Emmerdale wins six prizes at the British Soap Awards

Charley Webb and Matthew Wolfenden play Debbie Dingle and David Metcalfe in Emmerdale

Emmerdale has won best British soap at the British Soap Awards for the second year running.

The Yorkshire drama took six awards in total, including best actor and actress, at a ceremony in Salford, Manchester.

John Middleton was praised for showing character Ashley Thomas's battle with dementia.

He dedicated the best storyline award to the estimated 850,000 people with it in the UK.

Emmerdale has been congratulated by dementia charities for raising awareness of the condition.

A special episode, screened in December, was shot entirely from Ashley's perspective.

Coronation Street's Kym Marsh won best female dramatic performance

It won best single episode, and best male dramatic performance for Middleton.

Accepting the award, he thanked the soap's writers for "the great integrity with which this story was told".

Charlotte Bellamy, who plays his on-screen wife Laurel, won best actress.

"I never in a million years thought I'd get this," she said.

The award ceremony was held at The Lowry in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Host Phillip Schofield was among those who paid tribute to the victims of the Manchester terror attack, saying the city's "spirit has inspired the world".

Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Eva in Coronation Street, was among the stars who paid tribute to the Manchester attack victims. Her bag featured the Manchester bee and the words We Stand Together.

Coronation Street took four awards.

Kym Marsh won best female dramatic performance in the soap.

Her character Michelle Connor suffered a late miscarriage, an experience the actress went through herself in 2009.

"It was perhaps the most difficult thing I've ever had to do in my career," she said accepting the award.

"It's such an important story to tell because sadly there are so many people going through that right now.

"I'm so proud of the show for making this less taboo and making people realise they're not alone."

Hollyoaks took three awards, while BBC soaps EastEnders and Doctors won one award each.

The British Soap Awards will be on ITV1 on Tuesday at 8pm.

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