Soap Preview – 12 – 16 March

Coronation Street
Clearly all that drinking has gone to Peter Barlow's head (actually it's more likely to be those herbal cigarettes he has to smoke, since real ones were banned in the work place. Apparently they give you a terrible headache). Whatever is causing his befuddlement, he needs to clear his head. He decides to confess to Frank's murder because he wants to protect who he thinks is the real killer – Carla.

The evidence is certainly mounting up against Carla. The whisky bottle that killed Frank had her dainty prints all over it and the contract that signed the factory over to Frank has gone missing.

And when, at the start of the week, he finds Carla out of custody burning the missing contract he is not to know that it was Michelle who sneaked back into the factory on the night of the murder and stole it.

For poor drunk Peter, that's all the proof he needs and he's off down the cop shop to get it off his chest. (What is it about Carla that makes men do silly things? Even Frank took the rap when she ran over Stella – and he's an evil rapist. Sorry, he WAS an evil rapist.)

But Peter's confession won't wash for long. Carla doesn't believe it when she visits him in jail and finds him grumpy and uncommunicative but sporting a yellow bib. And when Leanne runs into his AA sponsor Howard, she discovers exactly where Peter was  - even if he can't remember. He was off his face at Howard's house and couldn't have been behind the killing. But with all their recent problems - will she go to the police? Or will she leave him to stew, smoking herbal cigarettes in jail? And anyway, we're no nearer to finding out the real killer - or are we? Really, it's obvious, isn't it? Come on, you know.

Also this week: Kylie sets up a micro business selling fish and chips to the school, where Brian has clamped down on fast food. When he finds out, there's a fight and someone gets covered in chips...

EastEnders
There might be an unlikely miscarriage of justice on ‘Corrie’ but it won't be as unlikely as what is happening to Phil in Walford nick. Despite having NO EVIDENCE at all to convict him apart from the worthless hearsay from his troubled son, it looks like Phil might go down for the murder of Stella. 

Worried despite the fact his lawyers must have told him there's NO EVIDENCE, Phil comes out of hiding, agrees to see Shirley and tells her he's going to plead guilty to manslaughter to get a reduced sentence. Being as Ben has told the police he was boasting about killing her and that is the only reason they've arrested him, why would they believe that? Perhaps because they've got NO EVIDENCE? Anyway, we're expected to believe that there's only one way out of this non-existent mess for Phil and that is for Ben to retract his statement.

Under pressure from Shirley, Ben goes to see Phil in prison but it doesn't persuade him to retract his statement to the police. However he does unburden himself slightly – by telling his brother Ian that everything he's said is a load of cobblers. Surely with Phil inside, Ian won't feel the need to do anything to save his sworn enemy, will he? That would make an already ridiculous plot even more stupid.

Also this week: Tanya takes an axe to her sofa when she discovers that she's got the all clear from cancer.

Emmerdale
The Bartons aren't having the best few weeks. First John gets crushed in a Land Rover, now Holly overdoses while chasing the dragon. And to top it all off, the man who rescues her is the one who started the whole thing – Cain Dingle.

Holly goes off the rails and tries to numb the pain of her dad's death by scoring some smack. She doesn't want to overdose, she just wants to get through the hurt. But of course, as she's been clean for a year, her tolerance is way down. And she's scored some junk that appears to be direct off the French Connection (apologies if our heroin slang is outdated).

So when she lights up just outside Cain's garage, she hits the deck. The last thing she sees before she passes out is a Dingle hanging before her eyes. Cain whips her off to the hospital, where her family are all delighted to see her recover.

And some of them even find it in their hearts to forgive Cain, when Holly tells them that he didn't give her the drugs in the first place. Holly certainly sees that he deserves a second chance. But Adam sees things differently and feels betrayed by his family softening towards his nemesis. There's revenge in his head.

Also this week: Sandy begins acting old but resists Ashley's attempts to ditch him at an old people's home.