“Hollyoaks deserved its Best Soap win!”
…writes Inside Soap’s Sarah Ellis
Hollyoaks picking up the award for Best Soap at this year’s British Soap Awards was a shock twist that few had seen coming.
The soap may be turning 25 next year, but it’s still considered to be the underdog at awards ceremonies compared to its more seasoned counterparts — Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale.
But I, for one, think that Hollyoaks being named the Best Soap was long overdue. Here are five reasons why it deserved the top prize this year…
1) For the football abuse storyline
This wasn’t just a storyline about underage sexual grooming, Hollyoaks shone a light on an issue that’s been plaguing the world of football for years.
It also played on the soap’s history: viewers from back in the day remember the male rape storyline involving Luke Morgan, so putting his teenage son at the centre of this plot meant it connected with both older and younger fans.
2) For the domestic violence storyline
Hollyoaks isn’t the first soap to tackle sexual violence within a marriage. But what sets this story apart from others is the characters it involves.
Placing actress Stephanie Davis at the centre of this plot was a stroke of genius. Her personal life has long been the subject of tabloid headlines, and she’s been very frank about the emotional abuse she’s suffered in one particular real-life relationship. And she understands fully what her character is going through.
Both Sinead and Sienna are characters with chequered histories, who have often lied through their teeth to save their own skins. Persuading the audience to be sympathetic towards them should be a tall order, yet Hollyoaks has managed it perfectly.
And finally, casting former Home and Away star Kyle Pryor as monster Laurie was a great move. He’s incredibly compelling — and he needs to be, as we have to believe he can smoothly talk his way out of trouble time and again.
3) For the far-right extremist plot
I’ll admit I wasn’t totally on board with this storyline when it started, because it was just so uncomfortable to watch. But the writing has been so spot-on and the performances have been so compelling, I’m now completely gripped.
When it comes to confronting racism, Hollyoaks has pushed the boundaries further than any other soap has dared — showing the horrors that the Maalik family are facing thanks to Ste and his far-right cronies.
4) For its original story telling
Being the underdog means that Hollyoaks doesn’t have to stick to the same story-telling conventions as all the other soaps. While Corrie and Emmerdale may have been lauded recently for their use of flashback and point-of-view episodes, this is something Hollyoaks has been doing for years.
Hollyoaks isn’t afraid to try something new and different, and it’s also not afraid to poke fun at itself — or the other soaps! Did you know that Nana McQueen’s favourite show is Emmerdale? Or that Goldie likes to wax her bikini line during Home and Away?
5) It keeps everyone else on their toes!
For me, the biggest reason that Hollyoaks deserved to win the top prize this year is that it brings a sense of healthy competition to proceedings — and as the other soaps congratulated Hollyoaks on Twitter, we got the sense that they were genuinely happy for them.
When Emmerdale started to win big against EastEnders and Coronation Street a few years ago, it raised the bar for everyone. So adding a fourth major soap into the mix can only be a good thing for all of us — especially if it forces our other favourite shows to bring their A-game to the table in the next twelve months.
