Cover Story
We ask stars Zoë Henry, Jonathan Wrather and Emmerdale boss Iain Macleod about what’s coming up in the Bafta-winning soap
Emmerdale picked up a well-deserved BAFTA earlier this month, and this week we talk to stars Jonathan Wrather and Zoë henry, plus the show’s producer iain Macleod, about what’s coming next in the shocking Pierce and Rhona storyline. Read our interview on
Emmerdale mon-fri / itv / 7.00Pm & 8.00Pm
While the fictional world of soap is awash with doom and gloom, the very real place that is the Emmerdale studios in Leeds is anything but.
Having already scooped the National Television Award for Best Serial Drama earlier this year, the programme’s cast and crew are walking on air after their recent triumph at the BAFTAS. And, at this Saturday’s British Soap Awards (see feature on pages 8
& 9), they could well do the treble.
‘There’s always a lovely buzz around the building, but there’s a particular fizzy buzz at the moment,’ smiles Zoë Henry, who plays Rhona Goskirk. ‘Mark Charnock [who plays Marlon] and I were filming in the village recently and had our picture taken, holding the BAFTA in front of the Emmerdale sign.
‘It feels tremendous, and it’s a testament to not only all the people who work here currently, but all the people who have come and gone in the last 10 years, because the show is a work in progress.’
Indeed it is, which is why, after a glass or two of bubbly, it was back to work the following morning.
And as we move into summer, the big plot set to have viewers talking is the next chapter of the controversial story that has seen Rhona raped by husband Pierce.
Next week, as Rhona returns to the village after receiving treatment for painkiller addiction, she’s horrified to see her husband also arrive back – a discovery that prompts her to finally name him to the police as her attacker.
‘It’s the next step, and it’s a scary step because she knows that once the name of Pierce Harris is given to the police, the whole village is likely to find out about her ordeal,’ reveals Zoë. ‘It will be out there, and that’s a really hard thing for any woman, because you kind of have to own it then.
‘Rhona already feels humiliated and degraded, so she thinks, “Have I got the strength to go through with this? And what if I do go through with it, and Pierce – being this incredibly manipulative, articulate, smart guy
– twists the truth and doesn’t go down for it? Then what?”’
With Pierce still failing to acknowledge that he has done anything wrong, Rhona’s set for a rough ride.
‘The only word to describe Pierce is delusional,’ adds Jonathan Wrather, who plays the twisted solicitor. ‘He has this capacity to switch off and believe what he wants to believe. Being a solicitor, he has the means to work the law
Pierce has this capacity to switch off and believe what he wants to. JONATHAN
If he doesn’t go down for it? Then what? ZOÈ
can you put your finger on what has made the last 12 months for Emmerdale so special?
I think the storylines have been on fire, particularly the Ashley story. I’ve never known anything that has connected with the audience to that degree. It’s probably because so many people have friends or relatives that have some form of dementia. That, combined with
really great writing and incredible acting from John Middleton and Charlotte Bellamy, was one of my TV highlights of the year.
What do you think Emmerdale offers viewers that other soaps don’t deliver?
I think the risks we’re taking in the way we’re packaging the storylines is really paying off. We did the episode where we saw everything from Ashley’s point in his favour, and we’ve seen him manipulate situations constantly.
‘And where has this all come from? What is his back story? We’ve met his mother, and she spoke of a secret that she suggested Rhona should ask Pierce about. That might unlock the clue as to what it is that’s driving him, and why he is the way he is.’
According to figures from
Rape Crisis, only 5.7 per cent of reported rape cases end in a conviction. Emmerdale’s series producer, Iain Macleod, has refused to confirm whether
Pierce will be one of the tiny number of perpetrators who do time for their crime, but has promised
‘vital redemption’ for Rhona. Jonathan, meanwhile, tells us that his character will definitely get ‘some form of comeuppance’.
But how and when? It seems unlikely that Pierce is ever going to hold his hands up and admit responsibility
of view, we packaged the car crash in a way where the same day was told four different ways, and we had the episode where the whole of part two was Ashley and Laurel’s dream sequence. I think the unusual way we’re doing things is really catching people’s imaginations.
can you tell us how the show will continue to develop?
In terms of new ingredients, we’ve got a new character or two coming in, and we’ve got two new stories for his actions.
‘I don’t imagine Pierce will ever be able to do that,’ agrees Zoë. On this occasion, then, it seems that Rhona’s initial response to her attack could be the key to a conviction.
‘There is a correct route to take with this scenario, and Rhona has done it by going to the police straight away,’ explains Zoë. ‘That’s the important bit in this story, and it’s a very big indication of what anybody, if they found themselves in this unfortunate situation, should do.’
There is, of course, going to be no ‘happily ever after’ for Rhona – whatever the outcome.
‘At the end of the day, what happened to her is something she won’t get over; it’s like a grief,’ says Zoë. But Emmerdale bosses are acutely aware of the power of drama. And, they hope that from such a disturbing storyline, there can be a positive knock-on effect.
‘In soap, you never set out to try to impart a message; you set out to tell a really good story – but in the case of this, it will inevitably have a strong impact on our viewers,’ says Iain. ‘I hope what results is that people who have been through something similar might take some comfort from it or find the strength to come forward and talk about their experiences in a way that will help them deal with what they’ve been through.
‘If one person does that as a result of this storyline, then it all will have been worthwhile.’ kicking off that will keep the viewers riveted. one is quite high octane and classic soap, and the other is quite small and issue driven, and an acting masterclass. But on the whole, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing – if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!