Emmerdale scriptwriter Jack Deslandes has quit the ITV soap after working on an array of dramatic storylines since 2023.
He has since jumped ship to rival soap EastEnders, with it now being his third role in a continued drama editorial team.
So who is Jack Deslandes at Emmerdale and why has he left the soap?
Who is Jack Deslandes in Emmerdale?
Jack Deslandes was a scriptwriter for Emmerdale and started working for the soap in 2023.
On Jack's blog in a goodbye post to Emmerdale, he revealed that he joined at the peak of Paddy Kirk's (Dominic Brunt) mental health storyline, which saw the beloved character contemplate suicide.
He was also involved in the messy love triangle between Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins), her husband Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) and the mother of his child Chloe Harris (Jessie Elland), as well as when Caleb Miligan (William Ash) schemed to take Home Farm from Kim Tate (Claire King) after it was revealed he was the secret son of her late husband Frank Tate.
Reflecting on his time in Emmerdale, he revealed the other storylines he worked on: "I got to write Vanessa’s return and the subsequent love triangle between her Mary and Suzy, Charles and Manpreet’s engagement, Marlon and Rhona’s struggles with baby Ivy, early tests in Dawn and Billy’s relationship as new parents, and Matty and Amy’s rocky road to marriage — the soap’s first trans wedding."
Before Emmerdale, Jack worked for another soap as a researcher for Coronation Street and was a freelance videographer prior to this.
Why has Jack Deslandes quit Emmerdale?
Jack quit Emmerdale to work for EastEnders and has been working there for over four months now according to his blog post from April 29, 2024.
He revealed in the post that his final credits on Emmerdale had played out the week before.
Jack also discussed working for Emmerdale and the useful skills he developed in the fast-paced environment: "It was a journey. From struggling to write a six-episode arc on day one to being given sixty scenes to polish up by the end of the day towards the end. I learnt how to write fast, how to pitch to that group of writers, who to pitch with, the different roles storyliners took in encouraging conversation in conferences and talk throughs, and what beats I needed to hit to make my producer happy. And I made some great friends and grew confidence in my strengths in building stories.
He added that he wishes the crew all the best in the future and was appreciative of his job role on the soap: "From a personal development point of view, it was one of the toughest jobs I’ve ever done but in leaving, one of the most rewarding. My move to EastEnders has been made easier by the toolkit of skills and workflow techniques given to me at Emmerdale and although we’re now rivals in not only ratings but also next month's BAFTAs, I only wish the team there well and hope there are many more moments of madness and mayhem down on t’ farm."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITV Hub.
