Life in the real village which Emmerdale was modelled on has been “hit hard” by the pandemic and lack of tourism.
The village of Esholt, near Guiseley, is now a shadow of its former self, according to the people who live there.
The village was used to film the ITV soap’s external shots from 1976 until 1996. A model replica of the village was then built in the Harewood House estate which has been used ever since.
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Before the pandemic, coach tours visited in droves with fans gawping at the village wide-misty-eyed. They’d even get pictures with the residents, which made them feel like local celebrities.
The real-life The Woolpack is also not as thriving as it once was, according to residents. It used to be the community-hub, just like on the show.
The pub used to be a lively place filled with “cliquey” locals every night, nattering and gossiping about relationship strife in the village.
'Nowt going on'
Electrician Bobby Sharp, 53, has lived in Esholt for 26 years. He said Emmerdale does not mirror life in the village whatsoever, although it did when he first moved to the village.
Bobby said: “I stopped watching it because it got a bit silly. There’s too much going on and it was just ridiculous. I just turned it off and I haven’t watched it since. It was about a little village yet there’s all these murders, there was too much going on.
“When I first came down here, it was buzzing with all-sorts going on. There was always a story. These days there doesn’t seem to be owt going on.
"The pub used to be busy on an evening, I’m talking a long time ago. There'd be the usual [gossip], so-and-so is going out with so-and-so, that kind of stuff.
“It was weird because when I first moved down here, my friend said to me I’d find the first couple years a bit weird. It’s because I was new, everyone wanted to know my business. It was amusing.
“There was a clique in the pub, always a sort of crowd that stands out. There was an upper-class clique. When I came down here, the first thing I brought was a trial bike and sleeping bag. So when I moved in then they were like ‘Oh god, the village is going downhill’. It was a bit odd at first.”
Bobby is fond of all his neighbours and says the village is full of “friendly” people. Although, he misses the days when every evening about a half-a-dozen locals would regularly gather at The Woolpack and “have a natter for an hour or two”.
He said the pub has suffered even more ever since “the coaches stopped”.
The landlady of The Woolpack, Linda Saint, said it was struggling to survive in January due to lack of tourism with Covid-19 and people’s changing drinking habits. She declined to comment for this article.
'Village hit hard'
Graham Boyle, 69, has lived in Esholt for 15 years, he confirmed there were no murderers running loose around the small village.
But he said “Covid really hit the village hard” with less and less visitors arriving. He used to take great pride in showing them a ledger he made with all the Emmerdale original locations in the village. He no longer even knows where the ledger is as he hasn’t picked it up in so long.
The retired site manager described Emmerdale as “just unrealistic”, rubbishing any notion that it was true to life in the village.
Graham had a sunny outlook on the future however, now that Covid restrictions have been scrapped.
He said: “Once we get decent weather, there will be coaches here every day. They’ll be straight into the pub and a walk around. They are very chatty and want to know where things [in the show] were.”
'No murderers in this village'
Alan Yuill, 84, and his wife who did not want to be named, are big "rabid" fans of the show, they watch it regularly but admit it’s “totally over the top and far-fetched"
Alan, a retired toy salesman, said: “We used to go to the pub regularly but with the pandemic, everybody has had to cut back on their visits.”
The couple make an Esholt calendar which they sell to tourists whenever they visit.
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This raises money for their village group 'The Village in Bloom', the proceeds go to horticultural up-keep of Esholt and a cancer charity.
Alan’s wife said: “We don’t live our lives with everybody else’s, it’s as simple as that. I don’t want to live in each other’s pockets.
“There’s no murderers in this village that we know of, there’s no one shooting people or poisoning drinks or whatever, no.”
Have you visited Esholt? Leave your thoughts on the quaint village in the comments section below.
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