Emmerdale moving home to 'safeguard future'

Emmerdale is moving back to its original home and is to be given a £5 million revamp in order to 'safeguard the future' of the soap, ITV Studios has announced. The Emmerdale production centre will be housed, with 'first class' high-definition facilities, in the Kirkstall Road studios in Leeds. The rural soap's current centre for its production sets and offices is in Burley Road at the back of the complex. The centre, which had been a car showroom, was opened by former Prime Minister John Major in 1997. With rapid advances in digital technology, its facilities now need "considerable updating" - and ITV has decided to put investment back into the original main building which has purpose-built studio facilities. Lee Bartlett, managing director of ITV Studios, said: "This investment is about safeguarding the future of Emmerdale. Giving this highly-respected production team and cast an up-to-date modern purpose-built facility is key to enhancing the quality of our production many years into the future." He added: "Few cities outside London can boast production of three hours of prime time top-rated drama every week, and this team deserves the best possible environment in which to work and operate." The broadcaster has completed a review of the facilities after it was announced that Heartbeat and The Royal would be mothballed and more than 190 job cuts were confirmed at the Leeds complex. Plans are being made to start the work in the New Year and it is expected to take up to 12 months to complete. Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's new weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop

CATEGORIES

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.