Emmerdale star Lisa Riley promises jaw-dropping Christmas episode

Emmerdale fans might be in for a shock this Christmas, according to star Lisa Riley.

Riley, who joined the soap as Mandy Dingle in 1995, told Leeds Live that she'd recently filmed scenes for the upcoming festive episode.

“The Christmas Day episode – when I read it, my jaw fell," said the actor. "When we shot it, my jaw fell.

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“It is so true. I played it as Mandy (when finding out). It is all about the jaw drop – not the mic drop."

Returning star Patsy Kensit said she'd love to see a genuine friendship develop between her character Sadie King and Mandy.

Emmerdale welcomed back the scheming Sadie following the death of Jimmy King; her eyes were set firmly on Caleb Miligan, whom she planned to seduce by convincing him his wife Ruby had cheated on him.

Kensit recently explained to Digital Spy why she thought a Sadie and Mandy team-up would work.

"I'd love her to have a relationship with Mandy, because I get on with Lisa Riley really well. She has a beauty bar, so it would be great if Sadie had a storyline where she had money to invest in that," the actor suggested.

However, Emmerdale's future could be unclear, as filming permission for the soap's current exterior village set in Harewood, an estate in West Yorkshire, is set to officially expire in June 2027.

Naturally, show bosses are keen to be granted further rights to continue filming there on a permanent basis.

Related: Exclusive: Emmerdale confirms shocking ending to Sadie King's storyline

In a slew of public documents submitted to Leeds County Council, ITV cited a number of environmental issues that could arise should they be forced to tear down the existing set and relocate, noting their dedication to become a net zero carbon business by 2030.

In a document seeking to lock down the façade used as the village restaurant, The Hide, ITV argued: "A relocation of this set away from the Emmerdale Village would have a big impact on our carbon footprint as cast, crew and all the facility vehicles listed above would need to travel to different locations.

"Keeping the set permanently allows us to work within our existing land agreement and on track to achieve our ITV net zero 2030 climate action strategy."

ITV enlisted the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to support their proposal, with planning ecologist Tim Stratton submitting his own letter in favour of the application.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

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