Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle has made a guest appearance in Emmerdale – with some glaringly obvious dialogue.
Back in May, the Member of Parliament fulfilled his promise to visit the ITV soap’s production base in the grounds of Harewood House, West Yorkshire.
Sir Lindsay had wished to make the trip in 2022, whilst attending a reception at Speaker’s House to celebrate over 100 years of continuing drama made by the broadcaster.
Having commended regional TV production between Coronation Street and its sister soap, he was gifted a pair of Emmerdale wellies, which he donned on his trip to the dales.
The Chorley MP said that the shows ‘are an important part of the fabric of British society and the economic contribution they bring to the North.’
As well as visiting the exterior set, he also toured the studios and production base close to Leeds city centre – and even filmed a cameo!
In tonight’s addition, he can be seen paying for and thanking stalwart Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) for a cuppa that he’d ‘ordered’ in The Hide bistro.
See what they did there?!
At the time, Mr Speaker told an ITV spokesperson: ‘Incredibly, Emmerdale has been on our screens for more than half a century – shining a light on the lived experience of others; entertaining viewers with its hard-hitting storylines, while also making a major economic contribution to the North.
‘It has been an honour to help the cast celebrate the 10,000th episode of this enduring Yorkshire-based soap, with a visit to the Woolpack.
‘As a Lancastrian, I am hugely impressed by the talent and warmth of our friends on ‘the other side’ of the Pennines.’
John Whiston, who heads the continuing drama teams added: ‘Showing balance between the Northern soaps, Mr Speaker is following up his visit to Coronation Street with a visit to the other side – Emmerdale.
‘We are all honoured to welcome him in The Dales.
‘And we have assured his team that no floods, fires, bus crashes, plane crashes or lightning strikes will hit the Village while he is there – unusually for a Friday.’
A number of famous faces have popped up across the years, proving that Emmerdale is quite the celeb hotspot.
In 2002, the late Richard Whiteley, best known for presenting Countdown, interviewed Gloria Pollard (Janice McKenzie) in a scene.
Three years later, Alan Turner (Richard Thorp) was seen chatting with Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield in a special This Morning-based scene.
Wet Wet Wet lead singer Marti Pellow serenaded Kathy Bates (Malandra Burrows) at her leaving do, whilst Tony Christie appeared in special scenes set in Newcastle.
More recently, former footballer and sport pundit Chris Kamara challenged Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) to a game in 2019, whilst RuPaul’s Drag Race legend The Vivienne – who passed away earlier this month – opened up the village’s first ever Pride event in 2021.
