While members of the show’s cast gasped and cringed as Emmerdale’s post office exploded into flames, Queen Elizabeth - sheltering beneath her clear plastic brolly - remained singularly unmoved. The monarch was treated to the display of pyrotechnics on the set of the popular soap as part of a day tour of Yorkshire, which included performances by Spice Girl Mel B and opera star Lesley Garrett.
“She was as cool as a cucumber when the explosions went off. The rest of us jumped out of skins,” admitted Mark Charnock who plays Marlon Dingle in the programme. The dramatic events at the post office will not be seen by members of the general public, however, as the spectacle was staged specifically for its royal visitor to mark the drama’s 30th anniversary.
Prior to witnessing the demise of the post office, the Queen was taken on a 40-minute tour of the village and chatted to members of the cast. Having been filled in on Emmerdale’s story to date, which includes a jumbo jet crashing onto the village, the Queen exclaimed to cast member Clive Hornby: “It seems to be a very rough place. Everything gets blown up.” It is not the Queen’s first experience of soap opera sets. She visited the EastEnders crew last year and dropped by Coronation Street in 1982.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
It may have made for a dramatic spectacle, but the demise of the community’s post office will not make it onto the screen. It was staged just for the Queen and has not been written into the plot
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Having being appraised of the village’s chequered past, the royal visitor decided Emmerdale seemed “a very rough place. Everything gets blown up”
