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Hi folks!
I thought I’d pass some information on about the fire and the departures of Viv and Terry. As far as Billy Hartman is concerned, nothing has been confirmed either way whether or not he chose to leave or was “axed” i.e. didn’t have his contract renewed. His death was meant to be a surprise on the night of the fire, except an online TV guide accidentally leaked the information a few days earlier!
As for Viv, we knew Deena Payne was leaving from the previous October. She WAS axed, and had mixed feelings about it, as she felt she had been underused since her years break. Producer Gavin Blyth explained at the time of the announcement that: “Deena created one of Emmerdale's most iconic characters in Viv. She's been a fundamental part of the show over the years and a valued member of the cast for which we are very grateful. We do not take decisions about losing characters lightly but it is also the nature of soap that characters must come and go from village life.” Speaking to Hello Magazine at the time of the announcement Deena expressed her sadness at leaving: “'Things were changing and I think I knew I wasn't going to be part of that change. To come in now and then to clear a table or throw a line over my shoulder was horrible. In the past I had two or three major storyline challenges each year. I relished them and grasped them. I felt bewildered and thought about not accepting another contract because I was so unhappy. If there's no future for the longest-serving female cast member, it's time to go. Which is sad in itself.”
Speaking on TV show “This Morning” in the aftermath of her death being shown, Deena revealed she was also unhappy with her exit storyline: “All good things have to come to an end and I've had such support from the viewers and everything. But I did think that maybe falling asleep on the sofa was a little bit cheating [the viewers] of a good storyline. In the last year or so, [Viv's] character had slightly changed and taken more of a backseat route to it all. I was expecting my contract not to be renewed, so I wasn't surprised. But I was a little bit shocked at how soon - they brought [the end of filming] forward to November. I thought maybe I'd have a couple of months in the New Year - that was a surprise. But I was told that I'd have a really big storyline, so when I read the script and I didn't actually have anything to say, that was a surprise as well. That was a disappointment, and I was sad to leave everybody.
Deena was particularly hurt not to be given an on-screen funeral: “The thing that disappointed me most was that she wasn't given a grave in the graveyard - her body was just sent down South. That's what made me really sad, the fact that I'd put all that involvement into the history of Emmerdale and yet don't have a little placard."
Deena also gave an interview to website Digitalspy talking about her time on the show:
What have been the highlights for you over the years?
"So many! Being able to 'indulge' and have time to make the character work and working with so many brilliant actors, directors, writers and producers. And rising to so many challenges and being part of the whole scheme of things - the longer I was there, the more I realised how complicated it is and how much planning goes into everything."
What would you say was your favourite storyline?
"The airplane crash, being taken hostage, Bob coming into Viv's life and the Paddy affair!"
Is there a particular scene that stands out or is memorable for you?
"The Carol and Viv day out stalking Bob, flinging herself vertically at Paddy behind the PO counter and the ensuing scene!"
What about your favourite 'Viv' moment?
"Anything slightly over the top and a little bit inappropriate - for example, arriving at Kelly's wedding hungover in a bright green outfit with huge hat and dark glasses - and dressing up for Bob!"
What have you enjoyed the most about being on the show?
"Having the time to evolve as Viv and not being a typical nomadic actor, being in one place to bring my son up! And now realising that for quite a few people I am a household name - they have been on Viv's journey too. I am given many positive warm comments, it's a lovely fulfilling feeling!"
Who will you miss the most?
"VIV! She has been my one Emmerdale constant for nearly 18 years! And of course many of the crew and cast I have worked closely with, Tony Audenshaw [Bob] especially!"
If you could sum up your time in Emmerdale in three words, what would you say?
"I'm so lucky!"
"So many! Being able to 'indulge' and have time to make the character work and working with so many brilliant actors, directors, writers and producers. And rising to so many challenges and being part of the whole scheme of things - the longer I was there, the more I realised how complicated it is and how much planning goes into everything."
What would you say was your favourite storyline?
"The airplane crash, being taken hostage, Bob coming into Viv's life and the Paddy affair!"
Is there a particular scene that stands out or is memorable for you?
"The Carol and Viv day out stalking Bob, flinging herself vertically at Paddy behind the PO counter and the ensuing scene!"
What about your favourite 'Viv' moment?
"Anything slightly over the top and a little bit inappropriate - for example, arriving at Kelly's wedding hungover in a bright green outfit with huge hat and dark glasses - and dressing up for Bob!"
What have you enjoyed the most about being on the show?
"Having the time to evolve as Viv and not being a typical nomadic actor, being in one place to bring my son up! And now realising that for quite a few people I am a household name - they have been on Viv's journey too. I am given many positive warm comments, it's a lovely fulfilling feeling!"
Who will you miss the most?
"VIV! She has been my one Emmerdale constant for nearly 18 years! And of course many of the crew and cast I have worked closely with, Tony Audenshaw [Bob] especially!"
If you could sum up your time in Emmerdale in three words, what would you say?
"I'm so lucky!"
Speaking a couple of months later Deena said the hurt was beginning to heal, and that she was enjoying spending some time at home, saying she’d “got her life back”: “You did have a bit of a life [on the soap], but it was always constricted. You know, you go on holiday with a load of scripts...I didn't want to leave, but it was the right time if ever I had to. My contract just wasn't renewed. It came at the right time."
There was strong audience reaction to the exit and the way it was filmed (and the anger continues to this day). With Gavin Blyth now dead, executive producer Steve November (a former producer who changed his name from Steve Frost) answered some question from a Digitalspy reporter:
The decision to write out Viv Hope received quite a strong reaction from some fans. Can you tell us how that came about?
"It was very difficult to say goodbye to Deena, who's been such a key member of our close-knit team for so long. But unfortunately, it is part of that constant refreshing and revamping process - we need to bring in new characters and that means losing some older characters. The logic of not writing out even your biggest characters at times would mean that we'd still have the original cast on screen, and the show would be what it was when it first started.
"It wasn't an easy decision to make at all, but there was a feeling that we needed to move forward - we needed to really shake up the heart of the show and some of the 'givens'. With some of the things that people thought, 'That is absolutely Emmerdale and always will be', we thought we'd challenge that and change perceptions so that Emmerdale isn't exactly what you expect it to be when you turn it on. It was a decision that was taken after much deliberation and soul-searching."
"It was very difficult to say goodbye to Deena, who's been such a key member of our close-knit team for so long. But unfortunately, it is part of that constant refreshing and revamping process - we need to bring in new characters and that means losing some older characters. The logic of not writing out even your biggest characters at times would mean that we'd still have the original cast on screen, and the show would be what it was when it first started.
"It wasn't an easy decision to make at all, but there was a feeling that we needed to move forward - we needed to really shake up the heart of the show and some of the 'givens'. With some of the things that people thought, 'That is absolutely Emmerdale and always will be', we thought we'd challenge that and change perceptions so that Emmerdale isn't exactly what you expect it to be when you turn it on. It was a decision that was taken after much deliberation and soul-searching."
When January's fire episodes aired, some viewers were surprised that Viv and Terry didn't get on-screen deaths. What did you make of that response?
"It's interesting, because we did think about it and there was some debate about what was best. We just wanted to tell a story from a slightly different angle - we'd seen, a lot of times on TV, the inside of a fire, the flames getting higher and characters coughing and choking and burning, which is not always that pleasant or entertaining to watch!
"But what we hadn't seen was almost the truth - what would you see if you were Bob or Brenda, the characters who were most affected? You'd be on the outside wondering what was going on, waiting and waiting before getting that terrible realisation that your loved one is not coming. So it was a dramatic choice to see it through Bob and Brenda's eyes - I liked it, I thought it was successful and I thought it was a good dramatic choice. I guess not everybody did, but not everybody likes everything, unfortunately. But I don't think it would have been any better to see Viv and Terry in awful and terrible pain as they burned to death!"
Are you pleased with the aftermath of the fire storyline?
"Yes, I think the measure of the story and its significance is the aftermath and what it leaves. We're still seeing a village that has been rocked by the fire and the absence of Viv and Terry. I think that the funeral and memorial service were very affecting, and through Brenda in particular, we're still feeling the absence of Viv and Terry. It's a story that might not have put a lot of Viv on screen in her final moments, but it's a story that meant Viv's departure had a lot of impact on the village and on the show, which is what we wanted. We wanted her exit to be felt by everybody, and I think it was."
"It's interesting, because we did think about it and there was some debate about what was best. We just wanted to tell a story from a slightly different angle - we'd seen, a lot of times on TV, the inside of a fire, the flames getting higher and characters coughing and choking and burning, which is not always that pleasant or entertaining to watch!
"But what we hadn't seen was almost the truth - what would you see if you were Bob or Brenda, the characters who were most affected? You'd be on the outside wondering what was going on, waiting and waiting before getting that terrible realisation that your loved one is not coming. So it was a dramatic choice to see it through Bob and Brenda's eyes - I liked it, I thought it was successful and I thought it was a good dramatic choice. I guess not everybody did, but not everybody likes everything, unfortunately. But I don't think it would have been any better to see Viv and Terry in awful and terrible pain as they burned to death!"
Are you pleased with the aftermath of the fire storyline?
"Yes, I think the measure of the story and its significance is the aftermath and what it leaves. We're still seeing a village that has been rocked by the fire and the absence of Viv and Terry. I think that the funeral and memorial service were very affecting, and through Brenda in particular, we're still feeling the absence of Viv and Terry. It's a story that might not have put a lot of Viv on screen in her final moments, but it's a story that meant Viv's departure had a lot of impact on the village and on the show, which is what we wanted. We wanted her exit to be felt by everybody, and I think it was."
Speaking personally, I can’t say I agree with some of Steve’s points, but what seems strange to me is to get rid of such a long serving character for no good reason, especially so soon after they’d demonstrated – with Eric and Michael – how useful it is to have long running characters. One thing viewers were upset about for instance was that Viv was never given a chance to prove her innocence over the fraud. It has to be said that Terry hadn’t had a big storyline for a number of years and was one of the least used characters, so his departure wasn’t such a surprise and hasn’t angered or disappointed people anywhere near as much.
There was a behind the scenes video of the filming of the fire, which includes an interview with the actor who plays the crooked detective which you can watch, spoiler free, by clicking here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oqyifqu6n8vjcxn/Emmerdale%20Fire%20-%20Behind%20The%20Scenes%20-%20YouTube.flv?m It also talks about the difficulties they had with the snow. Because of how isolated the village set is, there was danger of actually being snowed in, so filming had to be abandoned more than once.
Some other points while I am here:
Andrea: is it really a stretch to think that Nathan could be an arsonist? It is only a theory (I think) but taking just the main plot point- “fire on the terrace that destroys the Post Office” - then you could imagine a reworked version of the story, where perhaps he was to have set fire to Ryan’s house. It might have just been fan speculation though.
Pandora: You could certainly add Donald De Souza (Heart attack) and Daniel (cot death) to your list and others too if you go back far enough, but I of course understand your point. However, knowing the other soaps as I do your next bit amused me. If I knew that my destiny was to be a soap opera character and the only choice I had was which of the big 4 neighbourhoods I would move to (the 5th is a daytime soap based around a Doctors surgery with a significantly smaller cast), I think I’d definitely choose Emmerdale. Not only is it the most attractive location, but actually the death rate is lowest in Emmerdale. For one thing, of the big 4, it’s notable for being the only one (at least until the end of 2010) not to feature a serial killer. So all things considered, in soapland, Emmerdale is a relatively safe place to live!
One more thing for now. As Viv and Terry were two of the longest-serving characters, I thought you might be interested to see how long they lasted compared to the other long lasting characters of that period. Here is how January’s 2011’s long-serving character list looked:
1. Alan Turner (18 March 1982)
2. Eric Pollard (30 September 1986)
3. Michael Feldmann (13 February 1990)
4. Viv Windsor (10 August 1993)
5. Victoria Sugden (31 March 1994)
6. Betty Eagleton (12 April 1994)
7. Zak Dingle (20 October 1994)
8. Terry Woods (2 February 1995)
9. Sam Dingle (14 February 1995)
10. Andy Sugden (4 July 1996)
11. Lisa Dingle (13 August 1996)
12. Marlon Dingle (17 October 1996)
13. Ashley Thomas (5 December 1996)
14. Paddy Kirk (20 February 1997)
15. Belle Dingle (25 December 1998)
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Postat av: Dekbedden dons
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