Soap spoilers follow.
Emmerdale has dominated the soap headlines this week, with Robert Sugden's permanent return delighting fans and two exciting new characters being announced.
The other soaps also kept us going with gossip, though, as an EastEnders recast was revealed and Coronation Street gave the lowdown on Eileen Grimshaw's final week.
Did you miss any gossip this week? Don't worry, as we're on hand with our regular Sunday guide to the biggest headlines from the past 7 days.
Jump to:
- 1. Emmerdale star confirms Robert Sugden future
- 2. EastEnders character recast
- 3. Casualty to wave goodbye to Holby
- 4. Coronation Street to air Eileen Grimshaw's final scenes
- 5. Casualty star joins Emmerdale
- 6. Joe Absolom joins Emmerdale
- 7. Home and Away's ruthless new police sergeant
- 8. Hollyoaks drama for Clare Devine
1. Emmerdale star confirms Robert Sugden future
Emmerdale star Ryan Hawley shared great news with fans this week by announcing a long-term future for Robert Sugden following his return to the show.
In an interview on ITV's Lorraine, Ryan reassured fans that he's back as Robert on a permanent basis – and had even been briefed on explosive storylines due to air for the rest of the year.
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"It's such a good year going forward," he promised. "I know – kind of towards the end of the year, I've been told.
"I'm honestly so excited [over] where the show's going. It just feels like a great time to be involved in it."
Robert returned to prison in Friday's episode but will reappear on screen in the coming weeks.
Read the full story: 9 things you need to know about Emmerdale's Robert Sugden return
2. EastEnders character recast
EastEnders bosses have brought in a new actor to play Max and Tanya's son Oscar Branning.
Newcomer Pierre Moullier has been spotted filming scenes in the role of Oscar this week.
The revelation follows reports that Max will also be returning to the soap later this year.
Read the full story: EastEnders set to recast past character in Max Branning return plot
3. Casualty to wave goodbye to Holby
Casualty's long-term future was revealed this week, as an official BBC document revealed plans to shift the show's fictional universe away from the current location of Holby.
Plans are being made to centre the show around "a new Welsh hospital" as part of the BBC's broader ambitions to better represent all areas of Britain. The show will continue to film at the BBC's Roath Lock studios in Cardiff.
Firm storyline details won't be revealed for a while yet, but it's expected that familiar faces will make the move to the new hospital.
Read the full story: 7 things you need to know about Casualty's huge shake-up – from location change to new characters
4. Coronation Street to air Eileen Grimshaw's final scenes
Coronation Street has officially announced that Eileen Grimshaw's final scenes will air on Friday 6 June.
Eileen leaves the cobbles to start a new life in Thailand, after her son Jason invites her to move there with him and invest in his bar business.
George Shuttleworth is keen to go with Eileen, but is there really any future for their relationship now that Eileen has confessed that she doesn't want to marry him?
Read the full story: Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver confirms Eileen's exit plot after 25 years
5. Casualty star joins Emmerdale
Former Casualty star Jaye Griffiths has joined the cast of Emmerdale, playing new farmer Celia.
No-nonsense Celia is introduced later this month, as she visits Moira Dingle and asks to rent two of her fields.
Later, when one of Celia's guard dogs viciously attacks Paddy Kirk, the new character's reaction provides an alarming glimpse of her true nature...
Read the full story: Emmerdale casts Casualty star Jaye Griffiths as "tough" and "mysterious" new farmer
6. Joe Absolom joins Emmerdale
Former EastEnders actor Joe Absolom is also joining Emmerdale this summer, playing Mackenzie Boyd's old contact Ray.
Ray turns up at Butler's claiming that he's selling farm machinery, but the reality is that he's dealing drugs. The new character has a "menacing streak" which threatens to cause trouble for the villagers.
"We are thrilled to welcome Joe Absolom to the cast. It's fantastic to have such a high calibre and immensely talented actor join our wonderful team to play the role of Ray," producer Laura Shaw said.
Read the full story: Emmerdale casts former EastEnders star for "menacing" new Mackenzie plot
7. Home and Away's ruthless new police sergeant
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor has re-joined the cast of Home and Away, playing a new character.
The actor previously appeared as Dylan Carter on the show, but he'll now be portraying tough police sergeant David Langham.
David puts Cash through his paces at work, complaining about his unprofessional behaviour.
He also has a bombshell connection to Summer Bay – he's Lacey Miller's father!
Read the full story: Home and Away confirms new police sergeant as Jeremy Lindsay Taylor joins cast
8. Hollyoaks drama for Clare Devine
Hollyoaks star Gemma Bissix has promised a very exciting future for her character Clare Devine now that she's back from the dead!
Clare is set to cause chaos in the village after being revealed as the elusive Mrs Banks in this week's episodes.
"As she’s secretly been the top dog, Clare has been watching Grace all these years, and her sister wasn’t aware," Gemma told us in an exclusive chat.
"At the beginning, Clare is quite cold to Grace, as she just wants to get her money and get back out there. But what’s great is there’s going to be a lot of backstory about Clare and Grace, which we’ve never known before."
Read our exclusive interview: Hollyoaks star Gemma Bissix breaks silence on Clare’s shocking return
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