Phil looks deep in thought in EastEnders
EastEnders picked up a whopping eight trophies (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

EastEnders has won big at The British Soap Awards 2025, picking up a whopping eight trophies on the night – including the highly coveted Best Soap.

The BBC One soap has had a whopper of a year, celebrating four decades on air with an explosive anniversary week that saw the return of Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and a surprise appearance from Angie Watts (Anita Dobson) as the Queen Vic was blown to smithereens.

The storyline that perhaps resonated with viewers the most was Phil Mitchell’s (Steve McFadden) mental health battle, which won the popular serial a number of those gongs tonight.

In addition to Best Soap, EastEnders also won Best Single Episode, Scene of the Year, Villian of the Year, Best Dramatic Performance, Best Leading Performer, Best On-Screen Partnership and Best Comedy Performance.

The previous British Soap Awards, which aired in 2023, also saw EastEnders pick up Best Soap, with boss Chris Clenshaw’s highly-praised tenure – particularly The Six story and Lola’s brain tumour diagnosis – having gone down a storm with die-hard fans of the show.

In term of other victories tonight, Hollyoaks got its flowers too, picking up a well-deserved three wins – all for its powerful sibling sexual abuse storyline.

EMBARGOED. STRICTLY NO USE BEFORE 9AM MONDAY APRIL 21 (Picture: Lime Pictures)
Hollyoaks’ Isabelle Smith has captivated fans with her incredible performances (Picture: Lime Pictures)

The Osborne clan was awarded with Best Family, while highly lauded Isabelle Smith – who plays Frankie Osborne – received Best Newcomer and the storyline in question itself won Best Storyline.

Emmerdale secured two trophies, with Best Young Performer going to Amelia Flanagan – who plays April Windsor – and The Tony Warren Award was presented to cameraman Mike Plant.

British Soap Awards winners 2025

The British Soap Awards 2025 logo.
(Picture: ITV)

BEST BRITISH SOAP

  • EastEnders
  • Emmerdale
  • Coronation Street
  • Hollyoaks

BEST LEADING PERFORMER

  • Lacey Turner (Stacey Slater) – EastEnders
  • Kellie Bright (Linda Carter) – EastEnders
  • Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle) – Emmerdale
  • Beth Cordingly (Ruby Miligan) – Emmerdale

BEST VILLAIN

  • Navin Chowdhry (Nish Panesar) – EastEnders
  • Ned Porteous (Joe Tate) – Emmerdale
  • Calum Lill (Joel Deering) – Coronation Street
  • Tyler Conti (Abe Fielding) – Hollyoaks

BEST COMEDY PERFORMANCE

The British Soap Awards 2025 - Arrivals
Bianca Jackson star Patsy Palmer won (Picture: Getty Images)

  • Patsy Palmer (Bianca Jackson) – EastEnders
  • Nicola Wheeler (Nicola King) – Emmerdale
  • Jack P Shepherd (David Platt) – Coronation Street
  • Nicole Barber-Lane (Myra McQueen) – Hollyoaks

BEST FAMILY

  • The Slaters – EastEnders
  • The Dingles – Emmerdale
  • The Platts – Coronation Street
  • The Osbornes – Hollyoaks

BEST DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE

Phil Mitchell looks emotional in The Arches in EastEnders
Phil’s storyline captivated fans (Picture:BBC/Jack Barnes)

  • Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell) – EastEnders
  • Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle) – Emmerdale
  • Peter Ash (Paul Foreman) – Coronation Street
  • Isabelle Smith (Frankie Osborne) – Hollyoaks

BEST SINGLE EPISODE

  • Phil’s psychosis (1985 Mitchell flashback) – EastEnders
  • April’s life on the streets – Emmerdale
  • Time Jump – Hollyoaks

BEST ON-SCREEN PARTNERSHIP

  • Rudolph Walker and Angela Wynter (Patrick and Yolande) – EastEnders
  • Will Ash & Beth Cordingly (Caleb and Ruby Miligan) – Emmerdale
  • Alison King & Vicky Myers (Carla and Lisa) – Coronation Street
  • Nathaniel Dass & Oscar Curtis (Dillon and Lucas) – Hollyoaks

BEST NEWCOMER

  • Laura Doddington (Nicola Mitchell) – EastEnders
  • Shebz Miah (Kammy Hadiq) – Emmerdale
  • Jacob Roberts (Kit Green) – Coronation Street
  • Isabelle Smith (Frankie Osborne) – Hollyoaks

BEST STORYLINE

STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 08:00AM FRIDAY 8th MARCH Hollyoaks storyline to address Sibling Sexual Abuse (SSA) Channel 4?s flagship continuing drama Hollyoaks is to highlight a common but under-recognised form of child sexual abuse, in a storyline focusing on twins Jack Junior (JJ) and Frankie Osborne. Due to varying factors, sibling sexual abuse (SSA) has been under-reported with campaigners citing a ?lack of societal awareness?. A spokesperson for charity SARSAS said: ?It remains a hidden, chronically under-estimated and untreated form of child sexual abuse. It continues to be ignored, played down, or denied by parents, professionals, and authorities as harmless or non-threatening childhood sexual experimentation that does not require attention. ?This is despite the known life-time effects of sexual violence and abuse on the health and happiness of survivors.? Actors Isabelle Smith and Ryan Mulvey joined the soap this year and will be at the centre of the storyline, playing twins Frankie and JJ. The Osborne and Ashworth families will be involved, with the twins being the children of heritage character Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) and returning character Suzanne Ashworth (Suzanne Hall). They have recently moved into the over-crowded household also living with Darren?s wife Nancy (Jessica Fox) and their children. Darren was not present in Frankie and JJ?s lives and has only recently reconnected with them both since their arrival in the village earlier this year. In recent episodes, viewers saw Frankie accuse her paternal grandfather Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) of touching her inappropriately. The accusation came after the pair shared a dance whilst reminiscing about Jack?s late wife, triggering Frankie into remembering moments of abuse she has previously supressed. Next week, it will be revealed onscreen that the abuse that Frankie suffered was at the hands of her twin brother, JJ, when they were both younger. With JJ often labelled the ?golden boy? and Frankie the ?problem child?, the storyline is set to delve into the dynamics of the pair within the family, and how the parents choose to investigate Frankie?s distressing behaviour, as she struggles to deal with the sexual abuse she has experienced. Hollyoaks Executive Producer, Hannah Cheers said: ?Sibling sexual abuse is a subject matter that desperately merits attention and recognition. It?s one of the most infrequently disclosed forms of sexual abuse, yet the statistics are startling. Hollyoaks is shining a light on this issue for the first time in a long-term soap storyline because we need to get this conversation started amongst our multi-generational audience. Our research, story, script and writing teams have devoted themselves to telling this story truthfully and passionately. Huge thanks goes to SARSAS for their unwavering support in helping us take this on. The performances delivered by our brilliant newcomers Isabelle Smith and Ryan Mulvey are breath-taking. I believe this story will make an impact for years to come and I am proud that Hollyoaks is still breaking new ground almost four decades on. That?s what we?re here for.? Channel 4 commissioning Exec for Hollyoaks, Ben Wadey added: ?Hollyoaks has gotten off to a trailblazing start in 2024 setting up bold new stories and introducing new characters and we?re hugely proud of the strength and quality of what is set to play out in the coming months. We will continue to be brave, never shying away from important issues and telling stories that others wouldn?t dare to. By shining a light on sibling sexual abuse in this groundbreaking and meticulously researched storyline, we hope to raise awareness, reduce stigma and represent unheard voices in a way only Channel 4 can.? Hollyoaks has worked with charity SARSAS who have advised on the storyline throughout the writing process and briefed the cast on their portrayals. The charity completed a two-year project that ended in March 2022, which was the largest Government-funded project on sibling sexual abuse to date. Funded by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice ?Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (SVSCSA) Fund 2020 ? 2022?, it was also the first England and Wales-wide project on sibling sexual abuse. The project was led by SARSAS as part of a partnership with Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW), West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre, the University of the West of England and the University of Birmingham. On working with Hollyoaks on the story, SARSAS CEO Claire Bloor said: ?I was thrilled when SARSAS was approached by the Hollyoaks team to ensure that their storyline about sibling sexual abuse was portrayed in a sensitive and accurate way. It has been a rewarding process to work with them on scripts, scenes and storylines ? they have remained open to feedback and suggestions throughout. ?Continuing dramas such as Hollyoaks have the potential to reach huge audiences and create change in the national conversation. This storyline is an opportunity to shine a light on the under-researched and under-discussed topic of sibling sexual abuse. We hope that it will raise awareness of both the prevalence of this issue and the devastating impact it can have on those impacted by it. ?Through the portrayal of Frankie?s story, we can take a step towards removing the shame and stigma so often attached to sexual abuse and the taboo of talking about it that allows it to thrive, in silence.? Hollyoaks actors Ashley Taylor Dawson and Jessica Fox have dealt with heavyweight issue-based storylines in the past, with a recent male depression storyline seeing Darren contemplate taking his own life, and Nancy losing her fianc? to suicide.
Hollyoaks’ powerful sibling sexual abuse storyline won (Picture: Lime Pictures)

  • Phil: Hypermasculinity in Crisis – EastEnders
  • Belle & Tom: Domestic abuse – Emmerdale
  • Paul’s battle with MND – Coronation Street
  • Sibling Sexual Abuse – Hollyoaks

BEST YOUNG PERFORMER

  • Sonny Kendall (Tommy Moon) – EastEnders
  • Amelia Flanagan (April Windsor) – Emmerdale
  • Will Flanagan (Joseph Brown) – Coronation Street
  • Noah Holdsworth (Oscar Osborne) – Hollyoaks

SCENE OF THE YEAR

  • Angie Watts’ shock return – EastEnders
  • Amy’s deadly plunge reveals grisly secret – Emmerdale
  • Mason’s death – Coronation Street
  • Mercedes confronts her own mortality – Hollyoaks

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

  • David Neilson (Roy Cropper) – Coronation Street

THE TONY WARREN AWARD

Coronation Street legend David Neilson, meanwhile, was awarded with the Outstanding Achievement Award.

The British Soap Awards, which will air on ITV this Thursday, celebrates all the highs of the past year for the nation’s four biggest soaps – EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.

April looks suspicious while in the vets in Emmerdale
April’s disappearance led to Amelia Flanagan picking up Best Young Performer (Picture: ITV)

The awards took a one year break in 2024 but returned this year – and what a year it was for our favourite serial dramas!

When will the British Soap Awards be on TV?

The British Soap Awards will hit screens on Thursday June 5 at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Jane McDonald, who took over hosting the ceremony in 2023, will return as the host this year.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

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