You can keep your Rovers Return and The Queen Vic while we’ll just scoot right by The Dog. There’s only one definitive soapland boozer.
That’s, of course, The Woolpack which has been a mainstay of ITV’s Emmerdale for decades. In a fictional sense, it dates back to 1776 with it being spread across two locations.
The exterior can be found in the purpose built Yorkshire Emmerdale village, which I’m sure many of you have visited for the tour, while the interior is at ITV’s base in Kirkstall Road. Recently, I was very fortunate to visit the stunning iconic set as part of an Emmerdale press day.
There, we discovered many of the winter spoilers from Mark Charnock (who joked that he refused to serve us food as his chef character Marlon as he’d find it too ‘weird’) and hear from the outgoing Daisy Campbell on what she has planned after saying goodbye to the role of Amelia Spencer.
While I found out secrets about the show’s plots, the titbits which impressed me most, in my own very geeky way, were all the small details. Such as, I now know a draught pint of the legendary Ephraim bitter costs just £3.50…it is true, things are just cheaper up north.
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Those little touches were fascinating. Another being the chalk welcome board, that you’ll likely never see properly on-screen, which reads: “Here at the Woolpack, because we understand the importance of good quality ales, all our offerings have been carefully selected with the help of a professional beer sommelier.
“We have discovered quality isn’t hard to find when you know where to look. Some of our most popular ales, such as Ephraim’s award-winning bitter and Connelton Crag’s famous IPA are brewed just down the road.
Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle in Emmerdale, spoke to press on the set of the soap’s pub The Woolpack
“We think this is brilliant as buying locally is very important to us. We only buy real ales, premium lagers and English ciders from major breweries across our very own county. We pride ourselves on our generous selection so don’t worry if you can’t decide what to have just ask for a sample glass before you buy.”
The obvious thing to reveal, which perhaps I should have earlier, is that despite it being a set, it does look and feel like a pub – if you ignore the massive cameras. You know the kind of venue, one of those grand country pubs that’s worth the drive for an unbeatable Sunday roast.
The Woolpack was set for Christmas when we visited in November
Given the time of year, the setting being done up for the festive season did add that little bit of extra magic. In recent years, as part of my role, I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many of the Emmerdale sets and hopefully deliver some behind-the-scenes ‘insights’ (or at least try to).
Being part of the Woolie, for a brief period of time, was rather special as it is an incredibly famous fixture in British TV history. Where sinister schemes have been made and an affair or two has blossomed.
The introduction we spotted at the Woolie
As the photo at the top of the article shows, I even went behind the bar. Although, probably not worth asking me for a pint. In my younger years, the first pint of lager I poured, working in a bar, I asked the punter if he’d like ice in it. True story. Cue a bewildered look of distain worthy of Eric Pollard.
So, I doubt I’ll bag a role as the Woolpack’s newest barman any time soon…
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