British Soap Awards return after two years off air

The British Soap Awards are making a return after two years off air because of the coronavirus pandemic.

ITV has announced that the ceremony will air live again this June for the first time since 2019 as the great, the good and the villains of soap land gather for the highlight of their year.

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The event, which usually alternates between London and Manchester in recognition of the settings of the UK's biggest soaps, is coming back to London this summer and will be hosted by The Hackney Empire, with Phillip Schofield leading proceedings.

It will see giants of the soap world, including EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors, facing off in categories including Best British Soap, Scene of the Year and Outstanding Achievement.

Voting for the viewer-nominated categories, which are Best British Soap, Best Leading Performer and Best Family, will open on Tuesday, 19 April at 10am.

Winners of the Outstanding Achievement Award and The Tony Warren Award will be announced on the night.

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Other categories shortlisted by the panel are Villain of the Year, Best Dramatic Performance, Best Comedy Performance, Best Young Performer, Scene of the Year, Best Onscreen Partnership, Best Newcomer, Best Storyline and Best Single Episode.

It has been a big year for soaps as they get back into the swing of normal filming schedules after production was called to a halt during lockdown.

They have also had to overcome filming restrictions that included having to stay socially distanced on set, and working around isolation periods for any stars testing positive for COVID.

EastEnders finally saw Gray Atkins get his comeuppance after a lengthy killing spree, the law caught up with Emmerdale's murderer Meena Jutla, and Coronation Street aired a particularly horrifying Halloween episode - followed by an uncharacteristically cheery Christmas.

All three big-name soaps have also recently debuted new weekly schedules, with Corrie moving to hour-long episodes and Emmerdale and EastEnders going head-to-head in the 7pm slot.

Voting for the viewer-nominated categories will be available from 10am on Tuesday, 19 April at www.britishsoapawards.tv.

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