Emmerdale spoilers follow.
It's the end of an era for Emmerdale next week, as Elizabeth Estensen bows out from the role of Diane Sugden.
Elizabeth recently announced her decision to retire after playing the role of Diane for 22 years.
Diane is currently planning to leave the village with her granddaughter Gabby Thomas, but there's a spanner thrown in the works next week as Gabby goes into labour on the day they're hoping to depart.
Here, Elizabeth reflects on her time at Emmerdale and her choice to bow out.
What have you most loved about playing Diane?
"What I love about playing Diane is that she is not down at heel. Diane is very positive and loyal. I love the fact she has so much optimism. I admire her for always supporting others and being dependable."
What are your memories of your early days on the show when you joined in 1999?
"I was very nervous on my first day, but I would say that those first few days were lovely. It was immediately obvious it was such a friendly place to work. In the beginning I ran the pub with my fictional daughter Bernice, played by the fabulous Samantha Giles.
"I have such happy memories of those days and of course I loved working with Richard Thorp too. He was always so cheerful and always smiling. I also have very fond memories of Clive Hornby who played Jack Sugden. He was always so supportive of me."
Do you have strong memories of Diane and Jack's wedding?
"I certainly remember the dress as I chose it for her! It was pink, very Diane. A pink suit. Diane was given away by Val, her sister. I particularly remember the scene when Victoria stepped forward and announced her big secret, she said 'Diane has got a bit of cancer up her bum!' Not quite how Diane wanted the news out.
"Another fond memory from my time on Emmerdale was when the Queen came to visit the set. On that day we were blowing up the village post office in a rather big stunt. It was a big explosion, but I remember the Queen didn't seem fazed at all.
"Another memory was when Jack's death happened suddenly. I think poor Diane had been planning to reunite with him, but she heard he had died in Spain. Diane was very shocked.
"Sheila Mercier who played Jack's mother Annie, came back to the programme especially for the funeral, so that was very sad and very moving as Sheila was quite elderly then. It was of course all the more poignant filming those scenes because Clive the actor had died in real life.
"Once Jack had died, I remember Diane took care of Victoria and Andy and stepped up as a matriarch, taking care of Jack's family as well as her own. I think she really did step up to the plate regarding Andy and Victoria."
Diane's had a few memorable romance storylines too, hasn't she?
"When I first joined the show I was 50, so naively thought I was too old for any romantic storylines, but apparently not. How wrong I was! I now look at the actors who are 50 and think: 'Oh gosh, those were the days'.
"In the beginning, Diane had a lot of lovers and Alan Turner was one of them. There was also her ex-husband Rodney, Doug Potts, Charlie the conman, Eric Pollard. But I think Rodney has always been a rock in Diane's life and I've very much enjoyed all the scenes we have had recently.
"Diane lost everything to Charlie the conman. They went to France and he paid someone to steal Diane's bag. She then went again with Val and I seem to remember that the house they went to wasn't actually owned by Charlie like he'd claimed. That is when they smelt a rat and Diane realised she'd lost everything, because she had kept giving him more and more money.
"The reason why they did this as a story for Emmerdale, was that at the time it was quite prevalent in society, people losing their money to people on the internet in a scam. So it was given a lot of focus."
Can you tell us about your memories of Diane's relationship with her sister Val?
"As sisters, Diane and Val had a heated relationship. But I didn't half enjoy working with Charlie Hardwick. We had such great scenes written for us.
"The mirror maze in Val's exit storyline was so clever. Diane and Val had been locked in the maze to sort out their differences as they had been arguing. But I loved that set. It was brilliant.
"The director was Duncan Foster. He did a fabulous job. I know they had a tricky time shooting it, as of course it was all built of mirrors with lots of reflections and light bouncing around. But it was fantastic what they produced, absolutely amazing.
"Sadly it was the last time Charlie and I filmed together as Val perished in the maze when a shard of glass fell and went through her throat. Thankfully we didn't see that on screen.
"Val did come back as a ghost twice, I believe. But she was truly dead, despite the fan theories at the time. Sadly Val remains dead but gosh it was fun days I had working with Charlie."
Did you enjoy running a fictional pub?
"I have loved being a landlady of The Woolpack. Diane ran the pub by herself for a long time and also with her daughter Bernice too when they first came to Emmerdale. Then she pulled pints with Chas for a long time and then I suppose she felt she had got too old.
"It is great being in The Woolpack. When you are behind the bar, you may not always have the biggest scenes, but you get to see everyone and feel at the centre of everything.
"I used to call them my 'What can I get you?' days. I very much enjoyed them. And with all that practice, I have learnt over the years how to pull a good pint."
Diane's health has also been a focus…
"Diane has had cancer twice. The most recent cancer was a stomach cancer and it was discovered when she was stabbed by Chas. I think stomach cancer is not easily diagnosed, but as she was stabbed, it was picked up on.
"Chas was suffering from PTSD at the time and had thought Diane was an intruder into The Woolpack. So although Diane had the bad event of being stabbed, it ultimately turned out well as they found the cancer and she was treated, while Chas also got help for her PTSD."
Is Diane excited about her grandchild Gabby having a baby?
"She is very much looking forward to Gabby having the baby, but she is worried about Gabby being dominated by Kim Tate. Gabby thinks she is in control but Diane is a bit concerned and wants to try and help. So they have planned a getaway."
How has Emmerdale changed over the years?
"Being in a soap is very different from other types of acting work. There isn't a beginning, a middle and an end, like you would have in a play. It feels like I've been involved with lots of different jobs that have all joined together, but for which I've been playing the same character.
"Of course, on a soap making so many episodes a week, we don't get to rehearse either. That in itself can be tricky, especially if you have big emotional scenes to play.
"The programme has changed a lot over the years, but gosh I have loved it. I can't believe the stories that I've done. Extraordinary, just so varied. I feel very lucky. I have loved working with such fabulous people.
"For quite a few years, I used to share a dressing room with Shirley Stelfox who played Edna, Charlotte Bellamy who plays Laurel and Paula Tilbrook who played Betty. It was such a great team.
"But poor Charlotte is so young and she had all the oldies to share with. But oh, I do think of them all very fondly. We had very happy days all sharing the dressing room together. There was so much laughter and joy.
"Of course the pandemic has recently changed everything but we have been lucky to have kept working. We used to share, but now it is single occupancy dressing rooms. We no longer go into costume and make up, which is a shame as I used to love going into make up. But thankfully all the measures seem to work and we can keep recording."
What are Diane's plans?
"Well, as Val's son is in Portugal I think Diane is going to head there to reinvent herself and not feel like somebody who is past it. He's got a bar she can work in."
Why does Diane want to leave the village?
"I think she wants to have a fresh start. She's worried for Gabby too. Gabby is the first grandchild and she sees Gabby is in the clutches of Kim, particularly since she has been pregnant.
"Kim is ready to pounce and I think Diane feels rather protective. They are both keeping their planned trip to Portugal very quiet from others."
Who will Diane miss the most?
"She will miss all her friends from the village. She has loved living in the village, so I think there will be a lot of people she will miss connecting with. She will miss Victoria, Bernice, Chas, Charity. My goodness, there are a lot of people she will miss."
What have you got planned?
"I have not yet planned anything myself for when I leave. I have been her for 22 years. I've been a landlady for 17 years.
"I can't quite believe it, and do you know every day has been different and every day has been a pleasure. I will miss it enormously, but I think the time has come now for me to go."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.
He has interviewed hundreds of soap stars over the years, from Bill Roache to Lacey Turner, and regularly visits the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks for behind-the-scenes trips and press events.
He has served as an awards judge on numerous occasions for the likes of the BAFTA TV Awards, RTS Programme Awards and British Soap Awards. In 2020, he was Highly Commended for Best Section Editor at the BSME Awards.
