Table of contents for #288 in Soap World

We are loving our local soaps and dramas at the moment with lots of twists and turns to keep us intrigued. The suspense in Summer Bay continues with Nate torn between keeping Billie’s baby secret or revealing her lies to VJ and Leah. Will he keep mum and for how long? Baby dramas for two of our couples on Neighbours with surrogacy proving more challenging than any of them expected. More trouble on the homefront for The Bold and the Beautiful’s Steffy and Wyatt when she decides to walk away from him. Will this be the end of this young couple? We reveal some behind-the-scenes secrets from A Place to Call Home. Check out the latest gossip and have fun with our puzzles. We hope you enjoy the issue.…

Nate learned a long time ago not to trust a word that Billie says, but this time, he takes pity on her. If there is one thing Nate knows for sure about Billie Ashford, it’s that the young woman he sees as the blonde minx is trouble. She’s already tried to previously ruin his life, but he just narrowly managed to escape her clutches. Since then, Nate (Kyle Pryor) has known that danger is a woman named Billie (Tessa de Josselin). But the Summer Bay doc is about to find himself torn, in upcoming episodes of Home and Away, between his professional role as a health physician and as a friend to VJ (Matt Little) and Leah (Ada Nicodemou) when he makes a shocking discovery about Billie’s baby. For months,…

Local doctor Karl is a talented and dedicated physician but his life’s work could be over in the blink of an eye. Arriving on the scene of the shocking hot-air balloon disaster, Karl’s first instincts were to check for signs of life and treat any wounds while the ambulance was on its way. But a split-second decision to perform impromptu surgery on one of the victims is coming back to haunt Karl (Alan Fletcher). While in that moment Karl thought his only chance at saving the victim’s life was to do an emergency operation, he later realises he wasn’t at his best because of the celebrations he took part in the night before. And as Karl fears, a nurse is also wondering the same thing after smelling alcohol on his…

THE WRONG GIRL WEDNESDAYS AT 8.30PM ON TEN Lily sure does manage to get herself stuck in some awkward situations. Whether it’s work or romance, things just keep getting messier. And while her talent for TV segment producing is about to come in handy for her latest work crisis, the same can’t be said for her personal life. Though Lily (Jessica Marais) is completely infatuated with Jack (Rob Collins) he has been dating her best friend and flatmate Simone (Hayley Magnus) whose reckless behaviour is making things difficult for Lily. Not only does Lily have to work closely with Jack on The Breakfast Bar show she is also bound by loyalty to Simone not to reveal to Jack what Simone has been getting up to. It’s a massive dilemma for…

Bill tells Brooke they’re getting married in a few days … they’ll wed in another state. Once again, Brooke Logan is a woman torn between two men. She’s allied with Ridge in a daring plan to overthrow Eric from Forrester Creations and therefore get rid of Quinn from the company. However, the scheme has again plunged Brooke back into the seductive orbit of her ex-lover Bill who has made it very clear he wants her back once his divorce from Katie is final. Despite Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) asking Katie (Heather Tom) to secure Bill’s (Don Diamont) 12.5 per cent shares in Forrester Creations in her divorce settlement — so she can then sell them to him, giving Ridge the power to dethrone Eric (John McCook) — Ridge knows that Bill…

At long last, lovers Billy and Phyllis are unable to ignore their intense desire to be together but while Billy is anxious to finalise his divorce from Victoria, Phyllis agonises over her betrayal of Jack. She can’t bear to devastate him with her desertion and resolves to push Billy away. After witnessing Jack’s (Peter Bergman) budding friendship with an opportunistic Hilary (Mishael Morgan), a nonplussed Phyllis (Gina Tognoni) takes to the outdoors to clear her head only to run into a motorcycle-riding Billy (Jason Thompson). Instantly sensing Phyllis’s unease, Billy moves in on her and, ignoring her protestations that they can’t tear apart the family, pulls her into a passionate kiss. Afterwards, an unnerved Phyllis tries to forget Billy by seducing Jack but images of kissing Billy flood her confused…

WEEKDAYS AT MIDDAY ON ARENA OCT 10-14 * Under tutelage from LUCA, SUMMER weighs up her options regarding VICTORIA’s lawsuit against Jabot and finally sides with the other testifiers, lying to the lawyers to defeat Victoria’s case. PHYLLIS and Victoria are suspicious of Luca’s motives for advising Summer, who’s so comforted by Luca’s support that she has sex with him. After hearing of the relationship, NICK vows to end it. * Comforting Phyllis over her treatment of Summer, BILLY romances her with a motorcycle ride before JACK catches them both half-naked. He’s suspicious but distracted by the deal he’s made with Victoria. He’s firing Billy from Jabot to end the lawsuit. Angry, Billy confronts Victoria, declaring that their relationship is irreparably damaged. * Furthering his break-up plans for STITCH and…

Thanks to a manipulative Cameron, recovering drug addict Ste has now relapsed and is hooked on crystal meth. The addiction is causing friction in his romance with Harry as Ste strives to hide his hidden hell from his boyfriend. However, the cost of the drugs soon leaves Ste financially crippled and although he gets a job to feed his habit, Cameron quickly takes advantage to further the addiction. During another meth binge, Ste loses his drug supplies and panics when it appears that little Rose has swallowed the pills. Devastated at the thought of hurting his niece, Ste gets high and collapses into the foetal position on the kitchen floor. Alarmed to find him in dire straits, Harry calls his father and Ste’s best friend Tony for help and the…

TIME TO FACE FACTS, QUINN When will Quinn (RENA SOFER) learn? This crazy lady from The Bold and the Beautiful is always stirring up trouble and her latest escapades with Eric (JOHN MCCOOK) are only getting her into more strife. I can totally understand Steffy (JACQUELINE MACINNES WOOD) giving Quinn an ultimatum. However I do think that this shows Steffy doesn’t love Wyatt (DARIN BROOKS) enough because if she really did want to be with him she would make their marriage work despite Quinn. Definitely time for Liam (SCOTT CLIFTON) to swoop in. L. Bromham, Geelong, Vic. AUSSIE TV HAS COME A LONG WAY Thank you for your special on 60 years of Australian TV. I was 10 when TV arrived in Australia so I have watched programming blossom from…

It’s a tough act, upstaging a city as magnificent as Rio de Janeiro, but that’s exactly what Tokyo managed to do in the final moments of the recent Olympic Games. At the Closing Ceremony, the Brazilian city passed the baton over to the Japanese city, which will play host to the 2020 Games. And then Tokyo showed the world what it has planned with a presentation that stopped the show, highlighting all the sporting and cultural delights of the next host city, and even giving us a special appearance by Japanese PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE as video-game character Super Mario. If the Tokyo segment revealed anything it’s that Tokyo has big plans for 2020, with a distinct focus on innovation, originality and creativity that the world has come to expect.…

Leading lady out of Nashville * Ahead of its fifth season premiere, Nashville has suffered a major blow with confirmation that its lead star CONNIE BRITTON (Rayna) will leave the series during the season. According to reports, Britton’s Rayna will only appear in 10 of the planned 22 episodes. Nashville, which was saved from cancellation earlier this year, will premiere season five in the US on January 5, 2017. Nashville airs here on Showcase. DEPAIVA’S REAL-LIFE BATTLE KASSIE DEPAIVA’s current return to Days of our Lives as Eve Donovan has been thrown into disarray with the shocking news that the actress has acute myeloid leukaemia. Revealing the news on her website, DePaiva wrote that “during the 3 week July hiatus [from Days] I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. And…

* Having a baby was supposed to keep Mark and Steph together but it could be tearing them apart. Just like Sonya and Toadie, the surrogacy process is causing headaches for Mark and Steph. They had turned down Sonya’s offer to carry a baby for them, with Mark not too keen on the idea, but after realising it is the only way he can have a biological child with Steph they decided to say yes. But the process is proving quite confronting and emotionally trying, especially with hormone treatments taking their toll. Mark is especially worried about what the injections might do to Steph’s mental health, which she has had issues with in the past. That turns out to be the least of their worries when they start IVF and…

Eric makes an off-the-cuff comment to Erica who takes great offence, throwing the show into chaos. Madeleine West is no stranger to our screens having charmed soap fans more than a decade ago with her role as Dee Bliss on Neighbours and now she’s starring in The Wrong Girl as Erica. She spoke to Soap World about both the iconic show and her new hit drama. What attracted you to The Wrong Girl? I’m a big fan of Zoe Foster Blake’s writing [Foster Blake wrote the novel the show is based on]. She’s really cutting edge in terms of Australian writers. She’s quirky, she’s clever, she’s ferociously intelligent and that really comes across in her book and she seems to be able to capture the zeitgeist of what interests not…

The victim of a gay bashing in the city, Harry was found by Sarah who brought him to Inverness to care for him. A PLACE TO CALL HOME SUNDAYS AT 8.30PM ON FOXTEL A deeply conflicted and troubled soul, James Bligh has been to hell and back over his attraction to men. He and Olivia tried to make their marriage work but they couldn’t deny they loved other people and separated. Though heartbreaking, the end of their marriage has allowed James to be true to himself and have a relationship with Henry. But any sliver of happiness James (David Berry) now feels about embracing his homosexuality is being threatened by ghosts from his past. Harry (Dominic Allburn), James’s old flame, is back in town. The victim of a gay bashing…

Quinn tells Ivy: ‘If you do everything I tell you to do, he will be yours.’ After a long sabbatical in Australia, Ivy Forrester has finally returned to LA and the family fold. Fatefully though, the first person she encounters is Quinn, her former nemesis, who’s now very keen to help Ivy achieve her immediate goal. Pleased to hear that Ivy (Ashleigh Brewer) has no interest in opposing Quinn’s (Rena Sofer) controversial new romance with Eric (John McCook) and, instead, would like Quinn’s assistance to regain her old job at Forrester Creations, Quinn senses that Ivy wants to be her ally. After hearing Wyatt (Darin Brooks) rage about Liam’s (Scott Clifton) interference in his marriage, Quinn cryptically tells Ivy, “I could really use you”, privately scheming to use Ivy as…

Adam has an epiphany. It’s obvious that Victor is framing him for a murder he never committed. * Losing his wife Sage completely devastated Nick Newman, so naturally he’s emotionally unprepared to deal with her personal belongings in the wake of the car crash that senselessly claimed her life. Discovering her private journal, Nick (Joshua Morrow) tearfully reads through her final words but is shell-shocked by some unexpected information. Outraged to read Sage’s insinuations that Adam (Justin Hartley) was responsible for Constance Bingham’s death a few years ago, Nick demands to see the letter that Sage bequeathed Adam in her will, certain that it will outline the proof that Adam is a killer. Blocked by Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan), Nick promises that Adam will pay for what he’s done. Unable…

POSTNATAL NIGHTMARE Poor Jane Villanueva has once again had her world ripped out from under her. She’s broken up with Rafael because of the differences between them and any hope of them reconciling before their baby is born is soon shattered. Stunned by Rafael’s decision to side with Magda and Petra about the turn of events that led to Alba’s fall down the stairs, Jane declares she’ll never forgive him. She’s positive that Magda pushed her grandmother down the stairs and punishes Rafael by suing him for sole custody of the baby, to protect the child from Rafael’s ex-wife and mother-in-law. To add to Jane’s woes, she soon experiences false contractions only to go into real labour while at home alone. Eventually found by Rafael and Michael, Jane gives birth…

EMMERDALE WEEKNIGHTS AT 6.50PM ON UKTV A stint in juvenile detention may be behind Belle Dingle but the experience has irreparably battered her psyche. She’ll never forgive herself for accidentally causing her best friend Gemma’s manslaughter and is now being tormented by “Gemma’s” hateful voice constantly echoing through her head. Lost in her own world, Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) goes to great lengths to drown out “Gemma’s” voice to no avail. Finally snapping, Belle steals vodka and gets drunk, screaming and ranting down Main Street before violently trashing a display stand at David’s (Matthew Wolfenden) shop, much to everyone’s horror. With her family deep in discussion about sending her to a psychiatric facility, Belle disappears to the family barn, locking herself inside and seeking peace and solace with her treasured Shetland…

JARED LETO Far from being just a pretty face, the Dallas Buyers Club and Suicide Squad star plays guitar, bass and keyboard. His band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, was formed in 1998 and includes his older brother, Shannon Leto. The band won Best Rock Music Video at the MTV awards in 2010 and 2013. JULIETTE LEWIS The Cape Fear actress is lead vocal for rock band Juliette and the Licks and has been for many years. Although the band broke up in 2009, they recently reunited for a gig in May. Juliette also performs and tours solo. JAMIE OLIVER Although he has now put his rock career on the back burner to become a famous foodie, the father-of-five…

MEAL: Being brought up on a farm I’d have to say steak and roasted vegies, that’s something simple that just hits the spot. I love it. MOVIE: The Lion King , just for having such an impact at a young age and for the joy it brings. TV SHOW: Prison Break , because they’re bringing it back now and I’m so excited. ACTOR: After working with Ray Meagher on Home and Away , he’s definitely an idol in terms of being so professional and keeping to his word and being honest, keeping the peace. He’s been there for over 28 years and he’s just such a genuine and hard-working guy. BOOK: I love factual stuff, so non-fiction, anything to do with…

After a few years in the doldrums as Japan battled some tough financial and political times, Tokyo is back in the spotlight — and wherever that spotlight goes, you know the stars are not far behind. ORLANDO BLOOM and JUSTIN BIEBER were both recently in town to make personal appearances, and two-time Oscar winner CATE BLANCHETT also passed through on her way to Europe. Another Oscar winner, this year’s Best Actor LEONARDO DICAPRIO, also showed up for the Japanese premiere of his triumphant The Revenant . Last year’s winner, EDDIE REDMAYNE, also walked the red carpet this year for the Tokyo premiere of The Danish Girl . Another Aussie beauty, MIRANDA KERR, turned heads in Tokyo’s smart circles when she appeared for a fashion…

LEA MICHELE The actress and Broadway star channelled an Old Hollywood vibe at the Entertainment Weekly pre-Emmy party in LA. Lea simply dazzled in a slinky silver gown and heels. ROONEY MARA The US star wore her favourite hue, black, at the premiere of her new movie The Secret Scripture, in Toronto. She was chic and sleek in a Proenza Schouler gown. JENNIFER ANISTON Our fave California girl delivered summery style at the premiere of Storks in LA. Jen wore a gorgeous metallic floral mini dress by Valentino, perfectly paired with cute heels. MICHELLE DOCKERY The Downton Abbey star chose a fresh, no-fuss look for the LA Entertainment Weekly Pre-Emmy party. She wore a white top with black edge, plus white pants and carried a black clutch. Classic! CHLOË MORETZ…

A shattered Wyatt begs her not to go but Steffy feels his promises to control Quinn always amount to nothing. Angered by the news that her grandfather Eric is now living with the despicable Quinn, Steffy throws down the gauntlet to her remorseless mother-in-law, telling Quinn that she’ll abandon her marriage to Wyatt if Quinn doesn’t leave Eric. Thinking that Steffy is bluffing, Quinn refuses to walk out on Eric and the happiness they’ve found, believing that she and Eric and Steffy and Wyatt can all be happy. Quinn’s (Rena Sofer) attitude is the last straw for an exasperated Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) who returns home to Wyatt (Darin Brooks) and explains to him the ultimatum she gave to his mother. A shocked Wyatt hopes that Steffy was only frightening…

Sonya’s quest to help Steph and Mark have a baby is taking a huge toll on Toadie. The loyal husband and friend has voiced his support for the surrogacy plan though inside he is deeply conflicted. Toadie now realises he wants another child with Sonya but he might have missed his chance. At first, Mark (Scott McGregor) and Steph (Carla Bonner) turned down the amazing offer from Sonya (Eve Morey) so Toadie (Ryan Moloney) was considering telling Sonya that he wanted to try for another baby. Before he could talk to Sonya, Mark and Steph changed their minds and now it’s full steam ahead with the surrogacy. The first big hurdle is a meeting involving Sonya, Toadie, Mark and Steph, where they are bombarded with questions to make sure that…

DAVID BERRY (James) on singing in the show: “I’d like to see a musical version of A Place to Call Home … it should happen, actually. That’d be good. A Christmas special where we’re singing everything.” SARA WISEMAN (Carolyn) on working with her real-life husband (Craig Hall who plays Jack): “When we’re in the zone and in the scenes and doing it, it’s very much Jack that’s standing in front of me, which is wonderful. I love that, that you can drop away the Craig and see the Jack, and I think he feels similar in that respect. But at the same time there’s such a shorthand that we can use to really glean as much as we can for these two characters, so it’s kind of win-win.” ABBY EARL…

After Nicole leaves, Sasha kisses Thomas, thanking him for defending her again. Losing her boyfriend Zende to his true love Nicole hurt Sasha more than she is willing to admit but that hasn’t stopped her from vowing to find happiness with a new man in the future. Over the past few weeks, Sasha has struck up a close friendship with Thomas and it appears that romance could be blossoming. Each time Sasha (Felisha Cooper) and Thomas (Pierson Fode) are alone together, the sexual chemistry between them is evident. Both of them are aware of the undeniable attraction and can’t resist sharing steamy kisses as they have casual fun together. Emboldened by their closeness, Sasha finally tells Thomas that she has big plans for him. He’s thrilled to hear it and…

Prison life is an existence that Victor Newman has been forced to endure but the legendary megalomaniac isn’t about to let it derail his plans to wriggle out of serving his full 10-year sentence. Having befriended the prison doctor, Meredith Gates, Victor has detected that the beautiful medico can be easily charmed and manipulated to his will. He has wasted no time discovering that not only is Meredith estranged from her father Russell Gates but that her dad is also an influential member of the parole board who could affect Victor’s early release if given the right incentive. After manipulating Meredith (Alicia Coppola) into contacting her father on the pretence of forging reconciliation with him, Victor (Eric Braeden) meets with Russell (David Grant Wright) with the intention of bribing him.…

WEEKDAYS AT 4.30PM ON TEN OCT 10-14 * Distressed by QUINN and ERIC’s living situation, RIDGE, LIAM and WYATT worry about the effect the news will have on STEFFY and her marriage. Predictably, Steffy explodes at the turn of events and, ranting at Wyatt’s inability to control his criminal mother, walks out on her marriage. Seeking solace with THOMAS, Steffy isn’t surprised when he sets her up with Liam, believing that she’d be better if she left Wyatt. Liam agrees, with Thomas, telling Steffy that she should divorce Wyatt immediately. * At the Forrester mansion, Quinn delights in Steffy’s agonised reaction to the fact she’s living with Eric. Ignoring her daughter-in-law’s edict to walk away from Eric or reap the consequences, Quinn takes comfort with Eric. Ridge is next to…

The preparations for Katie and Andy’s Christmas Day nuptials are finalised but as the bride and groom look forward to their hen and stag dos and the big day, two aggrieved villagers prepare to ruin their happiness. Aware that his ex-lover Bernice is still in love with him, Andy has been treading carefully around her with the wedding preparations but is thunderstruck when Bernice, overwhelmed with jealousy, lies to Andy that she’s pregnant with his twins. Despite guiltily retracting the lie, Bernice remains obsessed, as does Andy’s brother Robert who’s outraged to hear that Diane has gifted his father Jack’s wedding ring to Andy. Andy is having the ring melted down and recreated into matching wedding bands for him and Katie. Robert sabotages the ring designs before confronting Andy at…

WIN HELP! I SHRUNK THE FAMILY DVD Thanks to Eagle Entertainment, 25 lucky Soap World readers will win the movie Help! I Shrunk the Family on DVD, valued at $24.95 each. That’s a total prize value of $623.75! Life at home is a struggle for nine-year-old Johannes (Sasha Mylanus): his mother has recently passed away, his father is preoccupied and his older sister has no time for him. Then one night Johannes discovers Wiplala (Geza Weisz), a little man with magical powers who lives in the kitchen cupboard. Johannes is thrilled to have a friend all his own — until one of Wiplala’s spells accidentally shrinks him and his family down to four inches (about 10cm) in height! Wracked by self-doubt, the well intentioned Wiplala must work out a way…