Emmerdale is embroiled in a real-life behind-the-scenes drama, with insiders describing an "icy" atmosphere on set after almost 30 cast members were axed since 2024, pay cuts of up to 17 per cent imposed on remaining actors, and a looming threat that the show's Yorkshire set could be bulldozed.
The ITV soap, now in its 53rd year, had its hour-long Thursday episode axed last year, cutting its weekly output to five 30-minute instalments. In its heyday the show drew 12 million viewers an episode; today it attracts nearly four million. Insiders say the drop in screen time is behind pay cuts of up to 17 per cent that prompted stars to threaten mutiny earlier this year.
Cast departures
Almost 30 cast members have lost their roles since the cuts began in 2024, a culling that stars have called a "bloodbath." Jack Downham, who played Noah Dingle for 17 years, was axed, with his final episode airing this month. Nick Miles is said to have been ousted from his role as Jimmy King after 22 years, though his final episode has yet to air.
Several female stars have also left since 2024, including Roxy Shahidi, who played Leyla Harding, Rachael Gill-Davis, who played Gail Loman, Natalie Ann Jamieson, whose character Amy Barton was killed off last year, and Martelle Edinborough, who played Suzy Merton.
Patsy Kensit's return sparks tension
The exodus comes as Patsy Kensit returns to the show after 20 years to reprise her role as villain Sadie King, a comeback ITV marked with a press event. An insider said the casting has "ruffled feathers" among co-stars because Kensit has been given a big contract for six months' work while others are being axed and costs are cut throughout the show.
"It's not personal to Patsy, she's lovely and no one blames her, but when you have someone coming in on a big contract for six months when multiple others are being axed and costs are being cut left, right and centre, it doesn't make for a happy set," the insider said. "The atmosphere is decidedly icy at the moment with all the shake-ups. It is typically a close-knit family, soaps are hard work and it is often long hours when you're on set shooting scenes, so you have to get along with the people there. But it is increasingly hard when you know the person starring opposite you is potentially on a bigger salary and better contract than you."
A second source said: "Unless you're a well-known and established name that bosses like, working in a soap is no longer a job for life. You have to have something on the side otherwise it's just not sustainable."
Claire King's secret new deal
Amid the tensions, bosses have kept veteran actress Claire King's recent contract renewal "on the down-low" so as not to unsettle the rest of the cast, according to the insider. King, 64, first joined Emmerdale in 1989 as Kim Tate and played the role for a decade before returning as a guest in 2018. Her comeback proved so popular that she was signed to a permanent contract the following year.
She has now "quietly" signed a new deal to remain in the role for at least another six months. "Bosses have handed Claire a big new contract to ensure she'll stick around but it's all being kept quiet because of the awkwardness of so many others leaving," the insider said.
Threat to the Emmerdale set
Beyond the cast upheaval, Emmerdale faces a bigger threat from planners at Leeds City Council. The show's set has stood on a farm site in Harewood, West Yorkshire, since 1997, and currently has planning permission to remain there until June 2027. Producers have applied for permission to keep the set on the land permanently beyond that date.
If the application fails, ITV will have to tear down the fictional village and return the land to its original condition. The broadcaster has hired planning consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton to help secure the set's future.
"They are downplaying it but the axe is swinging above the village itself," the insider said. "ITV had to spend thousands on a top planning firm to try to secure the future of the village. The planning application is with Leeds council now and a decision is imminent, but if they reject it then the set has to be demolished by June. There's no way the show can survive that, so it's a really concerning time. Bosses are terrified that it could all come crashing down."
The insider said bosses are publicly playing down the risk to stop cast members from deciding to leave the show. "This is people's lives, they have mortgages and bills to pay, so when they're told there's no more money and then [producers] give out huge contracts to the likes of Patsy, it doesn't go over well."
Child actors sidelined
Producers have also cut costs by reducing the screen time of younger cast members, according to the source. "They're all conveniently upstairs or out playing. It all comes down to money. The children might be cheaper [to hire] but you have to have chaperones, too, and it just costs too much. Some of the kids haven't been seen in years and it's not gone unnoticed. Soaps are meant to be about families and communities, but in Emmerdale it's clear only certain families matter."
ITV's response
An ITV spokesman said: "ITV Studios has filmed external scenes for Emmerdale from a purpose-built set on the Harewood Estate in Leeds since 1997 and it is a significant contributor to the creative economy in Leeds and across the whole of the north of England and beyond. As part of a routine planning application, we are in discussion with Leeds City Council and look forward to many more years of filming from the set."
