Emmerdale producers have revealed a catastrophic windstorm will rip through the village during special 50th anniversary scenes due to air later this year.
Fans of the long-running Yorkshire based soap can expect a whole host of drama as the deadly storm with stunts "no other soap could pull off" leaves their favourite characters' lives in peril.
ITV bosses have now confirmed that most characters will be involved in the drama in some way with some set to suffer from serious injuries as the village changes forever.
Read more: Mark Charnock lets slip about 'sensational' Emmerdale anniversary storylines
The news comes from a special press event with the Emmerdale team to preview October’s 50th anniversary milestone. There will be lots of big storylines coming which will likely impact many of the show’s favourite characters, producers Kate Brooks and Jane Hudson spilled the dirt.
Kate Brooks: “We are all super excited. I think it is a massive privilege to be a part of this big, massive celebration. A lot of work and effort has gone into ensuring what hits the screens is magnificent.
“As part of our big 50th celebration week, the big week will focus on a massive storm which is going to rip through the village and absolutely leave a massive trail of destruction in its wake. Some of our best-loved villagers will be in peril and it is safe to say literally the village won’t be the same after this - it will never be the same again.
"The impact this storm has on peoples’ lives is massive. Throughout all of this, we have other stories which will be massive and peaking throughout the month of October. Two big centre-pieces are The Woolpack and Home Farm.
"We are keen to make sure we’ve covered all the different characters and all the families, who are in the village, are affected and impacted in some way during the month of October. In terms of what we are doing, it is unprecedented, there’s elements of the big storm which I’ve not seen in a soap before.
"It is exciting and nerve-racking to be part of that. Hopefully, it will all be brilliant and fantastic to watch.”
Asked how is this storm different, executive producer Jane Hudson added: “It is fair to say every story has been done in soaps. We always come at it from a place of ‘how do we make it feel different?’. One of the things we were keen to do was make sure this storm is in the daytime so you can actually see what is happening and what is going on.
“The whole storm takes place across one day, across three or four episodes. It is all in daytime, it is very much a wind storm rather than a rain storm. We’ve got some amazing wind machines being tested at the moment which are epic.”
She continued: “All the stories told this month are stories we are building across the year - nothing has just been shoehorned in. The stories are all driven by the characters and all have an impact. I think the storm will feel incredibly different and involve so many of our families.
Producer Kate Brooks said: “One element which will feel different, as trust me, nobody has done it and no other soap could do it apart from Emmerdale because of where we are. That’s a hint for you all.”
“We’ve been planning this a long time and a storm has been brewing for 18 months. We always knew we wanted to do some kind of natural disaster which would shatter the village. To give us those big stunt moments people love.”
“We wanted to give the audience what they know, love and have come to expect while also showing off Emmerdale for the rest of the month with all the other storylines.”
You can visit our Emmerdale homepage to find the latest gossip about the soap and its stars. There you'll also find our Emmerdale features and further news about the show's 50th anniversary plans.
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