The British Soap Awards mark 21 years

(ITV, 9pm)

2020 was shaping up to a be a big year for the soaps.

EastEnders turned 35 in February and celebrated in typical Walford fashion with a disastrous boat party that ended in the death of Sharon’s teenage son Dennis.

It wasn’t the only serial reaching a milestone anniversary. Coronation Street will be 60 in December, while Hollyoaks is 25 in October, and both no doubt had something special up their sleeves. In fact, Hollyoaks was thinking even further ahead, as last Christmas, it featured a flashfoward to the events of December 31, 2020.

But then something happened that none of the show’s bosses, who are used to thinking up unlikely scenarios, could have possibly foreseen – a pandemic hit, halting production. Episodes were rationed with EastEnders airing the last of its stockpiled editions on June 16. Even the British Soap Awards weren’t immune and this year’s ceremony was unable to go ahead.

So instead, ITV is bringing us The British Soap Awards Celebrate 21 Years, which finds host Phillip Schofield looking back at some of the highlights from the its history.

Although attitudes have arguably shifted since 1999, it’s still the case that some critics and awards bodies can be a bit sniffy about soaps, but this is one event where the casts of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Doctors and Hollyoaks know they will get their due.

Over the past two decades, the British Soap Awards have highlighted some fantastic performances and hard-hitting storylines, and we’ll be reminded of them tonight.

There’s a look back at some of the icons who took home the prestigious Outstanding Achievement award – it was first won by William Roache, who has been playing Ken Barlow since Coronation Street aired in 1960, and was picked up last year by his castmate Sue “Audrey Roberts” Nicholls.

The ceremony has also recognised some of soap’s great double acts, including Corrie’s Roy and Hayley and EastEnders couples Kat and Alfie and Jim and Dot to name but a few.

And of course, no soap would be complete without a villain and this show reminds us of some of the best, including EastEnders’ Janine Butcher and Weatherfield’s Richard Hillman, memorably described by his on-screen wife Gail as “Norman Bates with a briefcase.”

But while we look back on memories from soap years past, some viewers will also be wondering what the future holds.

When the awards hopefully return in 2021, perhaps Emmerdale should get a gong for being the first of the TV soaps to reflect the reality of lockdown, with six special episodes showing the characters in isolation, although Doctors wasn’t far behind.

And while some viewers may be wondering if the Hollyoaks bosses are now regretting tying themselves into the flashforward storyline, actress Jessica Fox, who plays Nancy, has faith they will make it work. She told Digital Spy: “”I think the flashforward is now going to have to be a bit more of a fastforward because we’ve now got less time to film the journey that leads up to it.

“But… I’m sure that Hollyoaks will pull it out of the bag and we’ll all be watching it saying: ‘Ah, it all makes sense now!’”

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