EastEnders has been named best British soap for the second year running.

The television favourite saw off competition from Coronation Street, Doctors, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks at the British Soap Awards in London on Saturday night.

The BBC1 soap, which was first screened in 1985, took seven awards, beating its closest rival Coronation Street by one gong.

Robert Kazinsky, 25, who plays Sean Slater, won best actor, while 37-year-old Scott Maslen, whose character is Jack Branning, won the sexiest male award.

Sexiest female went to Michelle Keegan, 21, aka Coronation Street's Tina McIntyre, while Katherine Kelly, 19, who plays Becky Granger, picked up the award for best actress.

The afternoon soap Doctors won three awards: best single episode, best storyline and best dramatic performance. Emmerdale won the award for the most spectacular scene, which was Victoria falling through the ice. The cast of Channel 4 drama Hollyoaks left empty-handed.

Speaking on the red carpet outside BBC Television Centre, EastEnders' Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell, said: "It's the best soap: it's well written, well acted and the camera team are fantastic.

"We've got high production values. I won't say, No expense spared,' but you don't move on until you've nailed the scene."

McFadden also presented Barbara Windsor, who plays his on-screen mother Peggy Mitchell, with the lifetime achievement award. "This is extra special, the Soap Awards, because its our show," said Windsor, before picking up her award.

"We all know what we go through. We're doing about eight episodes at the same time, all across each other, and they are long hours."

But she added: "I love it. I love the whole process."

Fellow EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer praised the show's recent paedophile storyline. "I think soaps can really deal with these things well," she said. "When they do, it reaches a much wider audience, and these issues need to be raised.

"I know we hear a lot about this stuff in the press but it's always good to watch someone's journey as they go through it. We had a few cases of girls going to the police and stuff so if one girl goes to the police to report sexual abuse then we've done a good job."

Best on-screen partnership went to EastEnders' Nitin Ganatra and Nina Wadia, who play Masood Ahmed and Zainab Masood. Wadia also won best comedy performance.

Wadia praised the soap earlier this month for showing the multicultural realities of London. The 45-year-old said she thought it was important that viewers judged her on-screen family, the Masoods, as characters rather than as Muslims. Wadia said she felt that EastEnders had become more realistic since she had been cast as the Muslim Indian matriarch.

Maisie Smith, who plays Tiffany Dean, scooped the award for best dramatic performance from a young actor or actress.

Coronation Street's Gray O'Brien, who plays Tony Gordon, won villain of the year, and Craig Gazey, who plays Graeme Proctor, was best newcomer. Writer Peter Whalley scooped the special achievement award for his work on the ITV1 soap.

Rob James-Collier, whose Coronation Street character is Liam Connor, won best exit from a soap. Other stars at the ceremony included Coronation Street's Kym Marsh, who arrived with Hollyoaks boyfriend Jamie Lomas.

Marsh, 32, a former singer with Hear'Say who recently lost her baby with Lomas, said: "Whenever anyone goes through a difficult time everybody is always supportive and I think that's what we've found at our work."

Coronation Street's Samia Smith, 26, said: "All the soaps work really hard and every year it's anyone's game."