David Neilson took home the prize for Outstanding Achievement
22:11, 05 Jun 2025Updated 22:12, 05 Jun 2025
David Neilson and Julie Hesmondhalgh played Roy and Hayley on the ITV soap(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street fans were more than happy to see two actors reunite on stage during the British Soap Awards this year. Julie Hesmondhalgh made a guest appearance to present the award for Outstanding Achievement.
The 2025 awards celebrated a mammoth year for the soaps, as the evening looked back on twelve months of murder, mystery, trials and tears.
Viewers have watched Gail Platt depart the cobbles after 50 years in Coronation Street, while EastEnders celebrated its 40th anniversary on air. Hollyoaks leapt a year into the future and Emmerdale faced a dramatic limousine crash into a frozen lake.
It came as no surprise that none other than Corrie’s own David Neilson took home the prize for Outstanding Achievement for the role of Roy Cropper.
Despite being cast for just six episodes in 1995, the actor has been a prominent character in the beloved soap for almost three decades.
Speaking about her acting partner before she presented the award, Julie said: “Thanks to David Neilson’s gentle brilliance, Roy stayed and slayed and has been one of the most loved characters in soap ever since.” Julie described working with David as “one of the great privileges of my career.”
Julie and David portrayed iconic couple Hayley and Roy. Viewers were heartbroken when Julie’s character Hayley took her own life in 2014 after a battle with terminal pancreatic cancer.
Roy and Hayley reunited on stage at the British Soap Awards 2025(Image: ITV)
Fans were surprised to see Julie reunite with the cast of Coronation Street at the 2025 British Soap Awards. Taking to social media, one said: “No way we got Julie Hesmondhalgh back on screen with Corrie cast!!” A second wrote: “Julie absolutely love her” and a third added: “Yesss Hayley and Roy Cropper!!”
However, other fans were brought to tears when Julie walked onto the stage holding Roy’s iconic tote bag. She revealed it had originally belonged to David’s mum and it was his idea to use it in the soap.
One viewer was in tears as they shared a number of crying face emojis. They wrote: “Julie carrying on David Neilson’s lifetime achievement award on stage in Roy’s little bag.” Another said: “Absolutely love #RoyCropper sobbing.”
A video montage played out as the cast and crew of Coronation Street, both past and present, sent their congratulations to David. Meanwhile, the 76-year-old actor made his way to the stage to accept his well-deserved award. He joked: “Good job I showed up. I never really wanted to be an actor, I just didn’t like going to work.”
Jane McDonald hosted the event(Image: ITV)
The star-studded event, hosted by Jane McDonald at London’s Hackney Empire, featured prominent television personalities such as Sir David Jason and Larry Lamb presenting awards. The awards made a triumphant return after last year’s cancellation.
The ceremony has celebrated our nation’s favourite soaps since the first edition in 1999. The event became synonymous with Phillip Schofield, who hosted the awards from 2006-2022.
Coronation Street, EastEnders, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale battled it out to win recognition for their work over the past year. Some of the biggest faces from all four soaps arrived on the red carpet for one of the most glamorous events in the soap calendar.