Yahoo News Emmerdale plans special episode after Ashley's death
Emmerdale is planning another experimental episode after Ashley Thomas tragically passes away.
It's no secret that Ashley's days in the show are numbered, as he's been slowly deteriorating ever since being diagnosed with vascular dementia in late 2015.
Ashley's heartbreaking final episodes are expected to air in the spring, leading up to something very unexpected when his funeral day arrives in the aftermath.
Speaking to Digital Spy and other media at an Emmerdale press event, show producer Iain MacLeod commented: "Ashley's exit story is not that far off. It's tragic to say it, but he will soon be no longer with us.
"I've just signed off on the final version of the episode in which he dies and it is unbelievably beautiful. It's oddly joyous and it's a celebration of the character.
"We didn't want to do a story where he just absconded from a care home and was discovered dead from hypothermia or something – it would be too bleak.
"In a story that is already desperately sad, what we wanted to do was make this the best possible death – so that coming out of the other side of it, his family members would think: 'Well, none of us wanted him to go so soon, but knowing that he had to go, these were the best circumstances for his death'.
"It's super warm and funny – and almost festive and boisterous. It's just beautiful and I couldn't be more proud of the script, which is in very capable hands with our cast and crew."
Iain added: "Shortly after the death, it's obviously Ashley's funeral and what we've got for the funeral is something that is every bit as quirky – though not in the same way – as that special Ashley episode that we did last year.
"It's as experimental as that, but in a different way. That will be really special and will probably be talked about for quite some time to come. I hope people are as surprised as I was when I read it. It's pretty special, I have to say.
"The story has been so well written and so well played that I'd be hard pressed to find anything that we would have done differently."
Emmerdale's previous Ashley special explored the world through the eyes of someone living with dementia.
This included special editing and camera techniques, recasting several familiar faces and even returning to Emmerdale's former filming location of Esholt to create an eerily-different view of the village.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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