Upcoming special episodes of Emmerdale will offer “snapshots of lockdown life”, producers have said.
Emmerdale – Laura Shaw credit ITV/Amy Brammall
The lockdown episodes will focus on the lives of characters including Cain Dingle, Paddy Kirk, Chas Dingle, Sam Dingle and Lydia Hart.
Sam and Lydia’s marriage will be tested, while a secret from Mandy’s 17 years away from Emmerdale will be uncovered.
Secrets uncovered during the lockdown episodes will feed into and affect future storylines.
Filming was initially halted in March because of Covid-19 but the programme’s cast and crew returned to work last week, following social-distancing measures.
The new episodes will air from June 8 and will last for three weeks before the soap returns to its previous broadcast schedule.
Speaking during an online Q&A, producer Laura Shaw said Friday’s episode would end on a cliff-hanger before the soap entered three weeks of “lockdown episodes”.
She said: “When Emmerdale shut down we went into lockdown and we shut the studios down part way through shooting a block (of episodes).
“We have got a whole group of scenes that were shot before lockdown – and then we have got some scenes that we are working on now that we will be shooting next.
“After Friday you will see that we end on a bit of a cliff-hanger and then we will go into our three weeks of lockdown episodes.”
Shaw said the show would eventually enter a new block of filming in which life would largely return to normal in Emmerdale.
However, the soap will nod towards the pandemic’s long-term effects.
She said: “After that we will set a new block of filming where we will reference coronavirus.
“We will see things like in our cafe and the Woolpack it will be takeaway only for example.
“And we will have separate entrances and exits, similar to what you have in the supermarket now.”
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