For those that don’t know, Emmerdale is filmed on a purpose-built set on The Harewood Estate near Leeds in Yorkshire. Since 1998 it has used this life-sized replica of Esholt, West Yorkshire as the location for filming the show. Before this time it was filmed in the real village of Esholt in Bradford, West Yorkshire. When they made the decision to put out 3 episodes a week they decided to look into a location for building a replica village. The filming was becoming more and more disruptive to the people who lived in Esholt. They would have to park their cars further afield and not walk into shots, plus fans of the show how to turn up to have a nose around.
The Harewood Estate was known to the show because they used two farmhouses in a field on the estate as exterior scenes for the Dingles farm and Glovers farm. In June 1997 they began construction and copied the entire row of 4 houses next to the Woolpack and the 4 running along from the adjoined post office. All the buildings were built to look the same and the replica set was finished by December of the same year. The only difference to Esholt is that they made the stonework look more Dales like. Apparently, they put yogurt over the stonework to encourage algea and moss to grow to make them look old.
Here at Brit Movie Tours, we have always been fans of the show. We have 4 Emmerdale tours for fans to choose from. Below is a little summary of each tour:
Emmerdale Tour of Classic Locations
Our Emmerdale Tour of Classic Locations takes you to the original locations which are spread around West Yorkshire. The tour lasts for 4 hours and takes you to the market towns of Otley (Hotton) and Esholt (Emmerdale Village). Along the way, you will have a chance to get off the bus and see the locations up close, but also enjoy the beauty of the Yorkshire countryside along the way.
The tours costs £29 for adults, £21 for OAPs and £21 for children under 16.
Click here to learn more and book
Emmerdale Village Tour
The Emmerdale Village Tour will take you around the live working TV set within Harewood Estate in Leeds. The tour is purely a walking tour of the exterior of the village as interior scenes are filmed elsewhere. It lasts for 4 hours and will take you past Bob’s Cafe, The woolpack, the village Church and the familiar stone cottages. The chances of seeing the actors are slim as they only allow tours on the days the actors are off learning scripts. However, if you keep reading you will learn we do have a tour for those wishing to meet a star from the show.
The village tour costs £65 for adults, £44 for OAP’s and £55 for children under 16.
Click here to learn more and book
Meet an Emmerdale Star in Leeds
We are lucky to be able to offer you the chance to meet one of the actors from the show. You would need to book a location tour and at the end of the tour, we will arrange a private meeting where you can enjoy a drink or a meal with a star from the show. You can get autographs and have your photograph taken with them and ask them questions only they can answer. It is the all singing and dancing day out for serious fans of Emmerdale.
Facts you might not know about Emmerdale
- Originally the show was called ‘Emmerdale Farm’ and first broadcast in 1972 but changed to just Emmerdale in 1989.
- The cast drinks real beer during recording but advised to drink small amounts during takes.
- The episode where a plane exploded over the village was watched by their largest audience, 18 million viewers.
- Ross Kemp, Pam St Clements, Anna Friel and Spice Girl Mel B have appeared in the soap.
- The cast was kept in the dark for the ‘Who killed Tom King’ plotline and eleven different endings were recorded.
- Edna’s dog Batley became the first animal to win a British Soap Award when it was put down after fighting a battle with cancer.
- A full-time gardener works at the village and ensures the correct flowers are in bloom at the right time. As the show films 6 weeks in advance, the gardener has his work cut out to ensure the right flowers bloom 6 weeks early.
Latest Storyline Rumours
This summer will be exciting for fans as it’s rumored a that Emma will finally get her comeuppance. Emmerdale has clarified that Emma will be killed off in dramatic circumstances, possibly a shooting. Also, the control freak that is Pierce is also rumoured to get his comeuppance. Poor Rhona has had a long and arduous battle with painkiller addiction and because she keeps the secret of Pierce raping her, this eats her up inside and she starts to use the pills again as a coping mechanism. The bullying storyline is also heating up as Dan Spencer discovers thug Josh’s lifeless bloodied body. Will he get the blame? It’s all happening on the famous cobbles and this summer looks set to be one to remember!
If Emmerdale is your favourite soap and you can’t get enough of it, why not join us and other like-minded fans on one of our tours. We share lots of unknown facts about the soap and try to make each tour entertaining as well as educational. People of all ages are welcome to book with us, we look forward to welcoming you on one of our Emmerdale tours.
