Sue Harp Charlie Hardwick Ackley Bridge
Soaps

Former Emmerdale star Charlie Hardwick enjoys “slower pace” of Ackley Bridge

Charlie plays Sue Harp in Ackley Bridge

Charlie Hardwick is enjoying the “slower pace” of Ackley Bridge, and says it was “tiring” shooting 12 episodes a week on Emmerdale.

The 58-year-old star, who portrayed Val Pollard on the ITV soap from 2004 to 2015, is pleased she has more time to act “to the best of [her] ability” on the Channel 4 school drama, and says there is more time to rehearse than there was on the soap.

Charlie played Val from 2004-2015 (Credit: ITV)

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She said: “I am happy for the slower pace. It’s measured. There’s a single camera so there’s time to rehearse, time to discuss how you should do the shots.

“It’s proper film making. It gives you the time to do the work to the best of your ability.

“At Emmerdale sometimes you’d be filming 12 episodes a week. It was tiring.”

Charlie’s character Val was killed off when a shard of glass fell on her as she lay injured in a Hall of Mirrors following a helicopter crash in the village.

Val Pollard RIP
Val was killed when a shard of glass fell on her (Credit: ITV)

And the Billy Elliot star insists her alter ego’s death was “as brutal as you can get”, and admits she was “really hurt” when she was told show bosses were going to kill Val off.

She added to the Sunday Mirror newspaper that although she “loved” Emmerdale and it was her choice to leave, she was “absolutely shocked” when she heard Val was being killed off.

“I think when you spend most of your life addressed and behaving like somebody else then you find out that they’re going to savagely annihilate her – I was really hurt,” she admitted.

“I was upset on her behalf. It was as brutal as you can get.

“That’ll teach us for saying time for me to go.”

Sue Harp Charlie Hardwick Ackley Bridge
Charlie plays Sue Harp in Ackley Bridge (Credit: Channel 4)

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Charlie recently said she misses her former Emmerdale co-stars, and was keen to “explore new creative avenues” when she departed the soap.

She said: “I miss my old comrades but we keep in touch.

“It was great working in West Yorkshire again because I got to hang out with some of them.

“I loved playing Val but I was spending more time as her than me! So after 12 years, I felt it was time to explore new creative avenues. And look what came my way.”

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