RESIDENTS in the real-life Emmerdale village say it’s nothing like the popular long-running soap – because life is far less dramatic.
Idyllic Esholt, in Braford, West Yorkshire, inspired the ITV show and was used as a location between 1976 and 1996.
But while the pretty location was an ideal setting, life – luckily – doesn’t always imitate art.
And locals are very unlikely indeed to be caught up in plane crashes, sieges, fires, kidnappings, poisonings and murders, to their great relief.
Despite that, they have faced some tough times lately as a result of the pandemic.
Before Covid hit the UK, tourists visited by the coach-load to wander the streets of the pretty village and take photos with residents.
But even Esholt’s version of The Woolpack has suffered since 2020.
Electrician Bobby Sharp, 53, has lived in the village for 26 years, said when he first moved to the area, it felt like a scene from Emmerdale.
“I stopped watching it because it got a bit silly,” he said.
“There’s too much going on and it was just ridiculous. I just turned it off and I haven’t watched it since.
“It was about a little village yet there’s all these murders, there was too much going on.”
He said the area was “buzzing” when he first moved in.
“There was always a story. These days there doesn’t seem to be owt going on,” he said.
‘THERE’S OWT GOING ON’
“The pub used to be busy on an evening.”
He said the village is full of “friendly” people – but misses the days when locals would gather at the boozer to “have a natter for an hour or two”.
The Woolpack’s landlady, Linda Saint, said the pub struggled to stay open as tourism plummeted during Covid.
Graham Boyle, 69, has lived in Esholt for 15 years. He confirmed there are no murderers on the loose and said the show is “just unrealistic” when it comes to portraying actual village life.
Alan Yuill, 84, said he and his wife are “rabid” fans of the show – and enjoy that it’s “totally over the top and far-fetched”.
Alan, a retired toy salesman, said: “We used to go to the pub regularly but with the pandemic, everybody has had to cut back on their visits.”
His wife, who asked not to be named, said: “There’s no murderers in this village that we know of, and there’s no one shooting people or poisoning drinks.”
