Saturday may have been a woeful night for Ireland, but it was a fantastic one for the gang at Coronation Street, as the soap picked up eight British Soap Awards, including Best Soap of the Year.
The crowd from the Cobbles had plenty of cause for celebration, with their domestic abuse tale winning Best Storyline, Alan Halsall winning Best Actor, and Natalie Gumede winning Best Villain and Best Dramatic Performance. There was even a gong for Patti Clare, who claimed Best Comedy Performance for her portrayal of Mary Taylor. And of course, Michelle Keegan claimed Sexiest Female for the fifth year running.
Hollyoaks was a surprise winner on the night, taking five Soap Awards home, including Best Actress for Claire Cooper, Sexiest Male for Danny Mac, and Best On-Screen Partnership for Kieron Richardson and our very own Emmett J Scanlan. Emmerdale finished third with two awards, including Best Single Episode for last year's live 40th Anniversary spectacular: Sure all you need is a live birth and a live murder and you're sorted. Just ask the gang on the Cobbles about that tram crash.
EastEnders may have claimed the coveted TV BAFTA last week, but it just couldn't compete with its rivals on the night, only managed to nab one gong, a Lifetime Achievement Award for Adam Woodyat. We're sure they'll be 'avin words about that one.
Of course none of the stars seemed bothered about the gongs when Chris Noth aka Mr Big arrived on stage to present one. Watching soap stars lose the head at the sight of a lad the fancy is quite possibly one of the most amusing ways to spend your Sunday evening. Wonder how they'll top that one next year?
See the list of Soap Award winners in full below:
VIEWER-VOTED CATEGORIES
Sexiest Male
WINNER: Danny Mac (Dodger Savage, Hollyoaks)
Chris Fountain (Tommy Duckworth, Coronation Street)
David Witts (Joey Branning, EastEnders)
Matthew Wolfenden (David Metcalfe, Emmerdale)
Kieron Richardson (Ste Hay, Hollyoaks)
Sexiest Female
Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre, Coronation Street) - WINNER
Georgia May Foote (Katy Armstrong, Coronation Street)
Jacqueline Jossa (Lauren Branning, EastEnders)
Natalie Anderson (Alicia Gallagher, Emmerdale)
Jorgie Porter (Theresa McQueen, Hollyoaks)
Villain of the Year
Natalie Gumede (Kirsty Soames, Coronation Street) - WINNER
Nigel Havers (Lewis Archer, Coronation Street)
Jamie Foreman (Derek Branning, EastEnders)
Dominic Power (Cameron Murray, Emmerdale)
Emmett J Scanlan (Brendan Brady, Hollyoaks)
Best Actor
Alan Halsall (Tyrone Dobbs, Coronation Street) - WINNER
Nitin Ganatra (Masood Ahmed, EastEnders)
Shane Richie (Alfie Moon, EastEnders)
Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle, Emmerdale)
Emmett J Scanlan (Brendan Brady, Hollyoaks)
Best Actress
Claire Cooper (Jacqui McQueen, Hollyoaks) - WINNER
Jennie McAlpine (Fiz Stape, Coronation Street)
Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre, Coronation Street)
Jessie Wallace (Kat Moon, EastEnders)
Nina Wadia (Zainab Khan, EastEnders)
Best British Soap
Coronation Street - WINNER
Doctors
EastEnders
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
PANEL-VOTED CATEGORIES
Best Newcomer
Joseph Thompson (Doctor Paul Browning, Hollyoaks) - WINNER
Marc Baylis (Rob Donovan, Coronation Street)
Ian Midlane (Doctor Al Haskey, Doctors)
Khali Best (Dexter Hartman, EastEnders)
Laura Norton (Kerry Wyatt, Emmerdale)
Best Exit
Nigel Havers (Lewis Archer, Coronation Street) - WINNER
Lu Corfield (Freya Wilson, Doctors)
Jamie Foreman (Derek Branning, EastEnders)
Tom Lister (Carl King, Emmerdale)
Emmett J Scanlan (Brendan Brady, Hollyoaks)
Best Comedy Performance
Patti Clare (Mary Taylor, Coronation Street) - WINNER
Ian Kelsey (Howard Bellamy, Doctors)
Ricky Norwood (Arthur 'Fatboy' Chubb, EastEnders)
Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk, Emmerdale)
Nicole Barber-Lane (Myra McQueen, Hollyoaks)
Best On-Screen Partnership
Emmett J Scanlan and Kieron Richardson (Brendan Brady and Ste Hay, Hollyoaks) - WINNER
Jennie McAlpine and Alan Halsall (Fiz Stape and Tyrone Dobbs, Coronation Street)
Matthew Chambers and Elisabeth Dermot Walsh (Doctor Daniel Granger and Doctor Zara Carmichael, Doctors)
Nitin Ganatra and Nina Wadia (Masood Ahmed and Zainab Khan, EastEnders)
Lucy Pargeter and Dominic Power (Chas Spencer and Cameron Murray, Emmerdale)
Best Dramatic Performance
Natalie Gumede (Kirsty Soames, Coronation Street) - WINNER
Dido Miles (Doctor Emma Reid, Doctors)
Jo Joyner (Tanya Cross, EastEnders)
Lucy Pargeter (Chas Spencer, Emmerdale)
Claire Cooper (Jacqui McQueen, Hollyoaks)
Best Young Performance
Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle, Emmerdale) - WINNER
Ellie Leach (Faye Windass, Coronation Street)
Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher, EastEnders)
Ellis Hollins (Tom Osborne, Hollyoaks)
Spectacular Scene of the Year
The bus crash (Hollyoaks) - WINNER
The Rovers fire (Coronation Street)
Julia's car crash (Doctors)
The Olympic torch comes live to Walford (EastEnders)
Cain's clifftop rescue of Zak (Emmerdale)
Best Episode
'Emmerdale Live' (Emmerdale) - WINNER
Kirsty's treachery ends in Tyrone's arrest (Coronation Street)
'The Scales' (Doctors)
The identity of Kat's lover is revealed (EastEnders)
The bus crash (Hollyoaks)
Best Storyline
Kirsty's abuse of Tyrone (Coronation Street) - WINNER
Sam's assisted suicide (Doctors)
The demise of Derek Branning (EastEnders)
Zak's depression (Emmerdale)
Esther's bullying (Hollyoaks)
Lifetime Achievement
Adam Woodyatt, EastEnders
