Who has been the most devious across soapland?

By Katelyn Mensah

Published: Monday, 13 May 2024 at 23:01 PM


The RadioTimes.com Soap Awards, sponsored by Inspired Villages, will be taking place on Saturday 13th July in Manchester and with the ceremony fast approaching, voting must begin!

Fans now have the chance to vote in six categories across soapland and this page contains the vote for Best Villain!

Who has shook you to your core or made you shout at your TV to stay away from our favourite character? Cast your vote below and make sure to keep this page bookmarked as you’ll be able to vote once every day.

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And the nominees for Best Villain are…

Todd Boyce (Stephen Reid), Coronation Street

Todd Boyce as Stephen Reid in Coronation Street wearing a brown jacket and white shirt, with a blue light in the background
Todd Boyce as Stephen Reid in Coronation Street.
ITV

The reign of terror Stephen Reid spread across the cobbles proved a nightmare for the residents of Weatherfield and Todd Boyce did a stellar job of bringing the serial killer to life.

From killing Leo Thompkins (Joe Frost) during a showdown on the factory gantry to then murdering Leo’s father Teddy Thompkins (Grant Burgin), who got too close to the truth, and finally killing Rufus Donahue (Steve Meo), who also sussed Stephen out, the killer met his demise at the end of ITV’s Super Soap Week and the cobbles were safe once again.

Will Mellor (Harvey Gaskell), Coronation Street

Will Mellor as Harvey Gaskell in Coronation Street wearing a black jacket outside the Rovers Return
Will Mellor as Harvey Gaskell in Coronation Street.
ITV

While Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor) wasn’t on the cobbles for long, he made sure the Coronation Street residents knew not to mess with him and those who crossed him would pay.

After striking up a nefarious deal with Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) to exonerate him for the murder of Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac) in return for Harvey getting rid of Damon Hay (Ciarán Griffiths) for good, his plan backfired and saw Damon back in prison with his brother and a violent fight ensued.

Navin Chowdhry (Nish Panesar), EastEnders

Navin Chowdhry as Nish Panesar in EastEnders
Navin Chowdhry as Nish Panesar in EastEnders.
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) stormed onto Albert Square in 2022 and has established himself with fans as Nasty Nish, leaving viewers reeling with some of his behaviour.

In upsetting scenes, Nish has abused his ex-wife Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) and berated her after finding out she had been having an affair with Eve Unwin (Heather Peace). It wasn’t just his family who saw his vicious nature, with Nish coercively controlling and later attacking Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace).

He was recently thrown out of his home by his family, but fans can expect his return to Walford soon…

Matt Di Angelo (Dean Wicks), EastEnders

Matt Di Angelo as Dean Wicks in EastEnders
Matt Di Angelo as Dean Wicks in EastEnders.
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Having been away from Albert Square since 2016, Dean’s (Matt Di Angelo) return saw Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) in turmoil as her rapist tormented her each day. Dean also struck up a relationship with Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) but when he forcefully grabbed her arm in an argument, she punched him and their romance came to an end.

Dean still continued to worm his way in, using Jade (Elizabeth Green) to gain sympathy, and recently made Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) think she was having an episode when in actual fact, it was Dean withholding medicine from Jade, forcing her to become more sick despite her becoming healthier. Some would say, Dean has got his comeuppance after being charged with the murder of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and neglecting Jade.

Beth Cordingly (Ruby Fox-Miligan), Emmerdale

Beth Cordingly as Ruby Fox-Milligan, looking put out as she spies Caleb and Tracy in Emmerdale
Beth Cordingly as Ruby Fox-Milligan in Emmerdale.
ITV

Newcomer Beth Cordingly has found herself in the middle of plenty of drama as Ruby Fox-Miligan on Emmerdale recently. She stormed into the village as Caleb Miligan’s (William Ash) estranged wife and the chaos immediately began.

Ruby shocked viewers when she revealed to everyone that Tracy (Amy Walsh) and Caleb were having an affair… in the middle of Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and Tom’s (James Chase) wedding! Elsewhere in the village, which saw Ruby exiled from her new family, she elbowed Chas (Lucy Pargeter) in the chest, who had underwent a double mastectomy.

James Chase (Tom King), Emmerdale

James Chase as Tom King in Emmerdale. He is wearing a red hoodie
James Chase as Tom King in Emmerdale.
ITV

When Tom King swooped in as Belle Dingle’s knight in shining armour, fans thought the young Dingle would be getting her happy ending but in recent months, things have turned dark.

Before Christmas 2023, viewers saw Tom push Belle to the ground after she rejected his marriage proposal. After this, Belle proposed to Tom but the soap announced it would be exploring a domestic abuse storyline. So far, viewers have seen Tom attack Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) after growing jealous of his relationship with Belle. He also installed cameras in their home and a tracker on Belle’s phone to watch her at all times.

David Ames (Carter Shepherd), Hollyoaks

David Ames as Carter Shepherd on Hollyoaks. He is wearing a white shirt and black tie as he looks across at someone in a dimly lit room.
David Ames as Carter Shepherd on Hollyoaks.
Lime Pictures

Carter Shepherd (David Ames) has wreaked havoc across the Hollyoaks village after being brainwashed into believing that being gay is a sin, which has led to him enrolling student Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis) into conversion therapy.

It all came to a head when the school headteacher plotted to attack the local Pride festival, which got him arrested, but we already know the soap baddie won’t be gone for long…

Glynis Barber (Norma Crow), Hollyoaks

Glynis Barber as Norma Crow on Hollyoaks. She is dress in all black clothing and is looking ahead. She has blonde hair that is combed over.
Glynis Barber as Norma Crow on Hollyoaks.
Lime Pictures/Channel 4

Known as The Undertaker, Norma Crow (Glynis Barber) is one of Hollyoaks’ most feared and iconic villains and you never know what side of her you may meet, but viewers have recently seen a softer side.

In the latest twist in her story, Norma admitted to killing Warren Fox’s (Jamie Lomas) father. Despite Warren initially thinking Norma placed him in care to pursue a life of crime, it was revealed she did this to protect him from his abusive father.

Norma admitted that she killed her ex-husband and buried him under the floorboards they were standing on!

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