Coronation Street swept the 2026 Inside Soap Awards in Manchester on Monday, winning eight awards including Best Soap for the third year in a row.
The ITV soap opera dominated the annual ceremony after more than 110,000 soap fans voted for their favourite shows and stars across major categories.
Coronation Street's hard-hitting domestic abuse storyline, which saw Todd Grimshaw tormented by his partner Theo Silverton, secured four individual accolades during the event.
Gareth Pierce was awarded Best Actor for his performance as Todd, while the domestic abuse plot was named Best Storyline.
James Cartwright, who played abuser Theo Silverton, received the Best Villain award for his performance in the storyline.
Daniel Brocklebank won Best Exit after his character, Billy Mayhew, was left to die by Theo during the Corriedale crossover episode in January.
Inside Soap editor Sarah Ellis praised the impact of Todd's storyline on viewers following the announcement.
"The heartbreaking story of Todd's abuse at the hands of his partner Theo really struck a chord with the audience, and won out against some really stellar work from the other soaps."
Major wins for Coronation Street cast
Coronation Street also earned accolades across leading performance and partnership categories at the ceremony.
Vicky Myers won Best Actress for her performance as Lisa Connor-Swain in the long-running television drama.
Alison King won Best Partnership alongside Vicky Myers for the blossoming romance between Carla and Lisa Connor-Swain.
Sarah Ellis noted that fan support for the on-screen couple remained strong throughout voting.
"Plus, the love for power couple Lisa and Carla Connor-Swain, aka Swarla, remains as strong as ever, making it a truly memorable year for our Best Soap winners."
Jude Riordan completed Coronation Street's tally of eight trophies by winning Best Young Performer for his portrayal of Sam Blakeman.
Emmerdale and Waterloo Road success
Emmerdale enjoyed a successful night at the awards, led by its long-running Dingle family.
The Dingle clan won Best Family for the seventh year in a row, continuing their winning streak in the category.
Emmerdale actor Chris Coghill won two awards on the night, taking home Best Newcomer and Best Comic Performance following his debut as Kev Barton last year.
The historic crossover episode between Coronation Street and Emmerdale, titled Corriedale, was named Best Showstopper of 2026.
Waterloo Road star Adam Thomas won the Best Drama Star award for the second time for his portrayal of Donte Charles.
Special honours for soap icons
Inside Soap presented special honors to several long-standing television stars during the ceremony.
Former Brookside and Hollyoaks star Alex Fletcher received the Outstanding Achievement trophy in recognition of her four decades in soap operas.
Fletcher previously played Jacqui Dixon in Brookside and Diane Hutchinson in Hollyoaks.
Emmerdale icon Claire King became the first inductee into the Inside Soap Awards Hall of Fame.
The honor came 30 years after King collected the Biggest Soap Bitch and Best Soap Plot trophies at the inaugural ceremony for playing Kim Tate.
"I remember when these Awards started 30 years ago, and I've gone from Best Bitch to the longevity award," King said. "Kim Tate has been such a huge part of my life, so I am very honoured to accept this Inside Soap Hall of Fame Award."
EastEnders star Diane Parish was named Soap Superstar of 2026 for her portrayal of Denise Fox in the BBC soap opera.
Readers praised Parish for handling her character's blood cancer storyline with grace and sensitivity during a beautiful and vulnerable performance.
Inside Soap editor Sarah Ellis reflected on the emotional stories featured across British television over the past year.
"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."
Complete breakdown of 2026 award categories
The Inside Soap Awards 2026 celebrated achievements across multiple flagship drama series.
Best Soap: Coronation Street won the award for Best Soap.
Best Actress: Vicky Myers won for her role as Lisa Connor-Swain in Coronation Street. The other nominees were Diane Parish as Denise Fox in EastEnders, Emma Atkins as Charity Dingle in Emmerdale, Alex Fletcher as Diane Hutchinson in Hollyoaks, and Emily Weir as Mackenzie Booth in Home and Away.
Best Actor: Gareth Pierce won for his role as Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street. Nominees included Paul Bradley as Nigel Bates in EastEnders, Jeff Hordley as Cain Dingle in Emmerdale, Danny Mac as Dodger Savage in Hollyoaks, and Ethan Browne as Tane Parata in Home and Away.
Best Comic Performance: Chris Coghill won for playing Kev Barton in Emmerdale. The nominee list featured Amy Robbins as Christina Boyd in Coronation Street, Pierre Counihan-Moullier as Oscar Branning in EastEnders, Nicole Barber-Lane as Myra McQueen in Hollyoaks, and Shane Withington as John Palmer in Home and Away.
Best Villain: James Cartwright won for his portrayal of Theo Silverton in Coronation Street. Fellow nominees were Ronni Ancona as Bea Pollard in EastEnders, Joe Absolom as Ray Walters in Emmerdale, Anna Passey as Sienna Blake in Hollyoaks, and Sara Wiseman as Kerrie Matheson in Home and Away.
Best Young Performer: Jude Riordan won for his role as Sam Blakeman in Coronation Street. The category also featured Max Murray as Joel Marshall in EastEnders, Amelia Flanagan as April Windsor in Emmerdale, Oscar Curtis as Lucas Hay in Hollyoaks, and Nathan Murray as Cohen Luthor in Home and Away.
Best Newcomer: Chris Coghill won for his role as Kev Barton in Emmerdale. Other nominees were Olivia Frances-Brown as Jodie Ramsey in Coronation Street, Pierre Counihan-Moullier as Oscar Branning in EastEnders, Tisha Merry as Gemma Johnson in Hollyoaks, and Jeremy Lindsay Taylor as David Langham in Home and Away.
Best Exit: Daniel Brocklebank won for his portrayal of Billy Mayhew in Coronation Street. Nominees included Paul Bradley as Nigel Bates in EastEnders, Joe Absolom as Ray Walters in Emmerdale, Alex Fletcher as Diane Hutchinson in Hollyoaks, and Lynne McGranger as Irene Roberts in Home and Away.
Best Family: The Dingles from Emmerdale won the category. The nominated families were The Driscolls from Coronation Street, The Brannings from EastEnders, The Hutchinsons from Hollyoaks, and The Fowlers from Home and Away.
Best Partnership: Alison King and Vicky Myers won for playing Carla and Lisa Connor-Swain in Coronation Street. Nominees included Steve McFadden and Paul Bradley as Phil Mitchell and Nigel Bates in EastEnders, Jeff Hordley and Natalie J Robb as Cain and Moira Dingle in Emmerdale, Kieron Richardson and Jonny Labey as Ste Hay and Rex Gallagher in Hollyoaks, and Ada Nicodemou and James Stewart as Leah Patterson and Justin Morgan in Home and Away.
Best Storyline: Todd's abuse at the hands of Theo in Coronation Street won the award. The category also nominated Nigel's dementia and final goodbye in EastEnders, Bear's modern slavery nightmare in Emmerdale, Diane's ovarian cancer in Hollyoaks, and Irene's Alzheimer's diagnosis in Home and Away.
Best Showstopper: Corriedale, the crossover between Coronation Street and Emmerdale, won the category. Fellow nominees were Nigel's 90s special in EastEnders, Return to Brookside Close in Hollyoaks, and The train crash in Home and Away.
Best Drama Star: Adam Thomas won for his role as Donte Charles in Waterloo Road. Nominees included Lindsey Coulson as Stella Drake in Waterloo Road, Elinor Lawless as Stevie Nash in Casualty, and William Beck as Dylan Keogh in Casualty.
