Inside Soap UK 42 - 2022

‘‘It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good,” or so my old mum used to say. And she should know, as she once nearly had her head taken off by a ‘For Sale’ sign, scything through the air in a Force 10 in Cleveleys. “Slaughtered in darkly gruesome ways” Mum would have nodded knowingly at Emmerdale this week, where a very ill wind blows no good at all – as you’ll discover over many gusty, gutsy pages of this issue. We’re even promised at least one shock death – which reminds me of Emmerdale’s penchant, on these occasions, to slaughter its cast in darkly gruesome Final Destination-style ways. Remember Val Pollard, guillotined by a funfair mirror? Or Tricia Dingle and the chimney? We’ve been betting on which piece of…

STORM WEEK! ITV SUNDAY We’ve already seen a few squalls in the run-up to Kim and Will’s big day, but that’s nothing compared with what’s next. While Kim makes an impressive sight as she arrives at the wedding on her stallion, the villagers of Emmerdale are about to witness something that will truly take their breath away… For Emmerdale’s 50th birthday, producers have pulled out all the stops, with a week of episodes which see gale-force winds ravage the village. Relationships will be torn apart and enemies thrown together as the village fights for its very survival. “There’s huge stunts, big emotional heartache, secrets, lies, comedy and, sadly, some of the characters will lose their lives,” teases executive producer Jane Hudson. “We have three epic stunts – and then…

STORM WEEK! ITV TUESDAY Mum-to-be Amelia’s plans for a romantic picnic with her boyfriend Noah take a terrible turn this week. Looking forward to a snog and a sandwich, Amelia dismisses the weather warning and heads to their rendezvous. But as she makes her way through the countryside, young Amelia realises her mistake as wind blows her off her feet. And as she starts to panic, she then realises that her contractions have started! We invited actress Daisy Campbell to fill us in on her character’s stormy drama… Hi Daisy. It seems things are going well between Amelia and Noah before this… Yeah, things are really good and I definitely think she has found the right person. Samson hasn’t been around for Amelia during her whole pregnancy, so comparing…

STORM WEEK! ITV MONDAY When the villagers are alerted to Amelia’s disappearance, the race is on to find her as the storm takes hold. However, the rescue mission could be eclipsed by another battle, as Kim and Harriet find themselves competing to play hero of the hour. After Harriet sets off on a quad bike, back at Home Farm, Kim abandons her wedding celebrations and gets her horse saddled up again as she rides off into the woods. “Kim’s not going to have Harriet getting one up on her when she hears she’s roared off on the quad bike,” quips our village spy. “So, Kim jumps straight on her horse. The roads are blocked due to a falling tree, so the horse is the most sensible option and Kim’s…

ITV MONDAY Emmerdale’s country setting always brings something unique to the soap. And never more than this week, when the storm damages Moira’s barn and a herd of stampeding cattle escapes! Dales producers used all sorts of tricks to bring the stunning scene to our screens, as show designer Duncan Howell explains… “We let the cattle see their food hopper then whizzed it down to the bottom of the field,” he says. “When they came out of their pen, they ran as a group to get to the food. There was a bit of trickery as well with a ‘cow cam’ and we created a puppet cow’s head, too. The audience will see a cow’s point of view and it will look as if the cows are running towards the…

STORM WEEK! ITV MONDAY Just when it looks like it’s all over for secret lovers Chas and Al this week, the storm could blow things in another direction completely. The week begins with Chas in grief after her mum’s death, blaming Al for the fact that she wasn’t there at the end. Al switched her phone to silent, meaning she missed the calls about Faith. “Chas is determined it’s all over – her guilt on top of her grief is too much for her to deal with,” sighs our Dales insider. “Al then calls her bluff, telling her he’s leaving if he can’t have her, but she stays firm. Al had already been making plans for the pair of them to flee town together, and it seems he’s now…