ITV Emmerdale boss defends village being hit by another storm and shares why it is set in the day

As another storm is expected to wreck havoc on the picturesque village and its cherished citizens, the CEO of Emmerdale has defended the soap opera’s most recent stunt.

On Sunday, October 16, the ITV soap opera will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and those in the background have been working for more than a year to bring “death, ruin, and tears” to the Dales.

As a windstorm upends daily life in the Dales for every single citizen, it was revealed back in August that the fictitious Yorkshire community of Emmerdale will never be the same again.

The drama for the remainder of the month and the rest of the year will begin with the wedding of Kim Tate and Will Taylor.

But devoted Emmerdale viewers will be aware that this isn’t the first time a storm has made life in the village extremely difficult.

Who could ever forget the tragic scenes from back in 2003 when Tricia Dingle, who was at the time separated from her husband Marlon due to an affair he had with Charity Tate, perished in the natural disaster.

Despite the violent storm, the Sheree Murphy-played figure intended to depart the community.

But she changed her mind after reading Marlon’s list of the 101 things he loved about her. As she headed for the Woolpack, a lightning strike caused an oak tree to come crashing down at her, forcing Tricia to misstep and fall wailing to the ground.

She was horrified to witness another lightning strike the Woolpack chimney exactly above her, forcing the entire roof to collapse into the bar, and as a massive chunk of wall fell squarely onto her.

Marlon discovered Tricia lifeless among the debris. She muttered, “I came back, Marlon,” as he struggled to clear debris from her.

Tricia was taken to the hospital, but after getting there, doctors ruled her brain dead, and a week later, she passed away.

And Jane Hudson, the executive producer of Emmerdale, justified the decision to use another storm as the village’s most recent catastrophe after nearly 20 years. She told the media, “I was quite aware of the looks because we have done a storm previously. However, since we have already told every story, it always comes down to how we can make this one seem different, better, and bigger.

“I think what was really important for us when we started talking about our 50th, which was well over a year ago, was our beautiful village and we wanted to show off our landscapes, our farms, and our scenery,” she continued, explaining why this time the storm, which is a windstorm rather than a downpour, is set in the daylight.

“I was really hoping we would have a storm in the daylight because I think it is pretty simple when you do anything amazing to go dark and gloomy but then you can’t see what makes it so special,” said the storm’s creator.