2022 British Soap Awards POC Winners
Harvey Virdi, Tameka Empson, and Paige Sandhu - Channel 4/ BBC/ITV
The 2022 British Soap Awards was held on Saturday, June 11. The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honors the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. Most of the awards are voted for by a panel of industry professionals while the general public votes for Best British Soap, Best Family, and Best Leading Performer.
Winners who are people of color are posted down below.
ITV
Best British Soap: Emmerdale
Emmerdale (once known as Emmerdale Farm) is a British soap opera that focuses on a group of families set in the fictional village of Emmerdale the Yorkshire Dales. The serial killer storyline featured a woman of color, Meena Jutla played by Paige Sandhu, as the driving force behind the show in 2021. Paige’s stellar performance as the serial killer Meena helped to seal the deal for the award win.
Best Leading Performer: Paige Sandhu (Meena Jutla)
Crucially, Paige Sandhu’s disturbing performance of ensuring Meena commits every kill with a sinister smile made the character utterly compelling and had fans lapping it up enough to snag the best leading performer award. The nasty nurse devastated the close-knit community of Emmerdale with her spree of murders, adding a bit of dark humor and dangerous charm lead to an incredibly edgy performance.
Best Comedy Performer: Tameka Empson (Kim Fox) EastEnders
Tameka Empson’s hilarious portrayal as Kim Fox on EastEnders charmed enough humor to win the best comedy performer award. Empson has shown dedication in her character by not only playing her role on set, but also playing her character in a spinoff web series focused on Fox's day-to-day antics. Empson truly embodies her role as Kim Fox.
Best Storyline: Hollyoaks – Misbah’s Historic Rape – Harvey Virdi (Misbah Maalik)
Harvey Virdi took home the award for the best storyline for her performance of her character Misbah Maalik’s storyline about rape. The plot does well in portraying the fear, denial, and hate that are involved in such a horrifying action. It was almost as if the whole storyline was a hand reaching out to other victims to let them know they’re not alone and don’t have to be silent.
Scene of the Year: Hollyoaks – Misbah Didn't Consent – Haiesha Mistry (Yasmine Maalik), Harvey Virdi (Misbah Maalik)
Harvey Virdi’s heart-wrenching performance of Misbah Maalik coming to grips with accepting her dark past of being raped won her the scene of the year award. One could feel the emotional distress Harvey and Haiesha both exuded in a moment that many have unfortunately faced in real life. The fear and denial of a mother confessing her rape to her daughter were palpable throughout the entire scene. A performance as riveting as it was horrifying.