Emmerdale fans are in for a real treat on the 3rd June, as the soap reaches its 5000th episode. Taking advantage of the hour-long Tuesday night slot, the producers have pulled out all the stops to make this one to remember. Designed as a self-contained drama, but still pulling all of the exciting current storylines together, the wedding of Val Lambert and Eric Pollard is destined to go off with a bang.

It probably comes as a surprise to Emmerdale viewers that these two rogues are going to make it down the aisle at all, considering their track records, but you can bet your bottom dollar that it won’t all be romance and roses on the big day itself.

Val’s feud with the Dingles reaches a dramatic climax and when Eli Dingle holds her hostage, Val’s immediately scheming about how to turn the situation around to her advantage. If you remember Bette Midler’s character from the film Ruthless People, you’ll perhaps have an inkling of how she deals with the situation. Charlie Hardwick (who plays Val Lambert) describes her character as “absolutely furious, vengeful and murderous. She has to get her own back”, when she learns that Pollard has arranged a surprise wedding on the cheap. Pollard will have to produce some cold hard cash if he wants to get them both get to the church on time, but will it be his money or his wife?

A guest appearance from everybody’s favourite TV chef, Antony Worrall Thompson, guarantees this episode will have the familiar mix of comedy and drama that has kept the ‘Dale in our affections for so many years. He comes to The Woolpack and shakes things up a bit with the kitchen staff. Anthony had this tip for The Woolpack’s chef - “If Marlon was in my camp I would kick his proverbial arse and tell him to stop being so poncy with his food”. In Soapland though, it seems Mr Worrall Thompson has something else entirely up his sleeve for Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle, and the actor is looking forward to every minute of it. “I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve not had very many comic storylines recently and I’m genuinely excited about what’s coming up. The situation escalates for Marlon and there’s a possibility he’ll have a television slot, courtesy of Antony Worrall Thompson. It leads to a lot of stupidity on his part and things really go to his head.”

Emmerdale bosses have never shied away from the dramatic, and as the 5000th episode, this wedding has got a lot to live up to. Do you remember the bus crash, Zoe Tate blowing up Home Farm, Tom King’s murder and the house collapse which killed three characters? Chris Chittell (who plays Eric Pollard) had this to say “The feedback has been tremendous. Everyone on the production team is excited which I’m very pleased about. It’s great for everyone concerned with the episode. If you think about it not that long ago, just before the plane crash there was doubt about Emmerdale’s future. The turnaround has been extreme. The show is going from strength to strength. That’s down to incredibly hard work from everybody connected to Emmerdale. It’s an accolade for everybody involved.”

Emmerdale: What Price Love? airs on Tuesday 3rd June 2008 at 7pm, and exclusive content can be accessed from the Emmerdale 5000th anniversary website from this week onwards.

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