Soapworld
Phil Mitchell is the character EastEnders’ viewers ‘love to hate’
The character has been played by Steve McFadden since 1990…
From scheming street rogues to long-running EastEnders icons, some of Britain’s most notorious soap villains have unexpectedly become fan favourites. With the Soap Awards fast approaching on May 31st, the question remains: which soap baddie has truly captured the hearts and fears of UK audiences over the years?
To find out, VSO analysed over 35 famous soap opera villains, ranking them across major shows. They measured positive social media reactions related to online content about each character, as well as the number of posts they are tagged in on Instagram and TikTok.
Each metric was weighted equally to create a ‘Popularity Score’ out of 10, revealing the internet’s most loved soap opera villains.
EastEnders, Phil, Sharon and Grant / BBC
UK’s Most Loved Soap Opera Villain
|
Rank |
Character |
Actor |
Soap Opera |
Number of positive reactions |
Number of Instagram Posts |
Number of TikTok Posts |
Popularity score |
|
1 |
Phil Mitchell |
Steve McFadden |
EastEnders |
1,232 |
24,100 |
14,600 |
10.0 |
|
2 |
Robert Sugden |
Ryan Hawley |
Emmerdale |
251 |
28,700 |
1,536 |
1.9 |
|
3 |
Ross Barton |
Michael Parr |
Emmerdale |
4,464 |
2,707 |
359 |
1.2 |
|
4 |
Jack Branning |
Scott Maslen |
EastEnders |
168 |
4,867 |
4,536 |
3.8 |
|
5 |
Kim Tate |
Claire King |
Emmerdale |
1,440 |
3,152 |
777 |
1.4 |
|
6 |
Cain Dingle |
Jeff Hordley |
Emmerdale |
540 |
6,930 |
1,543 |
2.38 |
|
7 |
Max Branning |
Jake Wood |
EastEnders |
97 |
5,879 |
2,867 |
2.24 |
|
8 |
Grant Mitchell |
Ross Kemp |
EastEnders |
338 |
3,079 |
2,524 |
2.04 |
|
9 |
Emma Barton |
Gillian Kearney |
Emmerdale |
445 |
4,628 |
364 |
1.83 |
|
10 |
Nish Panesar |
Navin Chowdhry |
EastEnders |
495 |
692 |
2,173 |
1.82 |
|
11 |
Janine Butcher |
Charlie Brooks |
EastEnders |
33 |
1,986 |
2,607 |
1.74 |
|
12 |
Luke Morgan |
Gary Lucy |
Hollyoaks |
303 |
4,343 |
182 |
1.66 |
|
13 |
James Nightingale |
Gregory Finnegan |
Hollyoaks |
40 |
5,126 |
404 |
1.61 |
|
14 |
Tracy Barlow |
Kate Ford |
Coronation Street |
146 |
1,849 |
914 |
1.45 |
|
15 |
Joel Deering |
Calum Lill |
Coronation Street |
451 |
150 |
452 |
1.38 |
EastEnders, Grant, Peggy and Phil / BBC
Since his EastEnders debut in 1990, Phil Mitchell has become an icon of British soap operas – and the internet’s favourite soap villain. Ranked as the number one most loved villain in the genre, Phil’s intense, no-nonsense style has earned him legendary status. Backed by over 38,000 combined posts on Instagram and TikTok, he tops the list with a perfect popularity score of 10.
In second place is Robert Sugden from Emmerdale, whose complicated storylines and fiery relationships have kept fans invested for years. Despite a more modest number of positive online reactions, his enduring popularity is evident in the over 30,000 social media mentions he’s received.
Fans were recently treated to his return to the screen, as actor Ryan Hawley guest-starred in the period drama Miss Scarlet in March.
