although what Robert did isn’t excusable and incredibly violent, Lee was a nasty piece of work, which is quite funny because in real life he’s a really lovely guy. It’s a shame it all got out to be honest, it could have been nice to have an unexpected twist but it is what it is.’

Any other hints? Well, some of Robert’s final scenes will be with Lisa Riley’s legendary character Mandy Dingle – and Ryan grinned that he had a ball filming with his co-star.

He beamed: ‘She’s a lot of fun to work with, I think I’ve filmed my last scenes with her. She’s very funny and we’ve got a lot in common as well.’

Brand new soap spoilers are revealing some big and dark moments coming up, with Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) being forced to face his dark abuse past in Coronation Street while Mel Owen (Tamzin Outhwaite) clashes with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) over Hunter’s (Charlie Winter) funeral.

Over in Emmerdale, there’s shocking news for Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) while Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) takes drastic action while across in Hollyoaks, events get out of Ste Hay’s (Kieron Richardson) control as Jonny (Ray Quinn) goes many steps beyond what he thought was capable.

Here, we outline the new pictures and spoilers released:

EastEnders

As the pressure continues to mount on Bobby, he continues to hallucinate over Lucy and hear her voice. Another showdown with Rainie pushes him to storm out and, as he finds it increasingly difficult to cope, he finds himself in a terrifying situation.

Mel is fuming when Phil cuts her off from the funds at the club as she tries to gather cash for Hunter’s funeral and when he later bans Jay from helping her plan it, she is bereft. As the day itself arrive, Mel struggles to cope and Lisa fears the worst for her friend.

Callum is nervous when Ben officially asks him out for a drink but will he agree to go and will the couple get on well on their date?

Coronation Street

Paul is horrified when he comes face to face with Kel and it’s clear that they have a terrible past. When they are alone, Kel tries to convince Paul that what they had was special when he was younger but will Paul expose the truth about what he did?

Derek is making himself very comfortable and when Gary returns and finds out he has been fiddling some of the factory finances, he determines to put him in his place. And his anger reaches even higher boiling point when he clocks Derek on a date with Izzy.

James spots Bethany looking upset at his birthday party and he consoles her, with the pair getting on well. But Bethany then leans n for a kiss and after James rejects her avdances, he confides in her that he is gay.

Emmerdale

Mandy and Vinny are up to no good and when they are discovered with stolen cash and casino chips, they are rumbled. Aaron soon has a plot to teach Mandy a lesson and sets out to burn her ill gotten gains from the family. But does he have an ulterior motive?

Sarah is enjoying spending time with her new friend Danny but when they get into trouble, Charity tries her best to intervene but has she made things worse as she and Vanessa worry about the teenager’s attitude to her future?

Jai is stunned when Dan returns home with his son Archie and reveals that Rachel has died. As Jai disgests this unexpected news, he tries his best to bond with Archie but he finds it a struggle to make a breakthrough.

Hollyoaks

Jonny and Stuart are making big plans. There’s a party atmosphere in Hollyoaks but things get dark as Stuart enforces Ste to become involved with that they are plotting. Soon, events spiral devastatingly out of control – with major consequences.

Maxine is being harassed online following Damon’s arrest but James remains confident that her illness remains the most promising defence for him. But Sienna is disgusted when she finds Maxine deliberately make herself look even worse.

In the wake of recent events, Ste is horrified to be surrounded by destruction and he finally realises the truth about Jonny and Stuart – but it’s too late as he realises that he is trapped in their world now as a dark threat is made.

Plus!

• Sinead makes a decision about her chemotherapy in Coronation Street.
• Keegan springs a romantic surprise on Tiffany in EastEnders.
• Things are awkward between Scott and Mitchell in Hollyoaks.
• Toyah reaches out to Ali in Coronation Street.
• Ellis asks Belle out on a date in Emmerdale.
• Stuart and Kathy make a deal in EastEnders.
• Marnie sets up a dating profile for James in Hollyoaks.
• Victoria makes a decision on whether to learn the sex of her baby in Emmerdale.

Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard) is set to hit rock bottom in devastating Coronation Street scenes which have been filmed this week. Now that Katie McGlynn has filmed her final tragic episodes which will see Sinead Tinker die after losing her battle with cancer, Daniel is left behind with Bertie and, understandably, he will struggle massively to cope with the loss.

Viewers will this week see newlyweds Daniel and Sinead delivered the harrowing news that her cancer is terminal after spreading and she only has months to live. Katie confirmed on Twitter this week that she has now finished filming with the show as Sinead will pass away in what will be some of soap’s most heartbreaking scenes.

The aftermath can now be revealed as Rob has been filming a night shoot which sees his character’s life in serious danger as he lumbers close to the edge of a canal while downing a bottle of whisky. In an absolute state, he ends up passing out in the winter cold – but will he be found before it’s too late? Or could a horrifying twist see him take his own life as he is unable to cope with life without Sinead?

The scenes are expected to air later this year as Sinead still has a number of weeks in the show before her harrowing end. And viewers are preparing themselves for some seriously emotional scenes.

The episodes which follow the exit will give Rob another chance to show off his raw acting talent as viewers ache for him. He has always been just several small steps away from going over the edge due to his damaged nature borne of a neglected childhood and losing his family unit that he dreamed of will destroy him.

The pain is clear in his face as he gets beyond drunk and is then left in a lifeless heap – is Coronation Street set to end the year with another tragic loss?

Coronation Street star Katie McGlynn denies having a blazing row with Love Island’s Maura Higgins, after the TV Choice Awards.

The actress – who plays Sinead Tinker in the soap – was pictured looking very animated during a heated chat with the ITV2 star, following the swanky bash at London’s Hilton hotel.

The cobbles star, 26, was spotted gesturing wildly at the 28-year-old ring girl as they congregated in the lobby of the hotel.

Curtis Pritchard and Chris Taylor tried to calm the situation down, before things spilled out onto the streets outside, where the dancer comforted his girlfriend with a kiss.

It has not been revealed what their chat was about, with Katie and Maura seen holding hands soon after.

Both have stayed quiet about the snaps on social media, but the dating show favourite didn’t seem too bothered about the whole thing.

In fact, she later ignored the ‘spat’ and gave fans a glimpse into her relationship with her beau – branding him ‘cute’.

Taking to Instagram during their cab journey home, she revealed he was removing the pins from her hair, so she could go straight to sleep when they got home.

‘What are you doing Curtis? Curtis is actually taking out my hair right now,’ she told her fans.

‘Cause it’s going to save me time when I get home, how cute is he?’

It was an emotional night for Katie, who lifted the lid on her upcoming exit from Coronation Street.

She will be leaving the show after seven years on the cobbles, with her character Sinead Tinker losing her battle with cervical cancer.

And, discussing her final scenes, she admitted to making a very quick departure from set to make sure she didn’t cry.

‘I filmed it [Sinead’s death scenes] on a Sunday when not many people was in, which was fine because I made a swift exit,’ she told the Daily Mail.

‘People came out in the side crying and saying “we’ll miss you”.

‘I said “I’m gonna have to go so I won’t cry!”‘

We’ve already got the tissues ready.

Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Katie and Maura for a comment.

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Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) has been plagued by the reappearance in her life of Leo King (Tom Wells) – the man she recently discovered is the son of her paedophile ex Tony, who groomed and abused Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) as a teenager in EastEnders.

Bianca only just learned that Leo exists and he has got it into his head, despite extensive press coverage and Tony’s words in court that his dad was set up and lied about. Tony has since died after taking his own life in prison but Leo is galled that Tony’s mum has supported Bianca financially – and he wants both the cash back and the ‘truth’ about Tony.

Bianca gave him the truth that he was a child abuser in no uncertain terms and refused to hand him any cash, ordering him to stay away from Tiffany (Maisie Smith) and Whitney. But Leo made it clear that he was going nowhere so tonight, Bianca is forced to open up to Tiffany.

As Bianca is determined to get Tiffany away from the Square and gets her prepared for them to have a trip away for a spa break, Keegan Baker (Zack Morris) makes Tiffany have doubts about spending more time with her mum who has let her down before.

Bianca is gutted when Tiffany cancels on their plans and when Tiffany has a go at her mum for not being there for her, Bianca is chastened and they have a much needed heart to heart where Bianca drops a bombshell on her daughter. Is she about to reveal to her who Leo is – and how much danger she might be in?

With Leo still hanging around and making demands, what action will Bianca take to protect her family from him? And will he make himself known to Tiffany?

EastEnders continues on Tuesday 10 September at 7:30pm on BBC One.