The Emmerdale Studio Experience gives the public the opportunity to visit the sets of the country’s most drama-filled village.
What can you expect from a tour of the place that comes into our homes via our television screens every night of the week?
What will you see on the Emmerdale set tour?
The Emmerdale Studio Experience is a tour around the purpose-built village near the soap’s studios in Leeds.
It is an outside walking tour – and people are advised that the surfaces are uneven and the area hilly, so “appropriate footwear and clothing” must be worn.
If you book a ticket on the tour, it begins at Weetwood Hall where a coach will collect you and take you to the set, which will be closed on the day of the tour.
It lasts for 90 minutes, is fully guided, and you’ll get to see all the exterior sets.
Those outdoor sets include the Woolpack, the Village Hall, the Church, David’s Shop, Home Farm, the factory and of course the front of the homes of our favourite villagers.
You can take lots of pictures and buys snacks, refreshments and souvenirs before being whisked back to Weetwood Hall on the coach.
When can you go on the Emmerdale Studio Experience?
The show is filmed all-year round so places on the walking tour are limited and you must pre-book online.
The tours are only available on select Saturdays and Sundays from March to October.
Tour dates are released in stages throughout the year.
Dates up to June 2019 are currently on sale and a ticket is priced at £34. There are discounts for large group bookings.
Can the public tour the Emmerdale interior sets?
Two-hour tours of the interior Emmerdale sets are also available.
As with the walking tour, tickets must be purchased online before going, and begin on Saturdays from 9.30am and Sundays from 10am.
Visits begin at the Burley Road Studios, where you’ll discover industry secrets and get an insider look into how the cast and crew create the gripping storylines.
Visitors are then transported down the road to the Kirkstall Road Studios to see some of the working sets used on the soap.
There’s even the opportunity to have your photo taken on one of the most iconic Soapland sofas!
As well as the tour of the sets, the ticket price of £32.50 for adults and £16.50 for children aged 5-15, includes a look at authentic costumes and props, interactive experiences, and the chance to try your hand at lighting a set and editing a scene!
At the end of the tour, you can visit the gift shop where you can pick up things like a bag from David’s Shop or a Yorkshire themed gift, before having a cuppa and a slice of cake in the lovely café.
Is Emmerdale village a real place?
Emmerdale first came to our screens on October 16, 1972 and was called Emmerdale Farm.
It was set in the fictional village known as Beckindale until 1994 when the villagers voted to change it’s name.
Back when it first began it was filmed in the village of Arncliffe, in the valley of Littondale in North Yorkshire.
The local pub, The Falcon Inn doubled up as the Woolpack, and the local vicarage, church, shop and forge all featured.
In 1975, carting all the equipment, cast and crew up there became too time consuming, so production was shifted nearer to the studio in Leeds.
The fictional village moved to West Yorkshire and was filmed in the village of Esholt from 1996.
The local pub there, The Commercial Inn, even changed its name to the Woolpack because the landlord was sick of the pub sign having to be changed all the time! It remains called the Woolpack to this day.
After 22 years filming in Esholt, the show was moved again.
This time it was because the villagers had grown tired of the camera crews and tourists constantly flocking to their little village and clogging up the roads.
In 1998, the exterior scenes were moved to the Harewood Estate, where a purpose-built set, that was an exact replica of Esholt village, was waiting.
There is even a full-time gardener who makes sure everything is kept in shape. His job includes making sure the roses grow a full six weeks before they do normally as the show is shot six weeks in advance!
Read more: Battle of the soaps: Coronation Street vs Emmerdale?
Emmerdale is on Monday to Friday at 7pm with an extra episode on Thursday at 8pm on ITV.
Have you ever been to the Emmerdale set? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!