Soap spoilers follow.
We've seen a busy week for soap headlines, with Emmerdale continuing to drop spoilers for the future of the Tom and Belle King storyline.
Elsewhere, there have been casting updates aplenty for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Neighbours.
Did you miss any gossip through the week? Don't worry, as here's our round-up of the biggest soap news that came our way over the past few days.
Emmerdale baby tension for Tom and Belle
Tom and Belle King's domestic abuse plot is one of the most unsettling stories in soap right now. Although the couple only feature briefly in next week's spoilers, these do contain a potential hint to the next stage of the storyline.
On Tuesday, we shared newly-released pictures showing that Belle will take a pregnancy test next week. She's relieved when the result is negative, but controlling Tom is visibly unhappy...
Tom has previously spoken to Belle about starting a family together, but she tried to set boundaries by insisting that it wasn't the right time. But with Tom's behaviour rapidly getting worse, is he about to start cruelly increasing the pressure on Belle to have a baby with him?
These scenes form part of the build-up to Emmerdale's special 'dinner party' episode in early May, which will see the show break from its usual format while exploring a dramatic evening for Tom, Belle, Marlon and Rhona. You can expect full spoilers and pictures from this episode on Digital Spy next week.
EastEnders brings back Karen Taylor - again
Appearing in the show more often than some current cast members (we jest), Karen Taylor is heading back to Walford again. This marks her second return stint since bowing out from the show in December last year. Her third if you include her cameo in a video call at Christmas.
Digital Spy confirmed the news earlier this week, with fans told to expect a short return stint following the recent discovery of Keanu's body. Can we expect to see more showdowns between Karen and The Six?
Coronation Street casts Hollyoaks star
Coronation Street bosses have signed up former Hollyoaks star Jacob Roberts to play a mysterious role in the ongoing Lauren Bolton storyline.
Jacob played Damon Kinsella in the Channel 4 soap, before being written out as part of a dramatic bank-robbing storyline last year.
Reports have revealed that Jacob will play a new character who's connected to the Lauren disappearance plot, but with high secrecy surrounding what happened to the Weatherfield teen, show bosses aren't revealing many more details at this stage.
Could Jacob's character hold the key to unlocking the Lauren mystery? For the sake of the 'Free Roy Cropper' campaign, let's hope so…
EastEnders brings in Olly Alexander - for surprise proposal episode
Albert Square continues to attract celebrities like a magnet, even without Rocky Cotton and his list of VIP contacts to rely on these days.
This week, EastEnders announced that singer and actor Olly Alexander is heading to Walford soon. Olly pops up to reconnect with his old friend Johnny Carter (who knew?) ahead of his upcoming performance at the Eurovision Song Contest.
If that wasn't enough, show bosses also dropped the bombshell that one character will get caught up in the celebratory mood by popping the question to their other half. Further details weren't revealed, leading to plenty of speculation from fans over who the happy couple may be.
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw recently said: "When we discovered that Olly Alexander was a huge fan of the show and an opportunity arose in one of our stories, it was the perfect moment for us to invite him to Albert Square to appear.
"We hope the audience enjoy Olly's special guest-appearance as much as everyone at EastEnders enjoyed having him in Walford."
Neighbours resurrects a cancelled storyline
When Neighbours was axed in 2022, soap nerds like ourselves loved hearing all the behind-the-scenes snippets and gossip over stories that would have been told if the show had continued on Channel 5.
These included the arrival of Byron and Nicolette's father Victor, which had to be scrapped as there wasn't enough time to include his story arc before the star-studded finale.
At the start of this week, news broke that Victor is finally on the way as part of the revival season on Amazon Freevee. A Place To Call Home star Craig Hall has been cast in the role and Victor will be seen for the first time in mid-May.
Neighbours' new chapter still seems to be going from strength to strength, with a perfect blend of big soapy stories like Chelsea's deception and Haz's hacking dramas running alongside classic Ramsay Street nonsense like the 'Dr Pooper' scandal. Long may it continue.
Hollyoaks on the rise again
Hollyoaks headlines have been a painful read for fans of the show in recent months, with constant updates about the soap downsizing to three episodes per week and the subsequent job losses among cast and crew.
While that situation is still very real for those affected, it was a refreshing change to see some positive news coming from Hollyoaks HQ this week as the show celebrated recent ratings successes.
An official press release confirmed that Hollyoaks' streaming views were up nearly 40% in the first quarter of this year, while the E4 linear broadcast at 7pm is up by 7% in terms of share.
After a tough couple of years, Hollyoaks is back to telling braver and bolder storylines under the leadership of new executive producer Hannah Cheers.
The teen characters of Dillon, Lucas, Ro, Frankie and JJ deserve special mention after being central to some standout scenes in recent months – the young cast have certainly proven their value to the show with some huge storylines.
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