We Love Soaps TV Compilation: Jo Weil Interviews 2010-2015

We Love Soaps TV (and affiliate Serial Scoop Now) interviewed German soap opera star Jo Weil (Verbotene Liebe) four times between 2010 and 2015 when he visited New York City. Check out all our interviews in the compilation video below.

Peter Benson Dead at 75

Heartbeat actor Peter Benson died on September 6 after a short illness. He was 75.

He was known for playing the North Yorkshire-based drama's funeral director in all of the show's 18 series during its run from 1992 to 2010.

His character also ran a garage in the fictional town of Aidensfield and often got involved in disastrous money-making schemes with Claude Greengrass (Bill Maynard) and half-brother Vernon Scripps (Geoffrey Hughes).

Benson also made appearances in BBC comedy Blackadder as Henry VII, ITV 1980s soap opera Albion Market and more recently in two episodes of hospital drama Casualty.

Jessica Falkholt Dead at 29

Australian soap opera actress Jessica Falkholt died Wednesday at age 29, six days after being taken off life support following a devastating crash that killed three of her family members.

Falkholt, who starred as Hope Morrison on Home and Away, died in a Sydney hospital three weeks after a two-car collision that killed her sister, Annabelle, and her parents, Lars and Vivian Falkholt. The driver of the other vehicle, Craig Whitall, 50,was killed instantly in the crash the day after Christmas.

Jodie Whittaker Revealed as New Star of 'Doctor Who'

Actress Jodie Whittaker will be the new Doctor Who, BBC America and BBC announced on Sunday. She will be the Thirteenth Time Lord and take over from Peter Capaldi who leaves the global hit show at Christmas.

New head writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall who takes over from Steven Moffat on the next series made the decision to cast the first ever woman in the iconic role.

Jodie Whittaker says: "I'm beyond excited to begin this epic journey - with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet. It's more than an honor to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can't wait."

Chris Chibnall, New Head Writer and Executive Producer says: "After months of lists, conversations, auditions, recalls, and a lot of secret-keeping, we're excited to welcome Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. I always knew I wanted the Thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we're thrilled to have secured our number one choice. Her audition for The Doctor simply blew us all away. Jodie is an in-demand, funny, inspiring, super-smart force of nature and will bring loads of wit, strength and warmth to the role. The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way."

Peter Capaldi says: "Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker's work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm. She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She's going to be a fantastic Doctor."

Sarah Barnett, President of BBC America says: "The fact that there was so much interest in, quite literally, 'Who?' speaks volumes about the enduring power of the Doctor Who franchise around the world and for BBC America viewers. We couldn't be happier to welcome the remarkable Jodie Whittaker as a history making Thirteenth Doctor and look forward to the continuation of this story."

Roy Barraclough Dead at 81

Coronation Street legend Roy Barraclough died on June 1 at age 81 after a short illness.

A star of the stage and screen, Barraclough was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy in the ITV soap. He played Alec for 22 years in total, eventually leaving in 1998.

A devastated Julie Goodyear, played Barraclough’s onscreen wife Bet Lynch, paid tribute to her longtime co-star.

"I have no words to describe how devastated I feel," she said. "We kept in close touch and spoke to each other at least 2 or 3 times every week. I will treasure all the happy times we had working and laughing together. We were just like a married couple, crazy, I know, but true."

NEWS: British Soap Awards, Rob Mallard, Bill Hayes, 'In Our Lifetime,' Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon'

Emmerdale's depiction of Ashley Tinsley's dementia helped the soap
win six British Soap Awards.

Below is a round-up of recent soap opera news.

* Emmerdale was named Best British Soap and picked up five other trophies at Saturday night's British Soap Awards.

* Coronation Street's Rob Mallard (who plays Daniel) thanked boyfriend Daniel Brocklebank (Billy) in his Best Newcomer speech: "Even though this is fantastic, Dan you're still the best thing I've taken home!”"

* An Indian soap opera that is shattering social taboos - from domestic violence and acid attacks to menstruation and child marriage - has become one of the most watched series in the world, attracting over 400 million viewers, according to Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon producers.

* On the new documentary about the life of Days of our Lives star Bill Hayes (Doug), wife Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) says, "I think it allows the viewer of his biography to see who Bill Hayes is, and meet the man I fell in love with and that his co-worker fell in love with that perhaps they don’t know."

* Religious differences reared their ugly head during Friday’s funeral for an Indonesian soap opera actress Yana Zein, who died on Thursday at the age of 44. Her Russian mother, Swetlana Zein, wanted a Christian funeral for Yana, whom she claimed was a Christian. But just before the coffin was closed, Yana’s father, Nurzaman, who is divorced from Swetlana, came to the funeral home and stopped the rites, arguing that Yana was a Muslim and thus Muslim rites should be performed for her.

* Drugs. Alcohol. Sabotage. Backstabbing. Inappropriate relationships. It’s exactly the type of drama you’d expect from a daytime television show. Except in this case, the show is on YouTube, the resident Queen Bee is a 14-year-old girl, and her kingdom is a private school. The show? “In Our Lifetime” — a 30-minute drama, In Our Lifetime, produced in Atlanta.

British Soaps Coming to the United States Via BritBox

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and ITV, the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster, today announced a new joint venture that sees the two British content powerhouses combine forces to launch BritBox, an ad-free subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, in the U.S. during Q1, 2017. AMC Networks, which has a joint venture with BBC Worldwide for cable channel BBC AMERICA, is investing in BritBox with a non-voting minority interest. BBC Worldwide and ITV share an equal majority stake in the joint venture.

This unique streaming service will celebrate the very best of British TV, and offer the most comprehensive SVOD collection of British content in the market today. For decades, BBC and ITV have produced iconic British television series, and for the first time these shows will be combined in a single, curated service allowing fans to find the classic shows they love and discover new hit series.

The BritBox proposition will feature:

* An array of drama premieres never-before-seen in the U.S., including New Blood, from acclaimed novelist Anthony Horowitz, Tutankhamun, The Moonstone, and In The Dark, from BAFTA award-winning writer Danny Brocklehurst (Ordinary Lies). Also, season premieres of drama favorites Cold Feet and Silent Witness.

* The “Now” category will feature an amazing selection of soaps and series that will be available as soon as 24 hours after their UK broadcast, including much-loved titles Eastenders, Emmerdale and Holby City.

* A British classics collection from ITV and the BBC, featuring iconic period dramas Brideshead Revisited, Pride and Prejudice, and Upstairs Downstairs; political thriller State of Play; murder mystery series Inspector Morse and Rosemary and Thyme; favorite sitcoms Keeping Up Appearances and Fawlty Towers; and much more.

Andrew Sachs Dead at 86

Andrew Sachs

British actor Andrew Sachs died on November 23 at the age of 86, the UK's Press Association reported.

Sachs was reported to have suffered from vascular dementia for four years before his death. He was buried on Thursday, December 1.

"It wasn't very pleasant," his wife Melody told the Daily Mail. "It didn't get really bad until quite near the end. I nursed Andrew, I was there for every moment of it."

Born in Germany, Sachs' parents fled Nazi persecution of the Jews by moving to the United Kingdom, where their son eventually became a well-known actor and comedian.

Apart from his iconic role as bumbling waiter Manuel on Fawlty Towers, Sachs appeared in numerous radio adaptations and children's television series, as well as narrating audio books, including C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" series.

British soap fans will also remember the late actor for his memorable stints in both Coronation Street and EastEnders.

Back in 2008, Sachs played Ramsay Leonard Clegg, the half brother of Corrie stalwart Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden), a run which lasted 27 episodes.



In 2015, he appeared in EastEnders as Cyril, a patient on the same ward as Stan Carter (Timothy West).

Australian Actor Peter Sumner Dead at 74

Peter Sumner

Peter Sumner, who played Lieutenant Pol Treidum in the original Star Wars, has died after a long illness, The Sidney Morning Herald reported. He was 74.

In the 1977 movie, Treidum notices that two stormtroopers are not at their assigned stations and says into an intercom: “TK-421, why aren’t you at your post? TK-421, do you copy?” Later, he’s punched by Chewbacca and driven backward.

That alone made him a favorite at sci-fi conventions and the recipient of thousands of letters from fans over the years.

Sumner returned as Treidum in the 1999 Star Wars fan film The Dark Redemption. He was the only actor from the original to reprise his role.

During his busy five-decade career, Sumner also appeared in Tony Richardson’s Ned Kelly (1970), starring Mick Jagger; worked on the kids show Play School; and had regular roles on such series as Spyforce and Cluedo.

His Australian soap opera credits included Neighbours (as Ewan O'Brien), Heartbreak High (as Les Bailey) and Home and Away (as Edward Dunglass Snr.).

Survivors include his wife Lynda and children Luke, Kate and Joanna.

Robert Vaughn Dead at 83

Robert Vaughn

Actor Robert Vaughn, best known for playing Napoleon Solo on the NBC spy drama The Man From U.N.C.L.E., died surrounded by his family after battling acute leukemia, his manager Mathew Sullivan said in a statement. He was 83.

"Mr. Vaughn passed away at 7:30 this morning," Sullivan said, calling Vaughn "a great human being and a great actor."

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. aired from 1964-68 and made Vaughn one of TV's biggest stars.

Before moving to the small screen, Vaughn got his start in the movies as an extra on The Ten Commandments in 1956. Three years later he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for "The Young Philadelphians," and played a gunman in the classic 1960 film The Magnificent Seven.

But it was The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that made Vaugh a household name. An immediate hit when it debuted it 1964, the show ran until 1968, part of an avalanche of secret-agent movies and TV shows touched off by the James Bond craze.

Vaughn's character teamed with a soft-spoken, Russian-born agent played by Scottish actor David McCallum. U.N.C.L.E. stood for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.

His later TV credits included Emerald Point N.A.S. (as Harlan Adams), As the World Turns (as Rick Hamlin), One Life to Live (as Bishop Corrington) and Coronation Street (as Milton Fanshaw).

The actor is survived by wife Linda, son Cassidy and daughter Caitlin.

Alan Devereux Dead at 75

Alan Devereux

Alan Devereux, who played the role of Sid Perks in British radio soap opera The Archers for nearly 47 years, died on May 29. He was 75.

Devereux landed the role of teenage tearaway Sid in September 1963, and the character later went on to become the landlord of The Bull pub.

He remained on the show until the Sid’s death in 2010.

The Archers editor Sean O’Connor said, "Alan’s voice as Sid had a genuine sense of authenticity to it - instantly recognizable and full of rich character. He arrived in the village just as the sixties took off and when Archers writer Edward J. Mason observed that the program should reflect the real world ‘that does include vulgarity, that does include sex, that does include strong language and that does include violence…a world in which values are constantly changing, in which the youth culture is dominating and in which coziness plays no part.’ Sid – and his wife Polly- were very much part of this agenda for the program to keep up with the rapid social changes of the times.

Former editor Vanessa Whitburn added: “Alan was a consummate and brilliant radio actor. Always a delight to work with, his versatility as publican Sid Perks meant that he created superb partnerships with the actresses who played all three of his wives. A modest man, I don’t think he knew just how talented he was.”

Devereux's character was involved in one of the show’s most controversial moments, when Sid had sex in the shower with Jolene in 2000, with the pair later going on to marry.

Devereux's real-life daughter, Tracy Jane White, also appeared on The Archers, playing Sid’s offspring Lucy for over 10 years.

Australian TV Exec Behind 'Neighbours' Reg Grundy Dead at 92

Reg Grundy

Reg Grundy, the television producer behind the Australian soap opera Neighbours, has died at his home in Bermuda at age 92.

Grundy's production company also created many of Australia's other biggest TV shows, including The Young Doctors and Prisoner, called Prisoner: Cell Block H in the UK and elsewhere.

He developed Neighbours in the 1980s, with head of drama Reg Watson. The popular soap is still running today.

The Reg Grundy Organisation, founded in 1959, produced many of Australia's most-popular television shows. It has since been bought and is now known as FremantleMedia Australia.

'EastEnders' Actress Louise Plowright Dead at 59

Louise Plowright as Julie Cooper in EastEnders. Photo: BBC

Former EastEnders actress Louise Plowright died on March 1 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 59.

Plowright was most widely known for her role as the hairdresser Julie Cooper on EastEnders, in which she appeared regularly for nine months in 1989-90. She is also remembered for her portrayal of Donna in the West End show "Mamma Mia."

She played Madame Morrible in the musical "Wicked" but was forced to pull out after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013. The death was announced on a Facebook page raising money for cancer treatment and confirmed by "Wicked."

“Dear wonderful supporters of Louise," it reads. "I am so sorry to have to let you know what an hour ago we lost Louise to that horrid disease. All of her family were with her. The world has lost a truly special person, prodigiously talented, and a friend to all. Can I thank all of you who joined us in this battle and who helped Louise to have hope.”

Her talent agency paid tribute to Plowright on Twitter, writing: “Our darling Louise Plowright. Now out of pain and in a better calmer place. Sadly missed and hugely loved forever.”

'Coronation Street' Creator Tony Warren Dead at 79

Tony Warren

Coronation Street creator Tony Warren died on Tuesday, March 1. He was 79.

Warren's death was announced by the ITV television network, which did not say where he died or specify the cause.

Coronation Street has been on the air for 56 years, and its fans have included royalty, poets, rappers and millions of viewers around the world. Prince Charles once made a cameo appearance, and the poet laureate John Betjeman compared the show to the novels of Charles Dickens.

Warren was a 24-year-old actor when he had the idea for a television series set on a working-class street in northwestern England, where he had grown up. He wrote the initial 13-episode run, which led the network to picking up the show.

Coronation Street appeared in the United States on public television in the early 1970s and on the USA cable network in the 1980s, and more recently was available on Amazon’s streaming service.

Bodies of Former 'EastEnders' Actress Sian Blake and Her Children Found, Police Confirmed They Were Murdered (Updated)

Sian Blake

Police have confirmed that three bodies found in the garden of former actress Sian Blake are those of the former EastEnders star and her two children. The remains of Sian Blake, 43, and her sons Zachary Bilal Kent-Blake, 8, and Amon Ben George Kent-Blake, 4, were found at the family's south-east London home on January 6th.

Sian Blake, who had motor neurone disease, played homewrecker Frankie Pierre in the British soap between 1996 and 1997. Her character seduced cafe worker Alan Jackson, who left his wife Carol to be with her. After moving in with Alan, Frankie went on to try and seduce other EastEnders characters before leaving the show.

'The Bold and the Beautiful' Star Katherine Kelly Lang to Make Cameo on Australian Soap 'Neighbours' in March

Katherine Kelly Lang. Photo Credit: Freemantle Media

Longtime The Bold and The Beautiful star Katherine Kelly Lang has filmed a special cameo on Australian soap opera Neighbours.

Lang, who plays Brooke Logan on B&B, will appear as herself, passing through Erinsborough, joined on screen by Colette Mann (Neighbours' Sheila Canning).

“I am so excited to be on the longest-running television series in Australia, with so much history and drama," Lang said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to bringing some of The Bold and The Beautiful flair to the show.”

Neighbours producer Jason Herbison added: "Katherine is one of the queens of soap in the US and we are thrilled to have her appear in Neighbours. We will certainly give her the Ramsay Street red carpet experience."

Neighbours has a long history of celebrities appearing as themselves on the soap.

Lang's appearance will air in March 2016.

Colombian Soap Star Adriana Campos and Husband Killed in Car Crash, Leave Behind 1-Year-Old Son

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Colombian soap star Adriana Campos has died in a car crash, alongside her husband, Carlos Rincón. According to Noticias RCN, the couple was driving southwest of Colombia's Department of Antioquia when Rincón lost control of the automobile, causing the car to fall in río Cauca in jurisdicción de Bolombolo. Both bodies were taken to Salgar, Antioquia.

Campos, 36, was nominated for two Premios TV y Novela awards (the Latin equivalent of the Daytime Emmys) during the course of her 15-year career, which saw her star in telenovelas like Vecinos (Neighbors) and Bella Calamidades.

The couple leaves behind a 1-year-old son.

'Coronation Street' Actor Peter Baldwin Dead at 82

Peter Baldwin

Former Coronation Street actor Peter Baldwin has died at the age of 82 following a short illness, the British soap opera confirmed on Friday, October 23. The father-of-two, who passed away on Thursday night, was best known for his 21-year-stint playing Derek Wilton in the popular series.

“It is with great sadness we’ve learned respected former Coronation Street actor Peter Baldwin has died,” a statement on the Corrie website read. “Peter passed away at his home in north London last night after a short illness. We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends at this sad time.”

Baldwin joined the show in 1976, marrying Mavis Riley, played by Thelma Barlow, in 1988. He was written out of the show in 1997 when he had a heart attack after arguing with a driver in a road rage incident.

Riley-Carter Millington Joins 'EastEnders' as First Transgender Actor Playing Continuing Trans Role in a British Soap

Riley-Carter Millington

EastEnders has cast newcomer Riley-Carter Millington to play the part of Kyle, his casting being the first time a British television soap opera has ever had a transgender actor playing a transgender character in a continuing role.

The BBC1 soap's executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins announced earlier this year that he was creating a transgender character and expressed a determination to have a transponder actor in the role. A number of transgender actors submitted themselves for the role and, working alongside groups within the transgender community, EastEnders began workshops to find an actor.

Millington's debut scenes will air later this month, but little will be revealed until Riley's permanent return at the end of 2015.

"I am extremely excited to be joining EastEnders," the 21-year-old actor said. "I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams – to be living my life as a man and to be an actor. I cannot wait to really get stuck in with filming and I look forward to seeing what is in store for my character."

'Coronation Street' Goes Live Tonight, Part of ITV's 60th Anniversary Celebration

For the past two weeks, the cast of crew of British soap opera Coronation Street have been rehearsing in preparation for tonight's live episode. The hour-long episode will be shown at 7.30 p.m. in the UK as part of the ITV network's 60th anniversary celebration.

The episode will focus on David and Sarah Platt's desperate attempts to thwart Callum Logan and his plan to extort £20,000 from them. The backdrop to the tense drama at the Platts will be Lloyd and Andrea's leaving party in the Rovers, Roy's 61st birthday party at the cafe and his burgeoning relationship with Cathy. Meanwhile, there's a shock in store for Tim when he finds out about Kevin and Sally's illicit kiss.

After the episode fans will then also be treated to a special ITV2 show hosted by Stephen Mulhern interviewing cast as they come off air and revealing behind the scenes secrets.

Watch a trailer for the live Coronation Street episode below: