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.