While all the soaps are worthy of applause and acclaim in their own rights, Emmerdale certainly deserves a special mention of late. Ever since Kate Oates took the reins as Executive Producer two years ago the Yorkshire based soap has maintained a level of consistently good storylines and allowed the cast and crew to shine to the best of their abilities. It’s not unusual for soaps to have bursts of brilliance only to be followed by a series of mediocre and lackluster storylines until the next big storyline comes along, but I struggle to recall Emmerdale bringing us any mediocre stories and only delivering anything but quality television since Oates took to the hot seat…
This Thursday’s (January 15th) double outing to the Dales stands out as a perfect example of combining flawless scriptwriting and top quality acting to deliver dramatic storylines while keeping the pace and flow of the episode going almost entirely on dialogue, rather than relying on big stunts or fights to keep the viewer engrossed. Many of the scenes in both episodes were stripped back to two character dialogues allowing for a lot of emotion and stand out performances from the involved parties, including Anthony Quinlan and Bill Ward, as Pete opened up to James about the shocking events of the night Emma Barton left her family behind.
Roxy Shahidi, Chris Bisson, Gaynor Faye and Kelli Hollis also turned in memorable scenes as their characters geared up for the impending nuptials of Jai and Megan, with Leyla being left heartbroken by Jai while Megan revealed to Ali the truth about Rachel’s lack of contact since Archie’s return. Two of the soaps finest comedy actors Nicola Wheeler and Nick Miles have been letting their dramatic sides loose recently and they handed in even more poignant scenes in Thursdays double bill as Jimmy and Nicola struggled to come to terms with their pregnancy heartbreak.
Thursday also saw more drama for the Dingle clan, with the wonderful Amy Walsh returning to the soap as Tracy Shankley to cause more trouble for James Hooton’s Sam. While Sam was busy dealing with the reappearance of his most recent ex, his younger sister Belle’s mental illness storyline came to a head when Katie Sugden stumbled upon the teenager mid-argument with her dead friend Gemma (the little cameo from Tendai Rinomhota as the voice of Gemma was a nice touch). Emotional scenes ensued as Zak and Lisa came to Belle’s aid with what can only be described as award winning performances from Eden Taylor-Draper, Steve Halliwell and Jane Cox. Zak’s understanding of Belle’s condition was especially touching…
While Thursday’s episode served as a great testament to the series, there are plenty of other great storylines underway at the moment and in the pipeline. Cain Dingle’s recent medical drama brought Jeff Hordley back to the forefront of the show, but also allowing for some touching scenes from his closest family members wonderfully portrayed by Charley Webb, Emma Atkins, Natalie J. Robb and Lucy Pargeter. Ryan Hawley has managed to make the role of Robert Sugden his own since Robert’s return and his affair with Danny Miller’s Aaron Livesy has been captivating so far, but bound to get even more interesting as Robert prepares to tie the know with fiancée Chrissy.
Gillian Kearney has been an excellent addition to the cast as Emma Barton and her arrival means more screentime for all of the Barton boys, and I’m expecting fireworks from Michael Parr and Joe Gill when their on-screen counterparts Ross and Finn become privvy to the real reason their mother abondoned them. Thomas Atkinson has been another great addition to the show and Lachlan’s growing infatuation with David and Alicia means we’ll be seeing more from the fantastic Matthew Wolfenden and brilliant Natalie Anderson over the coming weeks and months too.
I’d love to continue and try to mention every single cast member, but there’s so many of them it’d probably take a lifetime. The entire cast and crew have been doing phenomenal work though, so kudos to every single one of them. Considering they’re producing more content every week than any of the other soaps, it’s amazing that Emmerdale continues to maintain the perfect mix of comedy and drama six times a week, which I hope will continue to be recognised throughout all of the award ceremonies this year…
The Soap Pundit 