Lisa Riley says Emmerdale cast were left reeling after reading new death plot as show 'does Titanic'

Emmerdale is not a colony for the faint-hearted.

There was the large tempest of 2004, the adjacent greater tempest of 2024, the 2013 Woolpack siege, the 2015 chopper catastrophe - and let’s not hide the infamous level crash that killed 4 and destroyed wiped retired fractional the colony successful 1993

But present the show, which won best soap astatine this week's TV Choice Awards, is astir to aerial its astir complex, terrifying and cinematic stunt to day - 1 that star Lisa Riley has dubbed “Emmerdale does Titanic”.

On Friday, viewers volition spot 7 of the soaps’ biggest characters - including Lisa’s Mandy Dingle - progressive in the much-anticipated clang arsenic their 2 limousines collide, sending 1 flying bonnet archetypal into a frozen lake.

Trapped nether the crystal successful the freezing water, not everyone volition marque it retired alive. At slightest 1 beloved quality volition dice - with the caller promo showing a haunting manus of a unfortunate floating lifeless successful the lake. As melodramatic arsenic it volition beryllium to watch, it was adjacent much truthful to movie - arsenic our exclusive photos show.

It took 2 weeks of nighttime shoots, 90 unit including specializer divers and medics, an overflow carpark, immoderate liquid wax and tons and tons of crockery to support the actors warm. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Lisa, 48, says: “One happening we are superb astatine Emmerdale is our stunts and we are truly arrogant of this one. It’s the biggest 1 I’ve been progressive successful – adjacent bigger than the tempest for our 50th birthday!

“This is big. It’s a immense white-knuckle ride. As soon arsenic america Dingle girls work the scripts, we each fto retired a squeal arsenic we didn’t spot immoderate of it coming. It’s truthful cinematic that it truly is simply a lawsuit of ‘Emmerdale does the Titanic’.”

She’s keeping tight-lipped connected whether Mandy survives but admits there’s been nervousness connected set.

Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk), Lucy Pargeter (Chas Dingle) and Emma Atkins (Charity Dingle) are besides among the ill-fated seven who were told 1 of them would get the chop.

“Whenever determination is simply a stunt that involves a death, I volition ever beryllium connected standby to telephone my agent,” says Lisa. “[in case] it means I americium going to request to get a caller job!”

It’s thing connected each their minds astatine the moment. The soap has seen immoderate large departures successful caller months and past week, ITV announced it was scaling backmost the fig of episodes connected some Coronation Street and Emmerdale astatine the commencement of 2026, meaning some volition suffer 30 minutes each.

The determination - taken aft the Valentine's Day crippled was filmed - means determination volition sadly beryllium up to 75 jobs mislaid crossed cast, unit and accumulation connected some soaps. The 2 shows volition past beryllium aired back-to-back each weeknight successful a caller “power hour” betwixt 8 and 9pm.

Lisa, of course, is utilized to the insecurity that comes with showbusiness, having joined Emmerdale successful 1995. “We are each jobbing actors connected the soap and determination is ne'er a time wherever we travel successful and go: ‘Oh we are safe’,” says Lisa.

“We are a chess portion connected the producer’s board. Whatever they bring to us, we bring it to the screen. And determination is ever going to beryllium a time erstwhile a caller shaper mightiness travel successful and request a large hitch out. That is what keeps the assemblage progressive excessively and truthful we person to support up with the clime of what radical expect.”

Even so, Lisa says it ne'er ceases to amaze her conscionable however fashionable Emmerdale continues to beryllium contempt an ever-changing TV landscape. She adds: “Whenever I americium retired and about, radical archer me: ‘We emotion Emmerdale’. The information that I get to beryllium portion of it is wonderful. ITV marque immoderate large dramas that tin beryllium 5 episodes long. We bash 5 parts successful a week. The hamster instrumentality ne'er stops.” And it’s surely been engaged with Friday’s large episode.

The nightmare begins erstwhile the characters get into 2 limousines. When the cars crash, 1 flies into the water - but viewers won’t instantly cognize who is successful which.

Emmerdale’s accumulation squad archetypal started readying the Valentine’s Day occurrence successful August 2024 and successful total, 90 members of unit and specializer contractors were involved. The melodramatic scenes were filmed during a nighttime sprout that took 2 weeks conscionable earlier Christmas connected the soap’s overflow car parkland successful Yorkshire. It was cleverly converted into an icy water by a specializer peculiar effects TV company, Snow Business, utilizing a liquid wax to make the effect of the ice.

The soap’s accumulation manager Neil Shand explains: “We utilized tons of peculiar instrumentality to movie this stunt. To make the icy water itself, our contractors, utilized specializer instrumentality to vigor and make the liquid wax utilized for the icy surface. We knew that we would beryllium filming for 2 weeks and truthful that’s wherefore the crystal was wax and fake alternatively than real. The unpredictability of the large British upwind meant we needed an icy water that was harmless too. It looked truthful authentic, everyone felt arsenic though it was genuinely icy!”

Scenes were filmed betwixt 3.30pm and 2.30am with formed arriving an hr earlier for make-up. “We emotion doing nighttime shoots,” admits Lisa. “We each person a bully laughter and we wrapped up by 2am. But we had the greeting to evidently slumber in.”

Hand warmers and h2o bottles were disposable for immoderate of the formed to usage and lukewarm rooms positive showers were a twelve steps away.

“I did person 3 layers nether my dress,” says Lisa, laughing arsenic she does. “And Mandy’s fur connected too. We had adust robes arsenic good to rehearse in. It was damp much than thing and it was similar being successful the Girl Guides astatine times arsenic they handed retired mugs of crockery too. But it was a batch of amusive and determination were plentifulness of laughs. The Dingles cognize however to person fun!”

To movie the clang itself the accumulation squad needed a immense precocious assistance platform, a ligament rig and camera cranes.

Neil, explains: “As good arsenic suspending the limo implicit the crystal utilizing a specially constructed ‘wire rig’, which controlled the descent of the limo, we besides created a peculiar ‘ramp’ for it to remainder connected and marque it harmless for the formed to get successful and retired of the limo erstwhile it was ‘in’ the ice.”

They besides brought successful diving information teams, stunt coordinators and medics for some the supra crystal scenes and the underwater shots, which were filmed successful a peculiar h2o vessel successful Leeds.

Although the agelong hours meant some the formed and unit were bushed by the extremity of the fortnight’s filming, Lisa says it has each been worthy it. She volition beryllium watching the melodramatic occurrence this Valentine’s Day with her partner, Al, whom she has been unneurotic with for 10 years. “I inactive can’t judge Mandy is inactive present adjacent filming this stunt plotline,” she says excitedly. “I emotion the speculation surrounding it.

“I emotion however erstwhile I spell to the supermarket radical volition travel up and inquire if I’m involved. I retrieve erstwhile Paula Lane and I were precocious snapped going for lunch. We enactment (on our societal media) we were disconnected to the nighttime sprout and everyone instantly thought it was Paula. But I’m not going to accidental whether this speculation was close oregon not…!”

If Mandy does negociate to locomotion distant unscathed from the crash, July volition beryllium her 30th day of erstwhile her quality archetypal arrived successful the Dales village.

“It’s truly weird arsenic I tin retrieve my archetypal country arsenic if it were yesterday,” says Lisa. “She was moving with Ian Kelsey who is Beth Cordingly’s existent beingness partner. I would similar to deliberation I americium older and wiser now!”

And 1 happening fans tin beryllium definite of – Lisa inactive adores Emmerdale arsenic overmuch arsenic she did 30 years ago. Smiling, she declares: “I bl**dy emotion my job.”

*Emmerdale airs weekdays connected ITV1 and STV1 astatine 7.30pm. Episodes tin besides beryllium downloaded connected ITVX.