DALE STAR: HANDS OFF OUR PLOTS
Actor blasts copycat rivals
EMMERDALE star Dominic Brunt has sparked a soap war by taking a pop at rivals EastEnders and Coronation Street for nicking their ideas.
The actor – who plays Paddy Kirk – claims his show has such great plots that Corrie and EastEnders have been stealing them.
After winning eight gongs at the Inside Soap Awards earlier this week, The Dales is riding high. The show also won Best Soap at the Baftas, the National TV Awards and The British Soap Awards this year.
Dominic said: “We modernised everything six years ago. It took a while for everyone to catch up but you can see Corrie and EastEnders nicking the pace of Emmerdale.
“It’s flattering they ® are nicking ideas!” Similar storylines include EastEnders staging a horror bus crash in Albert Square in April this year, six months after a crash in The Dales. Meanwhile, Corrie’s Robert Preston is set to be diagnosed with testicular cancer, which happened with Emmerdale’s David Metcalfe last year. Last night Corrie declined to comment. An ITV source said: “Emmerdale and Corrie have the same head of production and the same senior executive who attend long-term story conferences for both shows and ensure the same stories are not replicated.” EastEnders declined to comment. An Emmerdale source added: “Dominic’s comments came from Inside Soap Awards and were said in a jokey way.”