Coronation Street leads Inside Soap Awards with nine prizes

Coronation Street has triumphed at the Inside Soap Awards with nine prizes including the coveted best soap trophy.

More than 110,000 fans voted in the 2026 edition of the only awards based solely on the ballots of viewers, with Coronation Street named the best soap for a third year in a row during a ceremony on Monday in Manchester.

The ITV series also won the top performer prizes, with Vicky Myers named best actress for her portrayal of DS Lisa Connor-Swain, and Gareth Pierce taking best actor for playing Todd Grimshaw.

Gareth Pierce at the premiere of Corriedale (Danny Lawson/PA)

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He was at the heart of the year’s best storyline which shone a light on domestic abuse as Todd suffered abuse by his partner, Theo Silverton, played by James Cartwright.

Cartwright was named the best villain for his performance.

Myers and Alison King won the best partnership award for their characters Carla and Lisa Connor-Swain, while Jude Riordan won best young performer for playing Sam Blakeman.

Over the summer, his character suffered from psychosis before being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Jude Riordan (Ian West/PA)

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Daniel Brocklebank won the prize for best exit after his character, vicar Billy Mayhew, was left to burn alive in a van by Theo in the Coronation Street-Emmerdale crossover episode, Corriedale.

The collaboration between the two ITV soaps was named the best showstopper.

Emmerdale took five prizes including best comic performance and best newcomer, both claimed by Chris Coghill for his character Kev Barton, the estranged husband of Robert Sugden.

The Dingles won best family for a record seventh year in a row, with Waterloo Road’s Adam Thomas taking the best drama star award for the second time for his character Donte Charles.

Emmerdale veteran Claire King became the first inductee into the Inside Soap Awards Hall of Fame.

Claire King (Ben Whitley/PA)

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It comes three decades after she collected the biggest soap bitch and best soap plot trophies at the first Inside Soap Awards ceremony in 1996.

Former Brookside and Hollyoaks star Alex Fletcher was awarded the outstanding achievement trophy in recognition of her four decades in soaps, playing Jacqui Dixon and Diane Hutchinson.

EastEnders’ Diane Parish was named soap superstar of 2026 for her portrayal of Denise Fox and her moving blood cancer storyline.

Diane Parish (Danny Lawson/PA)

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Inside Soap editor Sarah Ellis said: “The soaps have proved to be an emotional watch in 2026.

“But these hard-hitting storylines offer our favourite actors the chance to do some of their most powerful work, and our readers are clearly engaging with those performances, as evidenced by the record number of votes we received this year.

“As the Inside Soap Awards celebrates 30 years, it’s great to see that our soaps are still going strong.”