Soapwatch with JACI STEPHEN: Ben’s a raging bull

OSTENDERS

Will Callum persuade Ben not to enter the boxing ring with Martin? Doubtful. He’s just not tough enough – it’s like comforting Bambi after his mother’s death. After all, Ben is Phil’s son. It’s like asking a Rottweiler not to bite.

And when a plainclothes cop arrives and tells Ben that Lewis has been arrested again for rape (talk about picking your moments, Officer), a pent-up Ben takes his anger out into the ring.

He is later furious with Zack and accuses him of being a coward for refusing to fight. Dapper tells Zack the whole pub that he dropped out because he is HIV positive.

Will Callum persuade Ben not to enter the boxing ring with Martin? Doubtful. He’s just not tough enough

Well, that’ll shut her up. Probably not as much as Kim sings on the karaoke, but let’s be thankful for every moment the locals don’t freak out. It’s all a sign of a little education when Nugget tells Ravi that he is ignorant about HIV. Here the lesson ends.

Elsewhere, Martin urges Zack to take it easy with Whitney, assuring her he will. Good luck with that. She’s been chasing him like a greyhound in a turtle race since day one; Not sure if recent events will change that.

courting Whitney

A big ‘aah’ to EastEnders’ Zack and Whitney. “Zack is optimistic,” says James Farrar (Zack).

“They fell in love as a result of the trauma.” Is this the end of Whit’s relationship disasters?

Determined to work things out between Jack and Denise, Amy secretly invites the latter to her school counseling session with her father.

I suspect he’s already had some secret sessions, since someone finally persuaded him to buy a new overcoat: excavation therapy probably, because it was clear that nothing would separate him from the beige coat he grew out of a decade ago.

After going AWOL for the session, Amy arrives in tow with Chelsea (why not invite everyone from the Vic to have a party?) and a full and frank discussion ensues.

Popcorn ready. This is going to be fun. Not.

There is no joy in store for Sharon and Keanu either, as Karen strongly disapproves of their relationship.

Look in the mirror, honey; what is going on in other people’s lives is the least of your problems.

KRONING STREET

Fair game to Aadi: he’s blossomed into a pretty fine young man, and his defense of Amy is admirable.

When Amy receives a letter from college saying she’s behind on her work, she gets into vodka (did Corrie’s props department raid Emmerdale’s stash?) and soon falls unconscious.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Aadi get involved in a scandal, but stop when they see an ambulance coming for Amy.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Aadi get involved in a scandal, but stop when they see an ambulance coming for Amy

When Amy recovers, Summer helps her with her economics courses. eh? Economy? Since when does Summer study supply and demand? And if she loves economics so much, why couldn’t she do some sums for Paul to stave off his new life of crime?

Thank goodness for Stephen’s continued hilarity, though I’ll miss him when he answers the phone with a depressed “Rufus….” It was always funny. Now he receives a personally delivered letter saying, “I know what you did to Rufus.”

So, whose is it? Paul, who stole Rufus’ car that night and needs money? Michael, the other person in the house? No, it’s two guys that Stephen tried to buy LSD from, and they want £10,000 or they’ll call the police. Big mistake guys. Big mistake.

It’s a struggle to be Aaron

Corrie’s rape storyline isn’t easy for James Craven, who plays Aaron. While he knows his character is wrong, James has to play it from Aaron’s point of view. “It’s what I struggled with in the beginning,” he says.

“The reason Aaron reacts the way he does is because he really believes he’s innocent. It’s kind of hard when he’s outwardly defending himself and you know he shouldn’t be. As an actor you have to try to rationalize his behavior because he’s not a bad character.’

EMMERDALE: Caught in the pavilion with a bottle of vodka…

There must be a vodka fountain in the village as it is always the drink of choice and it never seems to run out.

After Liv’s passing, they must have greatly replenished their supplies, and now it’s Cathy and Marshall’s turn. And guess where the pair go to discuss their respective issues? Yes, the cricket pavilion, which is still used for everything except what it was intended for.

As they take turns taking sips from the bottle, Cathy turns green, but Marshall has no intention of stopping. Will Laurel (no stranger to the self-drinking demon) make it to Marshall as the adults close in?

There must be a vodka fountain in the village as it is always the drink of choice and it never seems to run out

Subjected to one of Laurel’s many boring lectures, I suspect he’ll probably drink even more. Gosh, she can’t half pop. Sure enough, despite handing over the bottle of vodka, Marshall opens a second bottle he’s hidden in his bedroom. He just wants to erase the pain – from listening to Saint Laurel, I guess.

The next day, Laurel finds him unconscious.

Is romance in the air for Belle when Carl King’s son Tom (James Chase reprises Mark Flanagan) returns to the village?

When he asks her for a drink, there is a sparkle in her eyes and they agree to meet. But why is he back? Probably heard of the vodka fountain.

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