I’m absolutely loving being part of the team. I grew up on Emmerdale so it’s a real honour to be in it especially during its 50th year of being on our screens!” I'm really playing with fire there. But it's last chance saloon, she's got to make her feelings known before he walks down the aisle and that's it. Storylines escalated, too. There had been affairs in the past, but now there were literal rolls in the hay.

Jessie Elland, who plays Chloe Harris has had several big storylines since joining the show and is looking forward to what lies ahead for Chloe. The root of Emmerdale is brilliant families, like a crochet blanket. We’ve had these family driven characters for so long, and viewers care – they want to know what they’re doing, because we’re in their household night after night. That’s what makes it so terrific. I honestly feel like I’m part of the heart of the programme, and that fills me with pride.' Emmerdale vicar Charles Anderson, played byKevin Mathurin, has settled into the village with his ex Manpreet (Rebecca Sarker). As a team we are passionate about finding new talent and the right actor for the role. All of these actors have really made their own mark on the show already.” We see Liam and Wendy kiss while attending an online murder mystery convention. Do they end up sleeping together?Today's Emmerdale village is filmed close to Harewood: the 300-acre Harewood estate was leased and planning permission for an entire village set was granted (Image: ITV)Through his research, Parfitt noted a consistent response when asking cast, crew or fans what it is they love about Emmerdale-it’s the setting. As he notes, unlike other soaps constrained to a square or street, Emmerdale’s location is beautiful and vast. I wanted to do creative writing when I was about 18. I got an old-fashioned typewriter and I used to do an hour's worth of writing every single morning for about a year. I was obsessed with novels and really, really wanted to get into it. I'm a relatively new viewer of Emmerdale, which made this book about its first half century a very welcome read. The show had humble beginnings as a family farming drama (under the name of Emmerdale Farm), but over the years it has become pure soap. The events that have taken place in the village are astounding (if you thought Midsomer County was a dangerous place to live, this book makes clear that Emmerdale is the deadliest place in the UK).

It’s a factory for making TV that people engage with. It’s a great job for me because I can do what I enjoy. I can do serious stuff, I can do a bit of comedy, I can sing a bit. It plays to my strengths as an actor, and I feel valued there. It’s not about giving people what they want all the time, so we’re not just making the audience happy, we’re annoying them, you want to keep them watching and you want to take them on a journey. Characters are taken out of their comfort zones and do something bad and go on a curve of redemption.' Yes – we cut to the next morning in the following episode. We see that they've spent the night in the doctors surgery, where there's a surgical bed! It’s been great joining the show at such an iconic moment in time! Everyone has been super welcoming and it feels like I’ve been here forever!” If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find UsIt’s been a gift, all the way through. I can honestly say, 25 years later, I genuinely get excited to go in every day. It’s a support network, it’s a hotbed of creativity. I used to watch it when I was a little boy, with my grandparents. It’s a little piece of magic in the world.'