Emmerdale's Alice Coulthard to leave soap

Emmerdale actress Alice Coulthard is leaving the soap after two years. The star, who plays barmaid Maisie Wylde, will say goodbye to the ITV1 programme later this year when her contract comes to an end. Alice said: "After two amazing years I've decided to leave Emmerdale. "I've had a wonderful time and will miss working with such a hard-working and talented team of people. "I feel privileged to have been involved in some of the show's most gripping storylines and I'm excited to be a part of the drama that is about to unfold for the Wyldes." Troubled Maisie has had a turbulent time in the village since making her entrance in a pink Cadillac early last year. Her dramatic storylines have included falling in love with Ryan Lamb (James Sutton), and suffering a breakdown after discovering he was actually her half-brother. She is currently unaware that her mother, Natasha (Amanda Donohoe), has murdered her father, Mark (Maxwell Caulfield). Although bosses remain tight-lipped about her exit plot, series producer Gavin Blyth said: "Maisie Wylde's compelling story will take more twists and turns in the coming months as she delves into darker territory which will culminate in her exit from the show. "Alice has been a real asset to Emmerdale and we'll be sad to see her go later this year. We wish her all the very best for the future." Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop

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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.