2025 was another action-packed year for all our favourite soaps, with romance and relationships blossoming but also dark themes such as knife crime and grooming also being explored.
Once again, some of the best of British talent has been shining out from these long-running series, so here, as voted by you, are the results of the best of the soap world this year.
(Looking for the other categories? You can see the TV winners here and Movies winners here.
Soaps – Best Actor
1. Vicky Myers (Lisa Swain, Coronation Street)
2. Danny Miller (Aaron Dingle, Emmerdale)
3. Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster, Coronation Street)MCPIX/Zenpix
It’s the first of a couple of awards this year for Vicky Myers, who plays DSI Lisa Swain in Coronation Street, and who is in a relationship with Carla Connor. Taking second place is Emmerdale’s Danny Miller, who plays the troubled Aaron Dingle, while Sue Devaney won plaudits for her storyline in which her Corrie character, Debbie Webster, has been diagnosed with dementia.
Best New Casting
1. Bradley Riches (Lewis Barton, Emmerdale)
2. Pauline McLynn (Maggie Driscoll, Coronation Street)
3. Ryan Mulvey (Brody Michaelis, Coronation Street)
Some new faces really lifted the soap worlds this year, with Emmerdale’s first neurodivergent character, Lewis Barton – played by Bradley Riches – being voted the best of the bunch. He filmed a little message for the fans that you can see right here:
Former Father Ted star Pauline McLynn livened up the screen whenever she appeared as Maggie Driscoll in Corrie, while her co-star, Ryan Mulvey – who plays Brody Michaelis – came in at third place.
Best Soap
1. Coronation Street
2. Emmerdale
3. EastEnders
For the second year in a row, Coronation Street has been voted the best soap, followed by Emmerdale, and then EastEnders.
Saddest Soap Moment
1. Coronation Street: Mason’s knife crime tragedy
2. Coronation Street: Craig is killed by Mick
3. Emmerdale: The limo crash deaths
There were lots of weepy moments across the year in soaps, but the most tear-jerking was voted as Coronation Street’s Mason Radcliffe (Luca Toolan) being fatally stabbed by his brothers with a zombie knife. Another Corrie death – policeman Craig Tinker, killed by Mick Michaelis – took second place, and fans are still reeling from Emmerdale’s limo crash, and the resulting deaths.
Best Soap Storyline
1. Mason Radcliffe
2. Coronation Street: Debbie’s dementia
3. Emmerdale: John’s reign of terror
Mason’s murder in Corrie was so affecting for viewers, that it takes a second prize in the awards, with it also being voted the best soap storyline, shortly followed by Debbie Webster’s decline due to dementia.
A true soap villain is in third place, with John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) and his long, shopping-list of heinous crimes committed – murder, assault, poisoning and drugging to name just a few. But have we seen the last of him? This being soapland, we’d recommend the good people of Emmerdale keep a careful look out just in case…
Best Soap Couple
1. Carla Connor and Lisa Swain (Coronation Street)
2. Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden (Emmerdale)
3. Eve and Suki Panesar-Unwin (EastEnders)
It’s all love for Corrie’s Carla Connor and Lisa Swain, who pick up the prize for best soap couple, followed by the tumultuous romance of Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden in Emmerdale. In third place – and the third same-sex couple voted in the category – is ‘Enders’ Eve and Suki Panesar-Unwin.
OMG Soap Moment![from itvstrict embargo no use before 2100hrs monday 8th september 2025coronation street ep 1166566monday 8th september 2025becky swain [amy cudden]picture contact david.crook@itv.comphotographer danielle baguleythis photograph is (c) itv and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or itv plc. this photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by itv plc picture desk. this photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of itv picture desk. full terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms](https://www.newsbeep.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/embargoed-coronation-street-becky-swain-embargoed-9pm-monday-8-9-25-68bef9a4e9a8e.jpg "EMBARGOED Coronation Street Becky Swain EMBARGOED 9pm Monday 8:9:25.")
1. Coronation Street: Becky’s back to destroy Lisa and Carla
2. Emmerdale: Robert makes a surprise return
3. Coronation Street: Mason’s knife crime death
The question is, with all the high drama from the year, how do you even begin to narrow this category down?
The viewers have spoken though, and Becky Swain’s return from the dead in Corrie to destroy Carla and Lisa was voted the most jaw-dropping moment of the year in soaps.
Robert Sugden’s surprise return in Emmerdale took second place, while Mason Radcliffe’s murder in Coronation Street landed third place, and was the third time the harrowing event was commended in the awards.