Emmerdale bosses confirm where lockdown specials sit in soap's timeline

While talking to RadioTimes.com and other press, series producers Jane Hudson, Laura Shaw and Kate Brooks revealed that the lockdown specials will take place at various points during isolation and will allow viewers to see what these characters are like as they go about their day to day lives, albeit in strange circumstances.

"They're kind of a snapshot of what Emmerdale would look like if all our characters were in lockdown and going through what we're going through," said Laura Shaw of what we should expect these special episodes to be.

She added that the episodes will reference what we have seen on screen already but that they will also "reveal a bit of information or a secret, about these characters which will then feed into future stories".

As to where these episodes will fit in the timeline of the show, Kate Brooks said "they are snapshots of life" and that we'll be visiting characters at different points throughout lockdown - but the amount of time that will actually pass for these characters will be undetermined. Episodes will have a display on the screen to let viewers know at what point in time we are at with each pair taking the spotlight.

The six episodes will focus on different pairings each time, and will see the following take centre stage:

• Cain and Aaron (Jeff Hordley and Danny Miller)
• Chas and Paddy (Lucy Pargeter and Dominic Brunt)
• Sam and Lydia (James Hooton and Karen Blick)
• Marlon, Al and Ellis (Mark Charnock, Michael Wildman, Aaron Anthony)
• Mandy and Vinny (Lisa Riley and Bradley Johnson)
• Jimmy and Nicola (Nick Miles and Nicola Wheeler)

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