We’re used to seeing this motley bunch with mouths open in horror, mascara streaming down their faces, clothes strewn, shoes scuffed - a collective surrender of vanity to the drama of their on-screen alter-egos.
So it always comes as a surprise to see them brush up, in sleek, showy gowns, perfect make up and enough fake tan to out-orange even EastEnders’ Kat Moon.
These Awards ceremonies are when Soap awards are when we discover what the actors who play our favourite characters are really like - will they give us a turn and pose, lads' mag style, on the red carpet? Or will they rush past the paps and sit in the corner, coiffing all the free champagne?
Soap fans, we bring you the Inside Soap Awards 2011 red carpet photos, so you can decide who belongs to which category: