TV

Emmerdale secrets exposed: Sneak peek at soap's set reveals what fans never see


Emmerdale constantly has the nation hooked on the drama – be it Moira and Nate’s affair or Robert’s impending exit.

But Daily Star Online can lift the lid on some of the ITV soap’s behind-the-scenes secrets from the show’s outdoor set.

Filmed near Leeds, Emmerdale is produced in a studio for the majority of its indoor scenes and a specially-built village for its exterior shots.

Daily Star Online recently headed up north for a tour of the village and now we can reveal some exciting things that fans never get to see.

The village set, built on the private Harewood Estate, was created in 1997 after Emmerdale moved production away from the real life village of Esholt.

Some interior sets, like the vets, are inside the buildings

The soap set was built because Arncliffe was too far away from the studios in which Emmerdale filmed its interior scenes.

Viewers would be forgiven for thinking the village had been around for much longer due to the weathered bricks, however it was all part of the clever design.

The new village had to resemble Esholt so, to make the buildings look older, things like yoghurt and manure were spread on the walls to encourage moss and lichen to grow.

The garage is too small to fit most cars inside

Similarly, the paving slabs leading up to houses had to be hand damaged to give a weathered look.

The land on which it is built was originally a cornfield and production made an agreement with Harewood that, if the soap is ever cancelled, the set will be torn down and returned to its initial state.

However Pollard’s house was already on the land when ITV built the fictional village.

Mill Cottage has housed a number of sets in its time

Shots of fictional town Hotten are actually filmed in the nearby market town of Otley.

The original Woolpack pub was in the village of Esholt however it was public and attracted fans who made their feelings about certain characters known, causing a problem for production.

And if you’ve ever wondered what characters are drinking in the pub, you may be surprised to discover that in certain shots it may actually be alcohol.

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The main cast are allowed one pint a day of the beer, which is supplied by Masham-based Black Sheep Brewery and given a fictional name.

However, supporting actors and extras aren’t forced to follow the one pint limit.

Now, the village is on private land and isn’t occupied by anyone – however many of the buildings aren’t just empty.

Woodbine Cottage, inhabited by Harriet Finch, is actually home to the makeup department.

Wardrobe is in Beauty and Bernice, lighting is kept in Keepers Cottage, where Victoria Barton lives, and the production office and green room are in Dale Head, where Dan and Amelia live.

The sign for David’s shop features a spelling mistake

Props are kept in Oakley Cottage, but don’t worry if you’re confused as to who lives there.

The house is next door to Mulberry Cottage, where Laurel lives, however nobody lives there. Instead, it’s available if a new family was ever introduced.

It’s a good thing Sharma & Sharma didn’t really burn down in the factory fire either, as it’s actually the cast’s canteen.

Some sets, however, are in the buildings in the village, such as the vets conjoined to Rhona’s house.

The church noticeboard is always up to date

Scenes at Barton and Dingle Automotives are filmed at the outdoor set, however the garage is actually too small to fit most cars, which is why the characters work on them outside.

And some interior sets have been in completely different buildings, as Mill Cottage, where Aaron and Robert live, has housed Woodbine’s set as well as Dr Liam and Manpreet’s offices.

The set holds more secrets though, and there is one part of David Metcalfe’s shop that is never, ever shown on screens.

The shop has a sign on the outside listing products that are available, however it features a spelling mistake.

Some of the gravestones are for real people

Instead of “confectionery”, the word is spelled “confectionary”, so producers avoid ever getting the sign on camera.

Similarly, they have to make sure the noticeboard outside the church is always up-to-date with the scenes they are filming, as it features dates of upcoming services.

And any phone numbers you may spot on the show also aren’t real – so don’t bother trying to give your favourite character a call.

The graveyard is full of tombstones of characters that have died on the soap – but some are very much real, too.

A graveyard in London was going through renovations when the set was built and offered up some gravestones for Emmerdale.

The most eye-catching grave is that of Valerie Pollard, as she is commemorated with a huge weeping angel tombstone with speakers on the side.

Moira’s barn scenes are filmed at a real working barn

However the speakers don’t actually work, with the sounds being edited over the top during production.

The village set spans a large area and includes the cricket pavilion, village hall and a playground.

But sporting events aren’t filmed by the pavilion, as the land is too steep.

There are also a number of areas seen on-screen that aren’t part of the main village.

Moira’s barns are real working barns, so, to avoid becoming a nuisance, the cast and crew film three weeks worth of scenes at the location at a time.

This is similar to scenes at Home Farm, as the grand abode is the private location of Creskeld Hall near Otley.

The slab Kerry hit her head on is actually made of soft spongy material

And the forest behind the visitor car park was used in scenes from the Big Night Out episode, as well as the terrifying Lachlan storyline when he kidnapped Rebecca.

Daily Star Online also got a hands-on experience with some of the props – notably the slab on which Kerry Wyatt hit her head recently.

The slab, as well as exterior that falls down in scenes such as the memorably 2015 helicopter crash, are made of foam and polystyrene to avoid injury.

Similarly, the dust and debris has to be safe. At the time of the 2015 crash, milk powder was used to make sure it was safe for actress Charley Webbe, who was pregnant at the time.

The Emmerdale Village Tour Experience is available on select weekends throughout the year.



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