Emmerdale’s longest serving farmer Jack Sugden and his family will be caught in a housefire as part of dramatic scenes to mark the shows 35th anniversary.

Jack’s daughter Victoria gets drunk and douses his house in petrol, and when Andy admits to being responsible for her mothers death seven years ago, things get out of control.

The actor who plays Jack, Clive Hornby, told The Sun:

“We had to wear fire-proof clothing for the scenes and it did get quite warm. But it was great fun.

“The scenes were uncomfortable and hard to do but as an actor it was great. It was very real and like doing a movie.

“I could really feel the heat when Jack is unconscious on the bathroom floor as the door was beginning to catch fire but there were real firemen on hand to ensure that we weren’t in any real danger.

“When there was the initial fireball I was so shocked that I swore and it had to be edited out.”

Clive added: “Jack always knew that the circumstances surrounding Sarah’s death would come back to haunt the family.

“Viewers like to remember old characters and to see this type of continuity. It will affect Jack, Andy and Victoria for a long time to come.”
# Emmerdale, ITV1, October 16, 7pm