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.

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."

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).

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.

'Coronation Street' Favorite Jean Alexander Dead at 90

Jean Alexander

Coronation Street actress Jean Alexander died on October 14, just three days after her 90th birthday. She passed away peacefully in her hospital bed after being admitted earlier in the week.

Famous for her headscarf and curlers in the role of Hilda Ogden, the actress spent 23 years on the soap as the archetypal working class Northern woman. The character was hard-edged busybody but furiously house-proud, particularly of the flying duck ornaments which adorned a mural - or "muriel", as Hilda told guests - in her front room.

Her niece, Sonia Herald, told the Daily Mirror the actress had been taken ill just as family and friends planned to celebrate her 90th last weekend.

"It is such a shock," she said. "She had been feeling a little poorly and had gone in for some tests." Alexander was discharged from hospital and allowed back to her care home, where she had lived since 2014 after suffering a minor stroke. "But on Tuesday she was still not too good and it was decided she might be better going back into hospital,’ Miss Herald said. I saw her last week and she seemed weak and a bit tired but this was still a shock. The hospital phoned me and said they were very sorry but Jean had passed away."

She first appeared in Coronation Street in 1961 as landlady Mrs. Webb, returning three years later as Hilda, and went on to win a Royal Television Society Award in 1985 for the role.

"It's unbelievable that people are still so fond of Hilda," she said after winning the poll. "We had so many wonderful individual characters when I was in the show, Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner come to mind, so to be picked out from amongst that crew is very, very flattering."

Famed for her catchphrase "Ta-ra, chuck", pub cleaner Hilda Ogden was unexpectedly taken to the UK's heart. A thorny relationship with husband Stan Ogden, played by Bernard Youens, helped the characters go down in British television history. After Stan's on-screen funeral - following Youens' death from a heart attack in 1984 - Alexander departed from the normal comic nature of her role. Hilda broke down at the sight of her late husband's abandoned spectacles, leaving viewers in tears themselves.

Alexander also played Aunty Wainwright, the money-grabbing local junk shop owner, on the long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, from 1988 to 2010.

She is survived by nieces, Sonia and Valerie, and her brother, Kenneth Hodgkinson.

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.

'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.

'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:

EXCLUSIVE: Catch up on Stuart St Paul's 'Shades of Bad' and Watch the Next Week's Episode Right Now!

New episodes of Shades of Bad are released every Sunday.

Stuart St Paul is an internationally acclaimed award winning action movie director and stunt coordinator. His impressive career includes a 26 year stint at popular UK soap Emmerdale, and a long list of credits including Band Of Gold, Casualty, The Bill, Red Riding and Coronation Street. On the comedy side, he has worked on numerous series such as My Parents Are Aliens, We Are Klang and Grown Ups.

St Paul has now written and produced Shades of Bad, which combines elements of a continuing drama with dark comedy to achieve hilarious results. With episodes around three minutes long, released every Sunday, the production team is starting to stockpile episodes, ensuring the series will be around for the long haul. It's easy to watch, the story is fun, and the production values are solid.

Shades of Bad is the story of Doris Shades (Jean Heard), a scorned woman who tries to kill her cheating husband, fails, becomes a serial killer, drug dealer, is head hunted for worse, and played straight. Hysterical! And there's a twist each week that you won't see coming.

Deirdre Barlow Dies on 'Coronation Street' (Video)

William Roache stars as 

Coronation Street was Wednesday's most-watched show in the UK as 6.3 million tuned in for Deirdre Barlow's death. Actress Anne Kirkbride played the role of Deirdre for 42 years, until her death on January 19, 2015.

In the episode, Deirdre's pal Bev (Susie Blake) returned to Weatherfield to deal the crushing news to Ken (Bill Roache) and Deirdre's daughter, Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford), as the pair were finalizing plans for her welcome home party.

Roache is the longest running actor in the same role in soap opera history, breaking Don Hastings' run of nearly 50 consecutive years shortly after As the World Turns finished its run in 2010.

Watch the Barlows learn about Deirdre's death below:

Want To Try A Foreign Soap? Three British Soaps to Get Hooked On!

If you are looking for another soap to get seriously addicted to, but want something a little bit different, watching soaps from other countries is a great option. You can get the same regular dose of drama and discover a whole new host of interesting characters, but also get an idea of what life is like in a faraway place (or at least, what life is 'sort of like', through the soap lens!).

Obviously if you want to watch in English without subtitles, then soaps from English speaking countries are the way to go. While there are famous soaps from countries like Australia (Neighbours and Home & Away being the most popular), some of the world's biggest English language soaps come from the UK. With a good internet and TV package (you can find reviews of great packages at satellitetvcable.com), it is easier than ever to watch TV shows from around the world, so why not check out one of these three big UK soaps?

Coronation Street

Coronation Street, or 'Corrie' as it is affectionately known in England, is the oldest running UK soap, and has aired without a single hiatus since the 1960's. It has, of course, moved with the times, and also increased from one episode per week when it started to having a new 30 minute episode aired most days. It is set in a small town just outside of the well known Northern English city of Manchester, and a lot of the drama centers around the long running families and businesses who live there. Coronation Street has had some famous and groundbreaking storylines, and while it is known for its humor too, can often have some high drama with storylines including typical soap fare like betrayal, murder and romance.

Eastenders

Eastenders is the second longest running soap, and is made by the BBC. It has been competing with Corrie for popularity since it started in the early 80's, and is one of the best loved shows among Brits, with even people who 'don't like soaps' admitting to knowing what is happening in this prime time show. Set in London, Eastenders can often be quite gritty and often features crime based storylines as well as complicated ongoing family dramas. It can also be very funny, and of course gives you a chance to pick up some cool London slang terms!

Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks is a soap that is typically popular mostly with the 'twentysomething' demographic, and has a more glamorous feel than Coronation Street or Eastenders, with lots of good looking young people involved in all kinds of dramatic and intriguing stories. It is made by Channel 4, and if you have ever watched and enjoyed other Channel 4 shows that have made it across the Atlantic like Skins or Misfits chances are you'll love Hollyoaks!

Watching soaps from other countries can be really fun, and you'll quickly notice how the style of soap acting and writing differs between these UK shows and our own most popular soaps. Check them out!

British Soap Awards 2015 Winners List: 'EastEnders' Named Best Soap

EastEnders was named Best Soap at the British Soap Awards on Saturday.
Photo Credit: ITV/Kieron McCarron

The winners of the British Soap Awards 2015 were announced on Saturday night in a ceremony at Manchester Palace Theatre. EastEnders took home eight awards to lead all shows, and was named Best British Soap. Below is a complete list of winners, and the other nominees in each category.

BEST BRITISH SOAP
Winner: EastEnders

Other nominees:
Coronation Street
Doctors
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale), EastEnders

Other nominees:
Coronation Street: Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald)
Coronation Street: David Neilson (Roy Cropper)
EastEnders: Danny Dyer (Mick Carter)
Emmerdale: Michael Parr (Ross Barton)

'EastEnders' Live Week of Revelations Trailer

EastEnders premiered on February 19, 1985. Since then it has been responsible for creating memorable characters such as Nasty Nick, Dirty Den, Peggy Mitchell, and many more. Now EastEnders is marking 30 years of drama in Albert Square with a special week of live shows.

As part of the BBC soap's 30th anniversary celebrations, all of the episodes airing this week will include live elements, while Friday's 30-minute episode will be fully live.

As the net closes in on the suspects, there's nowhere left to hide for the killer of Lucy Beale. A killer will be exposed on Thursday, February 19th.

Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins told The Guardian: "I probably shouldn't say this but I think probably we have to accept that audiences will be slightly disappointed if nothing goes wrong.

"Obviously we will do everything to make sure it doesn't but the possibility is there. It becomes like a performance of a play - lines can be slipped and cues missed. But that's part of the live experience."

Watch a trailer for "The Week of Revelations" below:

Watch the 'EastEnders' Halloween Trailer

A promo for the upcoming Halloween episodes on British soap EastEnders asks, "Do You Believe In Ghosts?" Two Albert Square regulars are left unsettled after spooky encounters.

Unaware that her son's death was a ruse, Dot (June Brown) becomes convinced that she has seen Nick's (John Altman) ghost after catching sight of Nick through the window.

Meanwhile, Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) pursues a masked figure who has been watching her from across the street. As Lauren pulls off the person’s weeping angel disguise to expose their identity, who will she find looking back at her?

Watch the promo below: