The behind-the-scenes war at Emmerdale: Actors culled, favourites given VERY lucrative deals... and the secret bosses are desperate to stop getting out. Insiders reveal threats looming over soap to ALEX DOYLE

It is known for its fiery feuds and dark twists, with the iconic Woolpack pub making the perfect backdrop.

But I can reveal that the drama unfolding behind the scenes at ITV’s rural soap Emmerdale is just as juicy as anything seen on screen.

Stars of the show are seething after having their screen time reduced, while bosses keep their ‘favourites’ on big-money deals to stop them from jumping ship.

Meanwhile, the producers are faced with the terrifying prospect of the Yorkshire Dales set being demolished – a development which, insiders tell me, would result in the end of the 53-year-old series.

This all comes at the end of a difficult 12 months for Emmerdale, with a wave of high-profile departures and a reduction in the show’s episode count due to wider network cuts.

Last year, ITV announced that the hour-long Thursday instalment would be axed, taking Emmerdale’s weekly output to five 30-minute episodes.

In its heyday, the show was watched by 12 million viewers per episode. Today, it struggles to attract nearly four million.

Almost 30 members of the cast have lost their roles since the start of the cuts in 2024, a culling referred to by stars as a ‘bloodbath’.

Even the Dingles, considered one of TV’s best-loved families, aren't safe from the axe. Jack Downham, who played Noah Dingle for 17 years, was culled, while Nick Miles is said to have been ousted from his role as Jimmy King after 22 years, though his final episode is yet to air. Both men are considered legendary characters by loyal viewers.

Many female stars have also been given the boot. Since 2024, Roxy Shahidi (who played Leyla Harding), Rachael Gill-Davis (Gail Loman), Natalie Ann Jamieson (Amy Barton) and Martelle Edinborough (Suzy Merton) have all left their roles.

This mass exodus comes as Patsy Kensit, one of the show’s most successful stars, returns after 20 years as villain Sadie King.

While the surprise announcement has garnered much excitement from viewers, with ITV even splashing out on a big Press event, it has ruffled the feathers of her co-stars, to say the least.

My insider said: ‘It’s not personal to Patsy, she’s lovely and no one blames her, but when you have someone coming in on a big contract for six months when multiple others are being axed and costs are being cut left, right and centre, it doesn’t make for a happy set.

‘The atmosphere is decidedly icy at the moment with all the shake-ups. It is typically a close-knit family – soaps are hard work and it is often long hours when you’re on set shooting scenes, so you have to get along with the people there.

‘But it is increasingly hard when you know the person starring opposite you is potentially on a bigger salary and better contract than you.’

Indeed, tensions have risen so high in the Dales that earlier this year stars threatened mutiny when they were told of pay cuts of up to 17 per cent. Insiders say it is due to the reduction in screen time.

‘Unless you’re a well-known and established name that bosses like, working in a soap is no longer a job for life. You have to have something on the side otherwise it’s just not sustainable,’ said another source.

The situation on set is so bad that bosses have kept veteran Emmerdale actress Claire King’s recent contract renewal on the ‘down-low’ so as not to rock the boat.

The 64-year-old first joined the show in 1989 as Kim Tate and stayed in the role for a decade. She returned in 2018 for a guest stint and her appearance was so well received she was signed up for a permanent role the following year.

I’m told she has ‘quietly’ signed a new deal to remain in her fan-favourite role for at least another six months.

The insider told me: ‘Bosses have handed Claire a big new contract to ensure she’ll stick around but it’s all being kept quiet because of the awkwardness of so many others leaving.’

While production budgets continue to be slashed and ratings dwindle, a bigger threat looms over Emmerdale: the planners at Leeds City Council.

The set has been located on a farm site in Harewood, West Yorkshire, since 1997, and currently has planning permission to remain on the land until June 2027. The producers have now applied for permission to keep the set here permanently after this date.

Should they be unsuccessful, however, ITV will need to tear down the fictional village and return the land to its original condition.

With the threat of bulldozers on their set, ITV Studios execs have hired top consultancy firm Lambert Smith Hampton.

‘They are downplaying it but the axe is swinging above the village itself,’ my insider said. ‘ITV had to spend thousands on a top planning firm to try to secure the future of the village.

‘The planning application is with Leeds council now and a decision is imminent but if they reject it then the set has to be demolished by June.

‘There’s no way the show can survive that, so it’s a really concerning time. Bosses are terrified that it could all come crashing down.

‘As it stands they’re playing it down and insisting it’s just a formality in an effort to stop people from deciding to jump [from the show].

‘But this is people’s lives – they have mortgages and bills to pay, so when they’re told there’s no more money and then [producers] give out huge contracts to the likes of Patsy, it doesn’t go over well.’

Currently producers have found a way to reduce costs by limiting the screen time of younger child stars. My source explained: ‘They’re all conveniently upstairs or out playing.

‘It all comes down to money. The children might be cheaper [to hire] but you have to have chaperones, too, and it just costs too much.

‘Some of the kids haven’t been seen in years and it’s not gone unnoticed. Soaps are meant to be about families and communities, but in Emmerdale it’s clear only certain families matter.’

A spokesman for ITV said: ‘ITV Studios has filmed external scenes for Emmerdale from a purpose-built set on the Harewood Estate in Leeds since 1997 and it is a significant contributor to the creative economy in Leeds and across the whole of the north of England and beyond.

‘As part of a routine planning application, we are in discussion with Leeds City Council and look forward to many more years of filming from the set.’ This will be a welcome relief for the few actors left on Main Street.