Last night, I attended the Inside Soap Awards 2008 launch in Manchester, and it was an excellent evening all round.

Myself and my esteemed colleague James Fiddy parked ourselves in a special room set aside for our interviews and set to work on the celebrity pickings from the soap world for the evening. A special thanks at this point must go to Johnny Hughes for his outstanding chaperoning service.

A few hours and numerous glasses of champagne later, we were eventually relieved of our work duties for the evening and drank the night away on the roof terrace.

Check back on DS later today and tomorrow for our video interviews with Emmerdale's Roxanne Pallett; Hollyoaks boys James Sutton (John Paul McQueen), Barry Sloane (Niall Rafferty) and Jake Hendriks; as well as Corrie's Kym Ryder (Michelle Connor) and Kat Kelly (Becky Grainger), among others.

Meanwhile, here are a few tidbits I picked up along the way...

- Kym Ryder and Jamie Lomas are now officially an item after weeks and weeks of speculation.
- Jordan's sister isn't joining Hollyoaks, despite reports yesterday to the contrary. My source tells me that she hasn't even been approached for casting, nor has she or her agent approached the show.
- Late Night Hollyoaks is shaping up really well.
- Corrie's Julie Hesmondalgh returns to work at the Manchester-based soap on September 15 after a year's break from her role as Hayley Cropper.
- There are a few shockers coming up in the next few months in Hollyoaks...
- Emmerdale's Roxanne Pallett is a techno whiz on her BlackBerry and is constantly tapping away on it.
- There's some exciting stuff on the horizon for Hollyoaks' Mercedes McQueen, including a long-term romance.
- Kym Ryder and Kat Kelly can't wait for the catty scenes where Michelle and Becky eventually come to blows over Steve's one-night stand.

Oh, and before I forget, voting for the awards is now open. Click here to have your say!

> Click here to see pictures of last night's red carpet arrivals