The Hay Team
Soap cast dress as Hannibal and co for Emmerdale’s big wedding
If you have a farming problem, if no one else can help and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... the cast of farm soap Emmerdale. OK, so the Dales might not be the obvious place to find the A-Team.
But when Charity Dingle and Mackenzie Boyd decide to tie the knot, Charity surprises him with a replica A-Team van the day before the wedding – and she, Mack and Moira decide to dress as characters from the 1980s action show for the big day.
On a sunny day on set near Leeds, Emma Atkins, who plays Charity, is striding towards the church in a silver wig as John “Hannibal” Smith
Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira – dressed as “Howling Mad” Murdock – says she looks more like Phillip Schofield.
Meanwhile Lawrence Robb, who plays Mackenzie, is dressed as “Face”, or Templeton Peck.
It’s one of the ITV soap’s stranger plots but Emma, who first appeared on Emmerdale in 2000, is rarely shocked any more.
“I was like no, not again,” the actress, 48, laughs. “But then I love The A-Team. As a kid I used to watch it all the time on Saturday night, I was obsessed. You’ve got to embrace these episodes or it’s just not going to be great.
“We have had loads of fun with it.” As it’s a soap wedding, the burning question is of course, will Mackenzie actually turn up?
At the moment they are due to tie the knot, Chloe Harris (Jessie Elland) is giving birth to his secret child.
Things do not go to plan and Charity and Mack are caught getting frisky in the seats by PC Swirling, who arrests them both. They are freed just in time to marry in their costumes – while Chloe is in labour.
Emma is very used to walking down the aisle as Charity; she has tied the knot three times before – not to mention the character’s four failed attempts.
Charity married Chris Tate in 2001, before having an affair with his sister Zoe, then 11 years later wedded Jai Sharma. She also tied the knot to Declan Macey in 2014 after helping him commit insurance fraud.
She was going to marry Tom King in 2005, but was set up by Cain, who kissed her in front of a photographer.
In 2009 she returned to wed Michael Conway, but it transpired her daughter Debbie was having an affair with him.
Charity nearly ended up being Cain’s wife in 2010 and recently she was engaged to Vanessa Woodfield before cheating on her with Mackenzie.
Despite so many telly weddings, Emma still loves the buzz, saying: “It’s always very dramatic, there’s always things going wrong. ‘Will they, won’t they?’ is definitely the big thing. “Will Mackenzie stop the wedding to say ‘I owe you the truth now’. That’s what we’re all waiting for.
“So it’s probably one of the most dramatic weddings I’ve been involved in, because the lie that has been building is such an enormous change to their lives once the truth comes out. It’s not like someone’s just slept with someone, there’s something at the end of it, a baby. It’s monumentally devastating.”
Actor Lawrence, 31, is dashing as Face in a leather jacket and jeans. It is his first screen wedding. He says: “It’s definitely up there with being different, from the outfits that we’re wearing to the order of ceremony. Normally the groom waits for the bride but Charity waits for me.”
Many of the cast have been on set since 6am. Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, says they can be hard to control, adding: “It is more the crew I feel sorry for because they have to keep us all tame and shut us up.”
The crew alleviate this problem by filming each side of the church separately. The actors spend time between takes in the village hall, discussing the best crowd-pleasing music to play at a wedding, with Lisa suggesting Lionel Richie or Stevie Wonder.
So will Mack turn up? No spoilers but let’s hope so – Hannibal will love it if this plan comes together.
Emmerdale is on tonight, 7pm, ITV
It’s one of the most dramatic weddings we’ve had
EMMA ATKINS WHO PLAYS CHARITY DINGLE
It’s up there with being different – from our outfits to the ceremony
LAWRENCE ROBB MACK ACTOR ON SOAP A-TEAM WEDDING DAY