It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for; the moment we never thought would ever see the light of day. Yes, soap fans, Emmerdale’s loved up gay couple Paul Lambert (Mathew Bose) and Jonny Foster (Richard Grieve) have FINALLY done the deed and tied the knot! Not once but twice!

Of course, this being a gay soap wedding, the happy day was never going to go off without a hitch. With the bickering Blackstocks (that’s Paul’s proud parents, Rodney and Val) at loggerheads over the ceremony, Jonny and Paul decided to do a runner from their own wedding.

Have no fear though folks, the lovebirds simply decided to ditch being the star attraction at the Home Farm freak show in favour of a much simpler affair down at their local registry office.

But alas the newly married couple were far too chicken to break the news to either of their parents - not that anyone can blame them! So they decided to go ahead and get married again, this time in front of their family and friends, complete with Jonny’s best man Barry as a pretend registrar!

Despite being Emmerdale’s first gay wedding (sorry, civil partnership!) Paul and Jonny’s marriage was altogether something of a lacklustre affair. In fact, at times it felt like watching a Carry On film; I half expected to hear Kenneth Williams’s unmistakable laugh or one of Sid James’s classic filthy cackles! But at least Paul and Jonny got their happy ending. For now.

Highs: Paul and Jonny looking oh-so handsome in their snappy suits; and Jonny’s mum Patricia dolled up like a dog’s dinner – complete with a fashion accessory pooch tucked under her arm!

Lows: Bev the blubbering lesbian; Val’s tacky ice sculptures; and zero smooching between the lovebirds. Instead we had to make do with a brief peck on the cheek and a manly hug! What’s up with that?!

Here’s a run down of British soap goings on that have pinged our gaydar in the UK for the week ending December 16….

Coronation Street, ITV1

Goodness gracious, what is the world coming to; evil seems to be overcoming all that is good and wholesome in Weatherfield. Not that Sarah Platt could ever be described as wholesome, but you get my drift!

Yes folks, it looks like David Platt may have the last laugh after all. It appears that being a lying scumbag has paid dividends for the devil child, what with rich and successful Uncle Stephen (who’s swapped Christmas in Canada for Weatherfield, the fool!) choosing to reward the spawn of Satan for all the terrible things he’s done. And by reward, we mean offering David a new life and a new job… in Milan! Yes, Milan, Italy!

Poor Sarah, no wonder she’s furious! And jealous. David has never looked quite so smug. But it looks like he won’t be smiling for too long, not if Sarah has her way. Her warning to David to not count his chickens just yet was chilling. Hmm we wonder what devilish plans the little minx has up her sleeve? Make it good Sarah, make it good.

Meanwhile, Ryan’s mysterious stalker was revealed… and it’s his dad. Well, a dodgy looking man who claims to be his father, anyway. Mum Michelle was totally baffled by the claim and worse, was forced to defend herself when boyfriend Steve asked her is she had been unfaithful to her late hubby Dean. Talk about being an insensitive jerk. Steve, we mean.

Poor Michelle was so afraid for her son, she put Ryan under house arrest. Which actually wasn't quite as bad as it sounds, considering he got to bunk off school and play video games.

Elsewhere, Steve offered his ex- con dad a job and Jim promised to stay away from ex-wife Liz and her hubby-to-be Vern. He certainly does seems to be a changed man, does our Jim, not even kicking off when faced with a bunch of rowdy lads in the pub.

Oh, and John and Rosie went on a romantic date… at a lay by. And they celebrated spending some quality time together by having a romp in the backseat of his Megane! Classy!


Eastenders, BBC1

Question.

What do you get if you cross Jack Branning and Phil Mitchell with a pool table?

Mark Feehily is a member of one of the world’s most famous and successful boybands. And in 2005 the Irish Westlife hunk revealed to the world that he is gay.

In that interview with the Sun newspaper, Feehily said:

"My life has got umpteen times better. My sexuality doesn't define me as a person, but it's a huge part of anyone to be open about it. It's changed my life totally, as I feel so much happier and at ease. It's the best thing I've ever done."

Now, more than two years on, 27 year-old Feehily and his long term boyfriend Kevin McDaid have decided the time is right to go public about their relationship. And they’ve done it in style – as cover boys for the current (December 2007) issue of UK gay lifestyle magazine Attitude.

Feehily and McDaid, who was a member of the now defunct boyband V, have previously avoided discussing their relationship. But in their interview with Attitude, the pair talk frankly and openly about their romance.

The couple revealed that after meeting at a charity pop gig in Dublin, they got chatting and took each others' phone numbers. As McDaid told the magazine:

"I was texting him back taking the p***. Westlife were rehearsing for a tour and one of the costumes was like workmen."

"The Kwik Fit Fitters," adds Feehily. "He was taking the p*** out of me for my dodgy outfit but he’d dressed up as an ice cream man for one of his performances. I quite liked the Kwik Fit Fitter outfit, actually."

The couple were rumoured to be engaged back in 2005, but Feehily says he grew tired of being asked if they would be tying the knot.

"At the start I used to think it was a topical issue because of civil partnership, which I think, by the way, sounds like a f****** operation or something. It’s marriage, you know? It sounds like a lung transplant."

McDaid added: "I think we’ll look into it in the future. At some point in our relationship we’re going to want to basically celebrate being together. And it is a good excuse for a good old shindig, isn't it?"

Here are a few more yummy pics of the dishy couple...

Here’s a run down of British soap goings on that have pinged our gaydar in the UK for the week ending December 9…

Coronation Street, ITV1

Sadly, the inevitable happened this week. Yes folks, Liam Connor is off the market and it’s that lucky cow Maria Sutherland who’s gone and bagged him! Well, who’d have thought it; being jealous of Maria of all people!

Yes, Liam finally did the evil deed - sorry, the right thing - and proposed to the hairdresser. Well, she is carrying his child. Although we all know he’d much rather be with his fiery sister-in-law, Carla instead. After all, he can barely tear his eyes off her and she certainly wasn’t happy with his engagement news. We think this could probably turn out to be one of the shortest engagements soapland has ever seen.

Meanwhile, devil child David continued to cause mayhem and mischief. This week he pinched barmy Becky’s mobile phone so he could send flirty texts to Jason. No, we didn’t know he was that way inclined either. But alas his attempts to make sister Sarah even more paranoid and jealous than normal backfired. Yes, the truth came out and he got rumbled.

Unfortunately, things came to ahead in the Platt-Grimshaw household when Gail announced that Sarah and Jason should move out because it was obvious Sarah and David would never be able to live under the same roof! Talk about taking the wrong side, Gail!

Elsewhere, two new faces made a welcome appearance in the Street, in the shape of bookies Harry and his son Dan, played by former Bad Girls star Jack Ellis and Matthew Crompton from The Bill. And it seems Jack and Vera have decided to leave the Street (shock! horror!) and move to Blackpool. Although unfortunately for Paul, if his grandparents do sell up and move, they will discover that their rat bag grandson has taken out a loan in their name against their house. Such a naughty boy, that Paul. Oh, and Ryan has got himself the ultimate celebrity accessory: a stalker. Yes, Michelle’s young son keeps getting followed by a dodgy looking bloke in a flash Subaru.

But the award for the most shocking moment of the week went to Kirk Sutherland - for wearing a suit. And even more shocking, he looked rather dashing in it, too.

Torchwood, the BBC’s award-winning drama and current cult sci-fi favourite, will be bursting back on to UK TV screens in mid-January, bigger and bolder than ever.

And in response to audience demand, younger fans of the show will now be given the opportunity to watch a specially edited pre-watershed repeat when the Doctor Who spinoff switches from BBC Three to a primetime slot on BBC Two.

Quite what that means for fans of the Captain Jack (John Barrowman) and Ianto Jones (Gareth Lloyd-Davies) relationship, only time will tell. However, speaking at the recent Torchwood season two press launch, when it came to the subject of the show's gay relationships, executive producer Russell T Davies was quick to point out that “the kissing won’t be removed” from the pre-watershed repeats.

Apparently, the move to introduce an edited version of the show for pre-watershed broadcast (before 9pm which is the cut-off point for programs intended for family viewing and those programs intended for an adult audience) was in response to "popular demand from families and younger viewers".

Davies also added: "This series pushes the Torchwood team further than ever before. They are joined by some incredible guest stars who are really going to cause waves. It's adventurous, thrilling and packed full of surprises."

The new thirteen-part series sees Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s James Marsters making a special appearance in the first episode, as Captain John. Other well-known faces set to make an appearance in season two include Richard Briers, Nerys Hughes and Ugly Betty’s Alan Dale, as well as Doctor Who’s companion, Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman.

Also speaking at the press launch, BBC Two controller Roly Keating added: "We're delighted that Torchwood is joining BBC Two. We know from the success and popularity of Heroes (also shown on BBC2) that there's a growing appetite for smart, high-quality, sci-fi drama on the channel so Torchwood is a perfect fit.”

The first series of Torchwood premiered on BBC Three last year, and achieved the channel's highest ratings for 2006, with an audience of 2.5 million turning in for the first episode.

Here’s a run down of British soap goings on that have pinged our gaydar in the UK for the week ending December 2…

Coronation Street, ITV1

Sulky Sean wasn’t quite so sulky this week. In fact, he was pretty much back to his normal, chipper, annoying self. In our book, annoying and chipper beats sulky any day of the week.

And it seems being reconciled with best bud Violet is bringing out the best in him. With Violet and Jamie hoping to move into a flat together, Sean decided to make Christmas come that little bit early for the lovebirds by offering to stump up the five hundred big ones they need for their deposit. But unfortunately, in typical macho blokey fashion, Jamie rejected Sean’s kind offer. Hmm what's that saying about pride cometh before a fall?

However, not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, sneaky Violet proved that women are indeed the smarter (some might prefer sneaky!) sex and decided to accept Sean’s help and his cash, whilst keeping it a secret from boyfriend Jamie.

Elsewhere, lovely Liam was well and truly gobbed and smacked this week. But then Maria’s bombshell revelation that she’s pregnant would be enough to shock anyone. Of course, being the lovely bloke that he is, our Liam promised to do the right thing by her and the baby. However, Marie seemed to sense that he wasn’t all that keen and decided to have an abortion. But neither of the pair seem happy about that decision, either. Please, will somebody do us all a favour and knock their heads together!

Meanwhile, Jim McDonald was released from prison; Violet’s extremely irritating little sis Lauren decided to visit; and devious Rosie blackmailed creepy John in to giving her good grades, otherwise she’d blab about their affair. Well, that’s certainly one way of getting an ‘A’!

Eastenders, BBC1

Carly, Kevin and Shirl visited a bruised and battered Deano in prison this week. The promise of a round-the-world trip would be enough to bolster anyone’s spirits. Providing they were able to stay alive long enough, obviously.

If you ask us, Strictly Come Dancing is the best thing that’s ever happened to sexy Matt Di Angelo. The boy is oozing charisma and sexy appeal – even if h does look like he's gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson! Pity he won’t be gracing our screens for much longer, having been given the boot from the soap.

After almost three weeks and four gruesome bushtucker trials, openly gay actor Christopher Biggins beat fellow finalists Janice Dickinson and former boy-bander Jason “J” Brown to be crowned King of the Jungle in ITV1’s smash hit reality series, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

For the 59-year-old it was a remarkable achievement. Not only did Biggins have to face off against a larger than life character like Janice Dickinson, but he showed great determination in all of his bushtucker trails, not least of which saw him eating a gruesome meal of cockroaches, grubs and kangaroo testicles in his final trial.

Overwhelmed with emotion, in an interview with the show’s hosts, Ant and Dec, Biggins said of the experience:

"It's been a wonderful, wonderful experience and I can't believe that I'm here, that I've done it. I've made wonderful friends and I've done wonderful things that I never thought I would do. Unbelievable fun, it was just the best.

I didn't think I'd cope because I like my home comforts ... I never want to see mud again ... But I've just had a ball!"

Whilst Janice Dickinson was undoubtedly the star of the series, Biggins quickly became the clear favourite to win, bowling over his fellow campers with his cheeky sense of humour and infectious laughter.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror newspaper after his well deserved win, Biggins said:

“I would like to think I have shown those in high positions in television and in the industry there is more to Christopher Biggins other than just a pantomime dame.

I mean a pantomime dame is a very important part of my life. I love it. I adore it. I work very hard. And it’s great.

But in a way, if I’m honest, I wanted to show people by going into the jungle that there is another side to me."

You can watch some highlights from the show over here.

Channel 4’s Rose d’Or-winning The Secret Millionaire was one of the channel’s most popular new series last year, attracting audiences in the region of 3.5 million.

It’s now back for a second, six part series, and this week, gay entrepreneur and multi-millionaire Terry George will leave behind his husband Michael and his pampered lifestyle and designer wardrobe to go undercover as a care assistant at a local nursing home in Penzance, Cornwall, one of Britain’s poorest rural communities.

Despite his multi-million pound fortune and lavish lifestyle, George is a self-made man. He grew up on a Yorkshire council estate and made his money through the pink pound, running Mr. Gay UK, as well as various gay nightclubs and bars in Leeds.

The premise of The Secret Millionaire, one of TV’s most humbling experiences, sees a different multi-millionaire searching for people whose lives he or she can change for the better. Each secret millionaire must guarantee to give away thousands of pounds of their own money, as they leave their wealthy lifestyle behind for ten days and go undercover and live anonymously as part of the community. They conceal their true identities and immerse themselves in communities with the aim of finding people they think are the most deserving of their hard-earned cash. It's only on the last day of their visit, that they reveal their secret and write their potentially life-changing cheques.

In his blog on the official Channel 4 website, George was full of praise for the experience: "When Channel 4 first contacted me about the show I wasn’t sure if it would be my type of thing but they gave me a DVD of the first series to look at before deciding. I watched it and cried my eyes out … I thought what a brilliant programme it was.

"The whole experience was a really life-changing time for me. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in such a short space of time ... It changed my outlook on life."

The Secret Millionaire is on Channel 4 tonight, November 28, at 9pm.

He’s best known for playing lovable rogues like Jambo in Hollyoaks and Gaz in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. But British actor Will Mellor jumped at the chance to leave his comedy roots behind and play it straight as a gay builder in BBC1’s multi award-winning drama series, The Street.

In the third episode of a six-part series (broadcast last Thursday on BBC1, but Virgin Media customers can still watch it on Catch Up TV On Demand!) Mellor played the part of Tom, who ended up seducing his married workmate Charlie, portrayed by Welsh actor and star of 300 Vincent Regan.

Speaking to the Scottish newspaper the Daily Record, Mellor said: "It's my first gay role. I play a character who is a builder on a site. He's just one of the lads, a typical blokey bloke, but none of the lads know he's gay.

"He's attracted to a guy who (is) working with him who is married with kids. My character thinks he can see in him that he's possibly bisexual or hiding that he's gay or whatever.

"On one job we have to stay away in digs while we're working and my character sees it as a chance to come on to him. I make a pass, which doesn't go so well. But then I try again to convince him that it's okay, he should just be who he is.”

For 31 year-old Mellor, the dream script was what attracted him to the role: “It is great to have a challenge and I was so pleased to win this part. The script is a dream for an actor.

"I admit I panicked a bit. It was a bit nerve wracking, but even if you have a sex scene with a woman, the night before you're a bit nervous. It did cross my mind that it could be quite a task. At the end of the day it was fine though. I'm really proud of it, it's a great job."

The Street, written by BAFTA award-winning scriptwriter Jimmy McGovern (Brookside, Cracker) follows the lives of different residents in one street. It has been rated by many TV critics as the best drama on television and has featured an all-star cast including Jane Horrocks, Jim Broadbent and Timothy Spall.

Here’s a bumper two week special run down of British soap goings on that have pinged our gaydar in the UK between November 11 to November 25….

Coronation Street, ITV1
Poor old sulky Sean Tully is still walking around Weatherfield with a face like thunder. The not-so-happy chappy either needs a great big hug or a kick up the backside – we still can’t quite decide. Violet may have (begrudgingly) forgiven him for going behind her back and finding out about their baby’s sex, but discovering that his unborn baby’s mummy has rekindled her love affair with former flame Jamie went down about as well as a wet weekend in Bognor Regis.

While Vi and Jamie were all loved up again (aww bless), with Jamie promising to treat Vi’s baby like his own, Sean decided he wants to play a bigger role in bringing up their son. And with Vi adamantly against Sean’s involvement, the gay barman decided to fight for his access rights in court. Or at least he did, until he visited a solicitor and discovered that it would take thousands of pounds to fight his case. Talk about having the courage of your convictions - not.

Fed up with the former friends’ feud, Jamie and Sean’s other half, Marcus decided to conspire together in a desperate bid to get the pair talking again. Thankfully, Vi had a change of heart and agreed to let Sean be involved with bringing up their child. Yay! Result! Hopefully no more sulky Sean.

Meanwhile, the seedy affair unfolding between teacher John and call girl in the making Rosie continued to get even seedier. It’s surely only going to be a matter of time before the lovers get caught in the act. First Sally almost caught the pair snogging at school. And then hubby Kevin very nearly burst in on them at it in bed together!

But Fiz, John’s other half, seems to be less oblivious. Although she thinks randy John is actually having it away with Sally! Fiz even went so far as to clock Sally one. Oh, if only she knew!