Emmerdale boss Kate Brooks has revealed insider secrets from the soap's 'Survival Week' this October, promising that the episodes will be so ambitious and amazing that they'll feel like a Hollywood movie.
Speaking to the press about what we can expect from the week that is set to be jam-packed with stunts, show producer Kate admitted the episodes are the most ambitious that the Emmerdale team have ever attempted...
"Emmerdale always goes for big October weeks and the opportunity to do a bit stunt last year was off the table, so as you can imagine it gave us the impetus to go bigger and bolder than ever for 2021.
"We wanted this week to be a non-stop adrenalin rush from the very start, to leave the audience literally gasping for breath and the stunts come thick and fast, and the twist and turns just keep on coming.
Viewers already know that Emmerdale killer Meena Jutla is set to take centre stage in the special week of episodes, and Kate has promised that it isn't just the ambitious stunts that will have fans hooked from the very beginning...
"No doubt what makes this such a spectacle is the sequence of jaw-dropping stunts, from characters fighting for their lives in icy rapids to breathtaking waterfall stunts, this is a week that is jam-packed with action.
"But it isn't all about the stunts, at the heart of this week lies explorations of relationships as friendships are tested, secrets are revealed and hearts and inevitably broken, and not everyone will get out of this week alive."
It was teased last month that this big week of Emmerdale episodes would feature some characters fighting for their lives in icy water after the cast and crew were spotted filming on location.
However, Kate has revealed that there are is also a daring waterfall stunt in the pipeline, and also two top secret stunts that have been kept tightly under wraps...
"We have got white knuckle rides through icy waters that will plunge characters into watery peril. There is also a never-seen-before on soap spectacle which is a waterfall stunt, which is spectacular. There are also two other massive, heart-stopping, and top-secret stunts that will have viewers on the edge of their seats.
"Initially, the reaction from the cast when I told them about this week was excitement, everyone was up for the challenge. However, once some of the cast turned up at the locations and saw the scale of what we were doing, naturally some of that excitement gave way to nerves and I think it is safe to say that some of the reactions that we see on screen are real. I don't know how much of it is acting and how much is real fear!"
As always with soaps, the epic week of special episodes will pave the way for new storylines which are set to play out for weeks and months to come.
Kate teased: "There will be a lot of repercussions from Survival Week. What happens during this week will impact some of the lives of well-loved characters, this is just the start of something that will change the lives of some characters forever.
"We do these weeks and they are big and exciting, however, they also give us bigger stories and they catapult the storylines into unexpected directions."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays - see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITV Hub now.
