Coronation Street to defend crown

Vera Duckworth's death was a ratings winner for Coronation Street this year

ITV1's long-running show Coronation Street will defend the prize it collected a year ago for best soap at the Inside Soap Awards in September.

The ceremony in 2007 saw the programme picking up that trophy for the first time in a decade, beating EastEnders.

Coronation Street will compete against EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Home and Away and Neighbours in a total of 12 different categories.

The winners will be decided by readers of Inside Soap magazine.

They will vote for categories such as best actor, actress, storyline, couple, newcomer and funniest performance, among others.

The prizes will be held in London on 29 September.

'Blockbuster plots'

Best actor nominees include Coronation Street's Jack P Shepherd (David Platt), EastEnders' Jake Wood (Max Branning) and Emmerdale's Kelvin Fletcher (Andy Sugden).

Hollyoaks' Chris Fountain, Home and Away's Ray Meagher (Alf Stewart) and Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson) from Neighbours are also up for that prize.

In the best actress category, Coronation Street's Kym Ryder (Michelle Connor) is against EastEnders' Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning) and Emmerdale's Charlotte Bellamy (Laurel Thomas).

Other nominees include Hollyoaks' Jessica Fox (Nancy Hayton), Home and Away's Lynne McGranger (Irene Roberts) and Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kinski) of Neighbours.

Steven Murphy, who edits Inside Soap, said the past year had "seen some of soap's most blockbuster plots ever".

"From the explosive reveal of Max and Stacey's affair in EastEnders to David Platt's reign of terror in Coronation Street, it's been a rollercoaster ride.

"The year has also seen Emmerdale tug at our heartstrings with its baby-swap storyline, and Hollyoaks prove itself to be a real contender, with record ratings and a string of hard-hitting storylines."