Best soap actor of all time revealed as unexpected Emmerdale star beats EastEnders icons

An Emmerdale favourite has been named best soap actor beatingtop stars from rival soaps Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and EastEnders

The best soap actor of all time revealed with surprising a Emmerdale star beating the likes of EastEnders legends Ian Beale and Phil Mitchell.

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 the’’ve starred in Emmerdale star Danny Miller, who is best known for portraying the role of Aaron Dingle, has come out on top.

I’m A Celebrity winner Danny secured first place with standout sentiment scores of 56.3 and 52.7, along with winning 13 awards and being nominated 17 times.

Danny first joined Emmerdale as Aaron in 2008 and left in 2011. He returned in 2014 and departed in 2021. He made a comeback in 2023 and is currently still playing the role.

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 per cent.

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.

Adam joined EastEnders in the very first episode, which aired on February 19, 1985.

He has portrayed the character of Ian Beale for over four decades, making him the show’s longest-serving cast member, despite taking a break from the soap between 2021 and 2023.

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