5 MINUTES WITH...
This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield, 58, who’s narrating a programme honouring highlights from The British Soap Award’s 21 years on air…
You’ve presented the awards since 2006? It’s a fun show to host because all the actors there are just so wonderful – and you meet many of them throughout the year because they come on This Morning. It’s one of the weirdest things for me to walk on to that stage and look into the audience – and there’s all of Soapland looking back at you.
Were you nervous the first time? I was really nervous – it was daunting to stand in front of Britain’s top soap stars. I think I got into everyone’s good books because before we started filming, I said I’d get them into the after-show celebration party as quick as possible.
Do you enjoy the live aspect?
It was a big move for us to shift from pre-recorded to live a few years ago. It’s scary being live, because you have to make sure you have enough time left for the last award.
2020 is very different, of course. This year, like so many other things in the annual diary, The British Soap Awards couldn’t happen. The team wanted to do something to celebrate the soaps and what they’ve done with this documentary celebrating 21 years is really compelling. Viewers can look forward to some brilliant montages – and a really funny, compelling and great historical look at life in the soaps, and the moments from the awards that we won’t forget…
Such as…?
I think one of my funniest moments was when Cagney and Lacey (Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless) presented the Best British Soap gong in 2018. We were running out of air-time and I was trying to wrap them up – but they were enjoying themselves, and I didn’t want to rush them...