Emmerdale is just two months from its 50th anniversary and viewers aren't going to know what has hit them if what the ITV soap has teased is anything to go by. The show was created by Kevin Laffan and was titled Emmerdale Farm when it was first broadcast in October 1972.
And in October, the Yorkshire soap will be celebrating five decades on-screen with a month of drama which will reach its climax during a special week of episodes bringing on October 16. Emmerdale has now revealed that a storm will be the cause of the life and death drama in the village later in the year.
"We have got, in true Emmerdale style, every story imaginable. We have got things that are going to make you laugh, make you cry, make you surprised and stunts that are going to rock your world," Jane Hudson, executive producer of Emmerdale, told the Manchester Evening News and other press.
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Sharing exactly what will be at the centre of the epic celebrations, Kate Brooks, Emmerdale's series producer, said: "As part of our big 50th week, although we are doing a month of celebrations, the big 50th week will focus on a massive storm that is going to rip through the village and leave a massive trail of destruction in its wake.
"Some of our best-loved villagers will be in peril and it's safe to say that literally, the village won't be the same after this and won't ever be the same again because the impact this storm has on people's lives is just massive."
As if that isn't enough, there will also be the return of three very familiar faces, with Kate telling is that Danny Miller, Amy Walsh and Elizabeth Estensen will all be reprising their roles as Aaron Dingle, Tracy Metcalfe and Diane Sugden on a 'temporary basis'. "They'll come back and be at the heart of some really big stories that will impact their lives and not just them but the lives of the characters they leave behind."
And at the end of the month, when fans think they can breathe, a whole host of other storylines will begin. Jane said that the Faith Dingle storyline will continue at the start of the month before they enter into their big storm week. "Then, when we get to October, it might be the end of our celebrations but we will be ending that month with a storyline that kicks off a whole new story," Jane said before dropping the bombshell: "And potentially sees one of our characters spending the rest of their life in jail."
Aaron last appeared in the Dales in December 2021 when the mechanic decided to leave the village for good. He left amid his sister Liv Flaherty being charged with his boyfriend Ben Tucker's murder. But as viewers know and the character's later found out, Liv was completely innocent and Ben was another tragic victim of serial killer Meena.
Tracy, however, said goodbye to her sister Vanessa and ex-Nate after she was offered an incredible job opportunity in Nottingham following her split from Nate and after suffering from post-natal depression. In real life, Amy took a break from her role to welcome her own daughter, Bonnie, into the world with ex-EastEnders star Toby-Alexander Smith.
And Elizabeth left the role of Diane after over two decades of playing the matriarchal character who packed her suitcases and headed off to warmer climes leaving her life in Emmerdale behind her.
Asked about who else will be involved in Emmerdale's 'epic' 50th anniversary stunt, Jane replied: "Everyone's involved. It's easier to say who's not involved.." She went on: "There's Kim [Tate] and Will's [Taylor] wedding so anybody connected to them has got a major part to play in the 50th storyline.
"If you're watching Emmerdale at the moment you'll see that Sandra's back, Liv's mum, and that story's building so that'll have a huge part to play in the 50th. The Faith [Dingle] story which is such an emotional, heartbreaking story is going to be huge and I think everybody involved in that story is pulling out some of the most spectacular performances I've seen in soap for a long time.
"There's also Amelia [Spencer]. Will or won't she have the baby during the 50th. Chas [Dingle] and Al [Chapman]... it's a storm so if you're going to get it on you've got the storm for cover. So they feature very heavily and we've got our returning characters. Tracey's coming back with a bit of news of her own so how is Nate [Robinson] going to react to that.
"Snd Aaron's back... is he going to find out his mum is cheating on Paddy who he sees as a father? Is he going to discover Sandra's not all about Liv? So there's a huge story happening over there. And there's a story which involves Nate, Sam [Dinlge], and Belle [Dingle] which is the one only Emmerdale can do and that's going to dominate quite a lot of the 50th as well."
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