And we’re off!
Soap fans: your time has come!
We’re celebrating the best of the best from EastEnders, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and more as we hand the power to you, the fans, to choose your favourite soap character from last year in our Soap Champion tournament.
The competition will be fierce but there can only be one winner, so it’s vital you get voting to ensure your favourite makes it through to the next round!
Voting in Round 1 is now open, with the shortlist of 28 characters (chosen by RadioTimes.com‘s soap aficionados) split into seven groups.
Remember: only the top two from each group go through to Round 2.
The polls close at 5pm and votes are unlimited, meaning every second counts.
It’s a virtual tug-of-war as fandom goes up against fandom, so pick your teams and get ready to support them all the way to the Final.
Group 1 is Brits vs Aussies as Emmerdale’s Liv Dingle, Coronation Street‘s Toyah Habeeb and Home and Away characters Marilyn Chambers and Tane Parata battle it out for two available spots in the next round.
Group 2 features Faith Dingle, Al Haskey, Ben Mitchell and Toadie Rebecchi.
In Group 3, Kelly Neelan, Neighbours‘ Mike Young, EastEnders’ Mick Carter and Doctors’ Scarlett Kiernan face off for places in Round 2.
Group 4 pits Abi Webster, Meena Jutla, Dean Thompson and Susan Kennedy against each other.
Meanwhile, Group 5 is a battle for popularity between Emma Reid, Marlon Dingle, Lola Pearce and Mackenzie Hargreaves.
Our sixth group is Felicity Newman vs Sid Sumner vs Bobby Costello vs Imran Habeeb.
And last but certainly not least, Verity Hutchinson, Bear Sylvester, Suki Panesar and Misbah Maalik go toe-to-toe in Group 7.
Use your unlimited votes wisely to see your favourite through to Round 2.
To really secure them a place in the next round, though, you’re going to need to band together with your fellow fans. Join in the fun by getting involved on social media.
Follow @RadioTimes on Twitter and Instagram, and tweet along with the hashtag #TVChampion.
And if you need a reminder of how the tournament works and when the next round of voting opens, check out the below:
See how the tournament will progress and the path your favourite will need to take to make it through and be crowned Soap Champion… 👑 #TVChampion pic.twitter.com/SqyIGSGQhW
— Radio Times (@RadioTimes) March 16, 2023
There’s no time like the present, so get voting!
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