The deaths of Emmerdale characters Dawn Taylor and Jimmy King were the producers' decision, the actors have confirmed. Olivia Bromley, who played Dawn, and Nick Miles, who played Jimmy, revealed the behind-the-scenes reasons in exclusive interviews with Metro.
Dawn died in hospital after giving birth to a son, while Jimmy died trapped in his car after crashing into the wedding marquee where Dawn was due to marry Joe Tate. The marquee then exploded with Joe still trapped inside, though he survived.
Why did Dawn Taylor die?
Olivia Bromley told Metro it was the producers' call to kill off her character. 'I'm not going to lie, I'd have preferred her to stay alive!' she laughed. 'I was so excited to go out and do other things and spread my wings. As an actor, after eight years, it's important to be able to embrace new challenges, I've felt.'
'But I wouldn't have killed her off if it was my choice. I'd have loved to have been able to play her in the future.'
She added that the decision was a 'blessing in disguise' because it allows her to 'embrace new challenges fully' without the possibility of returning to the ITV soap.
Why did Jimmy King die?
Nick Miles revealed that Jimmy's death was also the producers' decision, but he had started having nightmares about it three months before he was told. 'Having said that, I didn't really believe the dreams and when I was told, it was still a shock,' he told Metro.
'I was bowled over, I went very quiet and I was calm. They said "Nick, you can be upset. We expected you to be upset as it is a shock". I was thinking of those nightmares though! I was like, "Okay, that's fine, I get it". I was very philosophical. I think [the nightmares] helped!'
He added: 'I was really grateful. I've had a great innings. We all become actors knowing that any job we take is precarious. You can't hate that when it happens. You think, "Okay, that's me".'
A source told Metro when Jimmy's death was announced: 'It may prove controversial but the jaw-dropping storyline will set in motion some massive consequences for many months to follow.'
What happens next?
Jimmy's ex-wife Sadie King, played by Patsy Kensit, is set to return to the village. 'There's a huge shock of why she's back and how Sadie is now,' Kensit told Metro. 'I can't give too much away, so it's frustrating because there's so much I want to tell you, but I can promise a lot of shocks and revelations and twists and turns and betrayals and pleading for forgiveness. It's a plethora of wonderful, wonderful stories.'
