Update News: ITV Emmerdale star bids ’emotional goodbye’ as they quit soap to join EastEnders
Emmerdale star Jack Deslandes has bid an emotional farewell to the ITV soap after moving over to rival BBC soap EastEnders, which airs at the exact same time each weekday
An Emmerdale star has bid his emotional farewell to the ITV soap as he departs for rival EastEnders.
Jack Deslandes, who worked in behind-the-scenes action as a writer and storyliner, has swapped the Dales for Albert Square after wrapping up his work on Emmerdale a while back. In a heartfelt blog post, as the final credits with his name appeared on ITV, Jack reflected on his transition from Emmerdale to EastEnders.
He penned: “Last week, my 144th and final credit rolled over the familiar strings of Emmerdale farm… I’ve been at EastEnders more than four months now so it’s been slightly strange to see the Emmerdale episodes I was working on air from afar. It’s like watching an ex finish the marathon they were training for whilst you were together you’re pleased they’re doing well, but know your new partner might not appreciate you liking their Instagram post.”
He continued: “But given talking about the stories I worked on whilst I was at Emmerdale was embargoed until transmission, I thought it would be nice to allow myself one post of reflection on my time in the Dales.”
Jack also delved into various plot-lines he contributed to including Vanessa’s dramatic return, the love triangle involving Suzy and Mary, Charles and Manpreet’s romantic engagement, and Matty and Amy’s memorable wedding.
“It was a journey. From struggling to write a six episode arc on day one to being given sixty scenes to polish up by the end of the day towards the end.
“I learnt how to write fast, how to pitch to that group of writers, who to pitch with, the different roles storyliners took in encouraging conversation in conferences and talk throughs, and what beats I needed to hit to make my producer happy. And I made some great friends and grew confidence in my strengths in building stories,” he elaborated, reports the Mirror.
Emmerdale and EastEnders not only battle it out at awards ceremonies, but their competition extends to their transmission times as well. Currently, both soaps are airing at 7:30pm from Monday to Thursday.
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However, Emmerdale wraps up at 8pm on Thursdays, broadcasting for an extra half-hour. Meanwhile, there’s no EastEnders on Fridays since the soap offers four episodes each week.
