EastEnders triumphs at soap awards

EastEnders scooped a mammoth seven gongs at the Inside Soap awards last night, including the prize for best soap, defying those who had suggested the

10:45 27 September 2005

EastEnders scooped a mammoth seven gongs at the Inside Soap awards last night, including the prize for best soap, defying those who had suggested the Walford soap was all washed up.

The London-based show has been the subject of much speculation regarding its downturn in audience figures, with the likes of Dales-based Emmerdale making up ground on the long-time top dog of British soaps.

However, last night's glitzy bash saw the east Londoners come up trumps, with the smorgasbord of accolades vindicating long-running storylines such as the murder of Dirty Den.

Indeed, that particularly torrid thread, which saw Dirty Den Watts being finally put to bed by his wife Chrissie, won the award for best storyline.

And two of the soap's biggest departing assets, Letitia Dean and Nigel Harman, who play sibling on-screen lovers Sharon and Dennis, both won awards.

Harman justified his pin-up status by taking the award for best actor and sexiest male for the second year on the bounce.

Dean, meanwhile, took the sought-after gong for outstanding achievement, which is fair enough as on and off she has been playing the same tangerine Albert Squarite since EastEnders' inception in 1985.

"It's lovely, because I've been involved in the show for such a long time," she gushed.

The torrent of accolades just kept coming for the Enders, as the often comical on-screen chemistry between Jim and Dot Branning, played by June Brown and John Bardon, helped scoop best couple; and Tracy-Ann Oberman, who plays femme fatale Chrissie, won the prize for being the best dressed.

However, Coronation Street also enjoyed a predictably successful evening, as it scooped six awards including best actress for Sally Lindsay, who has had her work cut out playing the agoraphobic and downtrodden Shelley Unwin.

And Emmerdale didn't return to the cindered ruins of Home Farm empty-handed, as the raucous Dingles were named best family and Charley Webb, who plays Debbie Dingle, was named best young actor.