A director of Emmerdale has said fans will be “scared”, “shocked” and will “hopefully be misled” by the show’s upcoming week of stunts, drama and potential character deaths.
They spoke ahead of dramatic episodes due to air next week, which the ITV soap is dubbing “survival week” as the characters embark on an outdoor challenge event.
No one will be safe as the villagers face icy water rapids, chaos in a maze and an intense waterfall stunt while murderous Meena Jutla, played by Paige Sandhu, prepares to strike again.
Happy birthday to us! 49 years young today 🎈
As a special treat, here's a glimpse at the very first scene from next week's action packed episodes!#Emmerdale @ITV @WeAreSTV @itvhub pic.twitter.com/t5TlY5DsA2
— Emmerdale (@emmerdale) October 16, 2021
Asked what the audience can expect from “survival week”, director Duncan Foster said: “To be scared, to be shocked, to hopefully be misled at various moments.
“It may leave you with a sense of frustration but it’s going to be brilliant.”
He said the cast and production have had “some absolutely amazing moments” while filming and that the early cuts of the first stunt look “terrific”.
“The maze is amazing, it’s unbelievable. There have been times when we’ve been filming and we’ve taken a wrong turn and we’re at a dead-end,” he added.
The dramatic storyline follows on from evil nurse Meena overhearing her boyfriend David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden) confess his love for his friend Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins).
Fuelled by overpowering jealousy Meena will make cold-blooded attempts to have everything her own way on the path to a chilling climax to the story.
Foster teased a dramatic moment with the pair, saying: “There’s a lovely scene with David and Victoria where we had incredibly fast-moving water.
“We played an emotional moment with the two characters clinging to this rock where they both know that she’s slipping away and just as David’s trying to grab hold of her he gets engulfed by water and she goes very rapidly (ignore the pun) over the waterfall.
“I think it’s going to look great when we put it all together.”
There is another “secret stunt” which he said was the biggest challenge as no one has ever done it before.
He added: “Again I can’t go into much detail but I have noticed Mission Impossible is filming in Derbyshire with a train line quarry. In my opinion, ours is going to be better.”
Aaron Anthony, who plays Ellis Chapman, confirmed that at least one character will not return to the village.
He said: “At least one person doesn’t make it out, I can say that, but you’ll have to tune in!
“There are so many twists and turns and everyone is in jeopardy at some point, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster ride.”
Emma Atkins, who portrays Charity Dingle, also discussed how her character’s “dynamic relationship” with Mackenzie Boyd (played by Lawrence Robb) “will come into its own” during the dramatic week.
She added: “There is an element of humour in their dialogue and meet-ups and amidst the darkness of Meena, it will cast some lightness.
“However, they have their own interesting journey to go on and between the mischievous banter all is not as well as it seems.
“Both characters will be pushed to their limits and the audience will be on the edge of their seats.”
Emmerdale’s “survival week” will run from October 18 to 22 on ITV.