Betway unveils the best soap actors ever – with one Emmerdale star coming out on top in 2026.

From the likes of Roy Cropper and Alfie Moon to Pat Pheelan and Steve McFadden, there are plenty of iconic soap actors from over the years.

Now, in new research from Betway, the best soap actor in 2026 has been revealed.

Using a range of metrics – including positive sentiment scores, IMDb awards and nominations and the percentage of episodes they’ve starred in – Emmerdale star Danny Miller, who is best known for portraying the role of Aaron Dingle, has come out on top.

Danny secured first place with standout sentiment scores of 56.3 and 52.7, along with winning 13 awards and being nominated 17 times.

As one of the longest-running stars on EastEnders, Steve McFadden followed in second place, having played Phil Mitchell since his debut in February 1990. He received sentiment scores of 57 and 53.9, with only winning six awards in total, but had a high percentage when it came to the total episodes he has starred in at 51%.

In third place was David Neilson, who has played the role of Roy Cropper on Coronation Street since 1995, beating fellow Corrie co-stars Jack P. Shepherd (David Platt) and Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald). Neilson had a total score of 79.8, winning a total of 10 awards and being nominated 11 times, while Gregson has been nominated for 13.

Hollyoaks star Emmett J. Scanlan followed closely behind, beating Martin Kemp (Steve Owen), Shane Ritchie (Alfie Moon), Danny Dyer (Mick Carter) and Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale). While Adam placed 12th on the list, the actor had the highest percentage of total episodes on the show. 

Best soap actor in 2026

Ranking	Actor	Role	SOAP	Actor Sentiment Score(out of 100)	Role Sentiment Score(out of 100)	IMDb ActorAwards	IMDb ActorNominations	% of Total Episodeson Show	Score
1	Danny Miller	Aaron Dingle	Emmerdale	56.3	52.7	13	17	17.50%	81.7
2	Steve McFadden	Phil Mitchell	EastEnders	57	53.9	6	11	51.50%	81.1
3	David Neilson	Roy Cropper	Coronation Street	57.3	54.6	10	11	23.80%	79.8
4	Jack P. Shepherd	David Platt	Coronation Street	56.6	55.4	7	11	22.90%	77.6
5	Simon Gregson	Steve McDonald	Coronation Street	56.5	54.6	4	13	32.20%	77.4
6	Emmett J. Scanlan	Brendan Brady	Hollyoaks	55.7	55.7	7	15	6.60%	76.5
7	Martin Kemp	Steve Owen	EastEnders	59.5	55.3	11	6	4.70%	76.3
8	Shane Richie	Alfie Moon	EastEnders	53.5	54.7	12	8	19.70%	76.1
9	Danny Dyer	Mick Carter	EastEnders	53.5	52.7	11	13	16.20%	75.5
10	Bradley Walsh	Danny Baldwin	Coronation Street	57.4	58.4	2	10	2.70%	73
11	Charlie Clements	Bradley Branning	EastEnders	63.7	53.4	7	2	5.80%	72.1
12	Adam Woodyatt	Ian Beale	EastEnders	54.1	53.9	3	2	53.40%	71.7

Methodology

The study used an index methodology, using the following metrics and sources:

 Data collected from IMDb and Reddit on behalf of Betway in January 2026

• IMDb Award Wins: The number of Award wins for that show on IMDb.
• IMDb Nominations: The number of Award Nominations for that show on IMDb.
• % of Number of Episodes: The number of episodes divided by the total number of episodes of the show.
• Sentiment scores: Scores measured according to Reddit comments gathered about that character and actor in the soaps.