Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Christine Smith

Behind-the-scenes of Emmerdale serial killer Meena's dramatic final shoot on ITV soap

When it comes to nightmare wedding guests, it doesn't get much worse than the groom's ex - unless of course that ex is also a serial killer who is seeking revenge!

Such circumstances face Emmerdale 's Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) and his bride-to-be Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley), who are targeted by his ex Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu).

It's the culmination of a storyline that has gripped eight million fans for a year, with Meena's murder spree - four killings and three attempted - now reaching a climax.

Paige, 25, said: "I have loved every second of playing Meena. The ending's incredible, better than I could ever have imagined, and I have already started crying!"

She stresses it is, however, the right time for Meena to get her comeuppance: "She is a psychopath and believes nobody will ever get the better of her. Psychopaths are incapable of feeling fear like we can."

Meena's victims have included Leanna Cavanagh, played by Mimi Slinger (ITV)

Whether the character manages to kill yet another victim or perhaps get shot herself remains a closely guarded secret, with fans set to find out in upcoming episodes.

Viewers however already know that Meena is furious that her ex Billy is tying the knot to Dawn, with her determined to seek bloody revenge. The murdering plotline is set to draw to a huge climax on Thursday.

Paige and her co-stars reveal the crew went to great lengths to make this week's episodes as dramatic as possible.

Perched 30ft high on a viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales after Meena takes the newlyweds on a "trip" to the countryside, each star had to wear a harness as their characters argue in a tense showdown with Meena declaring "one of you is not going to leave here alive."

Meena, played by Paige Sandhu, attempts to get revenge this week (ITV)

And with a gunshot in one of the scenes, Emmerdale bosses were taking no chances in a bid to avoid a tragedy like that seen on the set of the film Rust in October last year.

Tonight viewers saw Meena kidnap Billy and Dawn, hold them at gunpoint and order them to choose who will live.

And in the wake of the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins - killed when Alec Baldwin 's prop revolver discharged on the set of the film Rust - safety procedures were overhauled.

Paige says: "From speaking to the gun handler people, their safety precautions have increased even more due to that (Hutchins' death).

"It was a conversation that came up when we were filming - how can we make everyone feel as safe as possible and also do the scenes well? A lot of safety regulations were put in place. I wouldn’t rehearse with a gun. As soon as they called ‘cut’ the handler would grab the gun again."

While she can't give away what happens, Paige will be leaving Emmerdale as the storyline concludes.

Yet as Olivia reveals, not everything was plain sailing. A freak snowstorm and temperatures that dipped below zero meant both the cast and crew were so cold at times, their teeth chattered.

But thanks to hot water bottles, sleeping bag-style robe coats and hand/foot warmers dished out by Jay, 31, they got through. "It was freezing and I shivered," says Olivia, who wore a wedding dress throughout filming.

"You can't fit too many thermals under a wedding dress, but the costume department brought out hot water bottles and warm coats. Jay had a lot of hand/foot warmers."

Billy Fletcher, played by Jay Kontzle, and Dawn Taylor, played by Olivia Bromley, are targetted by Meena (ITV)

Jay quips he could set up a market stall selling the hand/foot warmers, adding: "I had a thermal top on and long johns too. It was so cold, but it has been so much fun to film. Paige is so scary when she gets into Meena mode. She could be the next Freddie Kruger!"

And although nobody suffered from vertigo, Olivia reveals an unlikely household product – fairy liquid – came to the rescue when she fell. "We were filming at a height but wedding dresses aren't very forgiving, so I had to wear a load of Spanx (light, tight fitting layers) over the harness," says Olivia.

"It was a good advert for Spanx because you can't see the harness, which is good! There is a lot of action involved and at one point Jay's character, Billy, is having to protect my character, Dawn, and he was so robust that I fell to the floor!

"We were wearing our harnesses and we were so in the action that I managed to quickly stand back up again without him even noticing! Only there was this huge mud patch on my bum!

"The costume department had to quickly wash it off and they did an incredible job in an hour getting it back to white. Their secret? Fairy liquid and a lot of patience!" All three actors say they can't wait to see how millions of fans will react to this week's episodes – especially Paige who smiles as she reveals viewers have been getting in touch to tell her how much they love her psycho character.

"I don't look at social media too much," she adds. "But people have been sending me messages telling me they love Meena! I love that people love her because I do too! And when she left recently, they told me they were so sad she had gone."

Do you enjoy reading about celebrities? Sign up for all the best celeb news from the Mirror here .

"There is no rehabilitation for her. She is always going to find it exciting to kill people. Meena is the most fun and challenging character I’ve ever played. She is so strange, so odd and it’s been a total delight."

Jay adds: "Meena can't get away with it anymore. It is 100% time for her comeuppance."

*Emmerdale airs every weekday on ITV at 7pm. An extra episode goes out on Thursdays at 8pm.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.