'EastEnders' Summer Trailer Includes Gay Kiss

Ben and Paul share a kiss on EastEnders this summer.

British soap opera EastEnders has released a summer trailer packed full of drama, including a surprise gay kiss.

Jonny Labey joins the cast as Paul Coker, Les and Pam's grandson, and shakes thing up immediately. Paul sets his sights on Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid). Ben is in denial about his sexuality and can be seen pushed up against a wall in the trailer, being kissed by Paul.

Check out the trailer below for a sneak peek at what's ahead this summer:

NEWS: 'EastEnders' Ireland Spinoff; 'Devious Maids' Trims Cast; 'GH Now' Profitable; 'Revenge' Triple Threat

EastEnders' Kat and Alfie Moon are on their way to Ireland.

EastEnders six-part spin off to film in Ireland
Tthe BBC is planning a spinoff based on two of the show’s most popular characters, Kat Slater Moon and Alfie Moon, with the setting somewhere in Ireland. The six-part series doesn’t have a name, and will start filming in Ireland in the fall.

“In the next few weeks on EastEnders viewers will witness huge twists for Kat and Alfie that will change their lives forever. My team here are very excited about creating a whole new drama that stands apart from EastEnders while taking our style of storytelling to a place of stories, myth, secrets and immeasurable beauty,” the show’s executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, said.

Are the Irish still a punchline for British television shows?
With a new Irish-set EastEnders on the way, it remains to be seen whether British television has weaned itself off insultingly clichéd portrayals of Ireland.

Revenge Boss Previews Amanda's New Triple Threat as Season 4 Concludes
Showrunner Sunil Nayar advises viewers to keep an eye on Victoria, Margaux and Louise.

“Louise is someone who’s always looking for, not just love, but someone she can trust,” Nayar says of Nolan’s ex-to-be potentially joining forces with Victoria and Margaux. “Betrayal is a touchstone for her, and she’s learned a lot of new facts she didn’t know before — especially things that her husband didn’t tell her, like who Amanda Clarke actually was.”

'Born With Teeth,' Actress Kate Mulgrew On A Life Lived With Abandon
"I found myself pregnant at the age of 22 while I was playing Mary Ryan on a very popular soap opera called Ryan's Hope. And I immediately called my mother who was still in a passage of grief over the loss of her daughter Tessie, my sister Tess. ... I said to mother, 'This is going to be very difficult, Mom, but I have to tell you the truth: I'm pregnant.' '

"And she said, 'Well, that's too bad. You've made a big mistake, kitten, and now you're going to have to fix it. And the only way you can fix it is to give the baby up for adoption. So I think you should go over to Catholic charities and find a wonderful social worker who will guide you through this process and you will do the brave thing and you will give up this baby. So, kitten, pull yourself together and do what you know you need to do. You won't be the first and you certainly won't be the last — ' I think she said 'actress' who's ever given birth to an illegitimate child. So that was that."

ABC Gives Fans a Little Extra With GH Now!
“The investment was small enough that we deficit-financed it. We felt it was really worth it,” says Chris Thomes, vice president, Disney/ABC Digital Media Studio, Disney/ABC Television Group.

It took three months to complete taping since they worked around General Hospital's production schedule. ABC's digital platform is typically ad-supported, yet GH Now! held its own in terms of impressions. Pre-roll advertising helped make the project profitable.

Despite having no official renewal, feelers are already out for possible sponsors, but Thomes says new episodes are not contingent upon landing a sponsor.

“We’ll do this one way or another. It would be great to have a sponsor, and I’m sure we will, but I’m bullish on making this happen because the fans really, really enjoy it.”

Devious Maids Trims Regular Cast For Season 3
Edy Ganem and Drew Van Acker will no longer be regulars on the show but will both return for multiple episodes. Meanwhile, Mark Deklin, who joined as a new regular in Season 2, will not be coming back.

Sunday night survival guide: How to navigate this week's biggest TV events
Clear your DVR, check the batteries in your remote, and stock up on snacks that don’t make any noise when you eat them: You’ll need to be in peak TV-viewing form this Sunday, April 12, which promises to be even more packed with shows than your average Sunday night.

CW Orders Comedy Significant Mother to Series
The story follows Portland restaurateur Nate (Josh Zuckerman), whose world is turned upside down when he comes back from a business trip to find out that his best friend and roommate, Jimmy, is now dating his newly singly mother (Krista Allen). The attempts by Nate’s dad (Jonathan Silverman) to woo back his mom are not helping the situation. Needless to say, all this pressure severely handicaps Nate’s own dating life. Emma Fitzpatrick and Jay Ali (Bloomers, The Fosters) also star.

Taylor Schilling On OITNB: "I Actually Have Not Watched The Show Yet!"
"I actually have not watched the show yet," Schilling tells ET Canada while in Toronto. "My plan going into shooting the next season is to make sure and watch 1, 2 and 3, so I have a lot of television watching to do."

Empire Star Taraji P. Henson Reveals Cookie's Amazing Improvised Naomi Campbell Insult That Was Cut
Taraji P. Henson stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers to reveal a few secrets about her beloved badass character, Cookie Lyon.
For example, her memorable lines "Shut up, Dora" and "Boo boo kitty" were completely improvised, she told host Seth Meyers. " 'Boo boo kitty' is the new 'Bye, Felicia!' "

But one Cookie insult directed at Naomi Campbell didn't make the cut. "She tried to side-swipe me by adding a line — Cookie was ready," said Henson. "So I said to her, I said, 'I want me some grandbabies, but you got them dried up Benjamin Button eggs.' "

Brazilian soap operas slowly cast black middle class
Just over 50 percent of Brazil’s population is black or mixed race, yet for decades such characters have rarely been seen on novelas, which frequently depicted a society that was almost exclusively white. If black Brazilians did land roles, they portrayed maids, thieves or drug dealers – overtly bad characters or marginal ones who disappeared after a few episodes. Now a rising black middle class is helping to change that.

'Days of our Lives' ratings continue to tumble
The Live + Same Day daytime ratings are in for the week of March 30-April 3, 2015. The Bold and the Beautiful (+77K) and General Hospital (+198K) were up in total viewers, while Days of our Lives (-73K) was down, tying it's all-time low household rating (1.6).

'EastEnders' Premiered 30 Years Ago Today

Reg Cox met his demise in the first episode of EastEnders.

British soap opera EastEnders premiered on February 19, 1985, telling stories about the denizens of Albert Square in London's East End borough of Walford. Exactly 30 years and over 5,000 episodes later the show is still going strong.

An ensemble cast of 25 launched the BBC One show, and some of the characters they played - Ian Beale, Arthur Fowler, Den and Angie, Dot Cotton - went on to become national icons.

The first episode started with the murder of Reg Cox, who lived in the top flat of 23 Albert Square. Den Watts, Arthur Fowler, and Ali Osman discovered Reg unconscious in his flat. While the rest of "the Square" -- led by busybodies Ethel Skinner and Lou Beale -- was mired in gossip about Reg's condition and argued over comparative neighborliness, Pauline and Arthur Fowler -- middle-aged and on the dole with two teens to support -- fretted about telling family matriarch Lou that they had a third child on the way.

"Peter Beale" Trends on Twitter After Ben Hardy Shows Off His Abs on 'EastEnders'

Ben Hardy's shirtless Peter Beale had fans talking on Monday. Photo Credit: BBC/Jack Bames

Fans of British soap opera EastEnders have been discussing who killed Lucy Beale on Twitter for months. On Monday night, a new subject was the minds of many when Peter Beale's abs had everyone talking.

After Peter, played by Ben Hardy, whipped his shirt off in an attempt to charm Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), it took just minutes for "Peter Beale" to start trending on Twitter.

Sadly, Hardy announced recently that he would be quitting EastEnders later this year.

It has been widely speculated his exit could have something to do with the Lucy Beale storyline his character is currently embroiled in.

'EastEnders' and BBC Children in Need Team up for Calendar, Grease-Enders Medley

The EastEnders 2015 calendar is on sale now.

The cast and crew of EastEnders and BBC Children in Need have got together to create a sexy calendar showing the characters as they have never been seen before. This collectable item will bring the residents of Albert Square into your homes to add a touch of the East End to 2015. Order here.

EastEnders also joined forces for a special BBC Children in Need dance performance to classic Grease hits. Watch the Grease-Enders below:

Clocks Fall Back With the End of Daylight Saving Time: Reminder from Former 'EastEnders' Star Rob Kazinsky

Actor Robert Kazinsky played Sean Slater in British soap opera EastEnders from 2006-2009. He later guest-starred in ABC primetime serial Brothers & Sisters, and appeared in several episodes of HBO's True Blood. Back in 2009, he made a sexy video for Radox reminding people to turn their clocks back at the end of Daylight Savings Times. Watch it below:

'EastEnders' Praised for LGBT Domestic Violence Storyline

EastEnders Tosh hits Tina.

Tuesday night's episode of the British soap opera EastEnders featured another clash between Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) and Fiona 'Tosh' Mackintosh (Rebecca Scroggs), which saw the latter punch her girlfriend after being slapped. The storyline is earning praise for its realistic portrayal of domestic violence.

"As an organization we were thrilled to be asked to advise on the Tosh and Tina storyline, and saw it as a great opportunity to get the subject of LGBT domestic violence into the public domain," Jo Harvey Barringer, managing director of Broken Rainbow UK, told the official EastEnders website.

"We were very conscious that the storyline needed to portray the very real experiences our service users tell us about. Although there are a number of similarities to women experiencing abuse in heterosexual relationships - the ways they can all experience psychological, sexual, physical and financial violence and abuse - the one main issue that differs is the lack of support services available to LGBT survivors or perpetrators."

'EastEnders' Halloween Trailer: Can Dot Really See Nick?

Dot is sure she has seen Nick's ghost.

A promo for the upcoming Halloween episodes on British soap opera EastEnders asks the question, "Do You Believe In Ghosts?" Two Albert Square regulars are left unsettled after some spooky encounters.

Warning: Spoilers ahead...

Unaware that her son's death was a ruse, Dot (June Brown) becomes convinced that she has seen Nick's (John Altman) ghost after catching sight of Nick through the window.

Meanwhile, Lauren(Jacqueline Jossa) pursues a masked figure who has been watching her from across the street. As Lauren pulls off the person’s weeping angel disguise to expose their identity, who will she find looking back at her?

Watch the promo below:

Inside Soap Awards 2014 Winner's List: 'EastEnders' Named Best Soap

Sam Strike, Maddy Hill, Danny Dyer, Kellie Bright and Danny-Boy Hatchard.

EastEnders was named Best Soap at The Inside Soap Awards 2014 ceremony held at DSTRKT in London on Wednesday, October 1. The winners were voted on for entirely by the soap fans of Britain, including Danny Mac being named Sexiest Male for the fourth year in a row.

Below is a complete list of winners:

Best Soap - EastEnders

Best Actor - Danny Dyer (Mick Carter, EastEnders)

'EastEnders' Recasting Character From The Past

A well-known character is about to be recast on British soap opera EastEnders.

EastEnders executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins told the Sunday People that a famous Walford resident from the past will soon be making a return, but with a new actor in the role.

The identity of the character is not yet being revealed, so viewer speculation will begin in full force.

"I love EastEnders and I want it back at number one" Treadwell-Collins told the newspaper. "Great characters and great stories will do it. We're edging back - and there's lots more to come."

Which character from the past would you like to see return to EastEnders? And who should play the role?

Maria Friedman to Guest Star in 'EastEnders' (Spoilers)

Maria Friedman will play Elaine Peacock in EastEnders.

Three-time Olivier Award winner Maria Friedman will be starring in a guest role on British soap opera EastEnders as Elaine Peacock, Linda Carter’s mother.

Larger than life Elaine is set to ruffle some feathers at The Vic. She's a glamorous landlady, who loves to be the center of attention - and having successfully run her own pub for years, it is something she does well.

Although the relationship between mother and daughter has often been fraught, it is clear that it is mainly due to the women being so similar - if you have met Elaine, everything about Linda makes perfect sense.

News Brief: Nathan Parsons, John Stamos, Seana Kofoed, Katherine Kelly Lang, Rob James-Collier, Steve McFadden, Brittany Snow

* General Hospital and True Blood alum Nathan Parsons is set as the lead in Point Of Honor, Amazon's Civil War family drama pilot from Carlton Cuse and Randall Wallace. Luke Benward (Ravenswood) co-stars in the project, which centers on best friends and brothers-in-law, John Rodes (Parsons) and Robert Sumner, who find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict

* Seana Kofoed has joined the cast of CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless in the role of Madame Isadora, a psychic who has some predictions to share. She debuts Friday, October 17, and will appear in a few episodes.

Katherine Kelly Lang. Photo Credit: Chris McKeen

* The Bold and The Beautiful star Katherine Kelly Lang, who went to Australia to showcase her Katherine Kelly Lang Kaftans for TVSN, told Confidential she was surprised by how carefree Aussies are. "I got here and I noticed every second word is, 'no worries,'" the 53-year-old soap star said. "Oh, you show up late to work? Oh, no worries. Everybody says 'no worries', and they really mean it, they are not just saying it."

* Downton Abbey star Rob James-Collier says he is having sleepless nights over a harrowing storyline that will push his character into an "abyss." James-Collier, 37, who plays scheming under-butler Thomas Barrow, reveals that his character’s tortured homosexuality will come to the fore in the new series of the hit ITV drama which begins next Sunday in the UK.

* As Netflix adds six countries, the world's largest video-streaming service is getting a glimpse of what it's up against. Polls in Europe's biggest TV markets signal that local content — often available on free channels during prime time — consistently beats U.S. blockbusters.

* Fox has given a put pilot order to an untitled project starring John Stamos as a longtime bachelor whose life is upended when he discovers he’s a father and a grandfather.

* Orange is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli and her husband of two years, Steve Basilone, just filed for divorce. Morelli began writing for OITNB five months after she got hitched. She says as she started writing for the main character -- who had once been in a lesbian relationship -- she saw herself in the character. Morelli says she began to feel like a fraud ... married to a man but clearly gay.

* After improving slowly but surely for two decades, growth in the number of women working on primetime TV shows has stalled during the past five years, according to the latest report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. The ranks of women working behind the scenes and on camera in primetime series during the 2013-14 season was essentially flat compared to 2012-13 and with the numbers from 2009-10, according to the report by Martha Lauzen, exec director of the center.

* EastEnders actor Steve McFadden, best known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the long-running BBC soap opera, has settled his legal action against the Metropolitan police and the News of the World after receiving a public apology and substantial damages.

* Brittany Snow and Courtney Knowles co-founded Western Michigan University's Love is Louder organization, as part of the Jed Foundation. "I had similar experiences where I went through school where I felt different and alone and isolated," Snow recently told students. "I was on a soap opera at the time called Guiding Light in New York and I went to school back in Florida. I didn’t have a stable atmosphere. I developed a lot of self esteem issues and insecurities, body issues, anxiety, and I didn’t know what was happening. I knew I couldn’t deal with it. It made me very shameful."

* Gillian Anderson, who recurred in Hannibal Seasons 1 and 2 as the title character's shrink, Bedelia du Maurier, has closed a deal to be a series regular in Season 3.

* HBO is not moving forward with Ryan Murphy's sex-and-relationships drama pilot, Open, which starred Scott Speedman, Anna Torv, Wes Bentley, Michelle Monaghan and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

* Why was A&E's Longmire canceled? The audience was too old.

* Eva Longoria has a movie coming out this month: a drama about tensions at the Mexico border, Frontera, with Michael Peña and Ed Harris. And she says she’s currently developing another TV series, which she will produce and star in.

* Sony said this week it may lose upwards of $2 billion this year — five times more than it anticipated just a couple of months ago. It also will pay no dividend for the first time since the company went public in 1958.

John Bardon Dead at 75

Actor John Bardon, who played Dot Branning's husband Jim in British soap opera EastEnders, has died at age 75.

Bardon was born in Brentford, Middlesex in 1939. He appeared in numerous TV series including sitcom Birds of a Feather, Rumpole of the Bailey and Dad's Army. He had a recurring role in ITV comedy Up The Elephant and Round The Castle.

He also worked on the stage in a number of productions during his career, winning an Olivier Award in 1988 for his performance in the musical "Kiss Me Kate."

Bardon made his first appearance on EastEnders in 1996. His character was a regular fixture in the Queen Vic pub, and devoted to God-fearing Albert Square stalwart Dot, whom he married in 2002 after proposing to her on the London Eye.

Bardon suffered a debilitating stroke seven years ago and was forced to drastically reduce his appearances in the show. His character caused great anguish for Dot after his stroke when he required full-time care and was eventually moved to a nursing home.

Lyndam Gregory Dead at 59

Lyndam Gregory played roles in The Archers, EastEnders and
Coronation Street.

Lyndam Gregory has died at the age of 59, his wife announced on Thursday. The actor lost his battle with lung cancer last week.

Gregory is best known for his roles in UK soap operas. He played Guppy Sharma in EastEnders on a recurring basis during 1995 and 1996. He also appeared as Sammy in Coronation Street in 1983, in addition to his role as Ashok in The Archers.

Born in Darjeeling, India, Gregory moved to London in the early 1960s with his family, and later trained at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Recalling his career in an obituary for The Guardian, Gregory's wife, Christine, wrote: "Lyndam loved being in the soaps, although the wide audience they attracted meant that many complete strangers would approach him as though they had known him for years.

"He enjoyed filming EastEnders at Elstree studios because of its association with landmark films."

Gregory is survived by his wife Christine and their daughter, Dominique.

NEWS BRIEF: William Roache Returns to 'Corrie', Teresa Castillo Back at 'General Hospital', John Partridge Covers Dolly Parton

* People who watch shows like Mad Men or The Walking Dead are far more likely to do so by recording it on a digital video recorder and watching it later, skipping over the ads as they do so, than viewers of other shows, according to research by digital video recorder maker TiVo. Viewers of Madison Avenue drama Mad Men, for instance, skip 73% of the ads. Similarly, 66% of ads during The Walking Dead are skipped.

* Coronation Street's Ken Barlow (William Roache) returns from Canada this week and is shocked to find out that his son Peter is in prison on remand for Tina McIntyre's murder. Said Roache: "Ken is really happy to be back, he has had a great time in Canada, he's used the time to do things he loves doing, he has started writing poetry and become a vegetarian, things which he immediately gets stick about on his return from Deirdre and Tracy. But he wouldn't want it any other way."

* Thursday, August 21 marks the return of Sabrina to General Hospital following portrayer Teresa Castillo's maternity leave (she gave birth to her first child, daughter Victoria Milani, on May 29). "I'm excited to see what Ron [Carlivati, head writer] has planned for the next chapter in Sabrina's journey,” she says. "It will be nice to regain my identity as an actor."

* The Hawaiian film and TV industry saw an 84.9 percent increase in the number of jobs it created from 2001-2011, much greater than the 13.8 percent increase for Hawaii's creative sector as a whole, which also includes marketing, music, radio broadcasting, etc. Much of its success is due to the hit TV show LOST.

* Monica Lewinsky on Orange is the New Black: "I was Orange-bingeing, when along came Episode 11. (O.K., I’m a late adopter. Just getting through Season 1.) In it, there was a vulgar reference to my last name and DNA. I did what I usually do in these situations where the culture throws me a shard of my former self. After the cringing embarrassment, the whiff of shame, and the sense that I am no longer an agent running my own life, I shuddered, I got up off the sofa, and I turned it off."

* Former EastEnders star John Partridge covers Dolly Parton ("Jolene), Nine Inch Nails ("The Hand That Feeds") on his debut album. "Dames, Dudes + Cowboys Too" will be released on September 15 via Big Hand Recordings.

* Was Phil Mitchell vs Ian Beale in EastEnders the best UK soap opera fight ever?

'EastEnders' Spoilers: Affair on the Horizon

EastEnders' Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) will cheat on his fiancée Sharon Rickman (Letitia Dean) when he embarks on an affair with ex-partner Shirley Carter (Linda Henry).

Viewers will remember that Shirley previously confessed her love for Phil shortly before he proposed to Sharon.

The pair are also harboring each other's closest secrets, as Phil is aware that Shirley is Mick Carter's real mom, while Shirley knows that Phil ordered the Albert attack on Sharon last month.

Phil does known that Sharon has discovered that he was responsible for her attack and is plotting revenge on him in the lead-up to their wedding day.

NEWS BRIEF: Celestin Cornielle to 'Days'; Lindsey Morgan; Lea Michele; 'Breaking Bad' Billboards; 'Hemlock Grove' Poster; 'EastEnders' Mystery Attack

* Celestin Cornielle is coming to Days of our Lives this fall. The actor recently posted on his Facebook page: "I'm currently playing a pivotal role in the story line of EJ (character played by #JamesScott"

* You can now sink your teeth into the very first poster for Season 2 of the dark supernatural thriller Hemlock Grove. The show is gearing up its promotional push for Season 2, which is set to hit Netflix on July 11.

* An EastEnders regular will be left fighting for life in a major new storyline next month. (Spoiler Alert)

* Former General Hospital actress Lindsey Morgan on what she learned working on the soap: "GH taught me so much about work ethic and professionalism and endurance. 12 hour days shooting about 5 pages of dialogue is a luxury compared to 6 hours days going over 30!"

* Six contenders for the best drama actress Emmy — Claire Danes, Julianna Margulies, Keri Russell, Vera Farmiga, Sarah Paulson and Jessica Pare — talk to THR about the roles that got away, the difficulty of filming romantic scenes while seven months pregnant and the pressure of their jobs.

* Linden Ashby and Susan Walters are still happily married 28 years after meeting on the set of ABC daytime soap opera Loving.

* Years after denying a love connection with her Glee costar Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele is finally fessing up. In her new book, "Brunette Ambition," the 27-year-old actress/singer admits she and Morrison, 35, actually did date—albeit briefly and before Glee.

* Coronation Street's Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fiz Stape, is expecting her first child with partner Chris Farr.

Two-time Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton will appear in a special Tour de France-themed episode of ITV’s Yorkshire-based soap opera, Emmerdale, with the episode due to air on Friday 4 July – the day the 101st edition of the race begins in Leeds.

* With a print campaign to follow next month, AMC is putting up Breaking Bad Emmy consideration billboards in several locations around Los Angeles to remind voters that the now-completed show is still eligible to repeat its Best Drama series win last year.

* Ellen DeGeneres's senior yearbook photo was used to depict the long-lost love of Giorgos Zenios's character in a recent episode of popular Greek-Cypriot soap opera Brousco.

* Launch TV Network Company has acquired broadcast rights for the pilot of Martha Byrne's web series, Gotham.

* How did NBC finished the season at No. 1? An especially strong fall for NBC led right into the network's pricey (but profitable) coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. By the time the May sweep rolled around, a NBC victory in the key demographic of adults 18-49 was long assured -- leaving the rest of the Big Four to spin what has otherwise proved to be a disappointing year.

* Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that The Shield actor Michael Jace confessed to fatally shooting his wife, April, multiple times around 8:30 p.m. Monday at their home in the 5400 block of Brynhurst Avenue.

* Amir Arison, who recurred on The Blacklist's first season as the slightly awkward and witty FBI technician, is being promoted to series regular for Season 2.

* House of Cards is casting multiple roles, including an NSA director, senators and reporters for Season 3.

* A popular webseries made in Vancouver, WA is heading to the big screen. The Weinstein Co. has offered the creators of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl, a popular web series about a 16-year-old girl living in a "haunted house" in Washington state, a deal that will create a new movie and book series.

* Former Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara is developing a follow-up to the 1976 horror classic Omen for Lifetime. Titled Damien, the drama centers on the film's young boy Damien Thorn. Now an adult and haunted by his past, Damien is faced with a series of macabre events and must finally face his true destiny: he is the Antichrist.