Emmerdale bosses have been accused of cutting costs by limiting how much their child actors appear on screen. The long-running ITV soap has followed the lives of countless families in the rural Yorkshire village since it began airing in 1972.
Even though children have often been integral to various storylines over the years, it may seem that they go for long periods without making any appearance at all, and now insiders have said that stems from an attempt to save money.
Insider claims costs behind absence
An insider claimed: "They're all conveniently upstairs or out playing. It all comes down to money. The children might be cheaper [to hire], but you have to have chaperones, too, and it just costs too much."
Currently, some of the children living in the village include Leo Goskirk, the son of Rhona Goskirk and Marlon Dingle, Vanessa Woodfield's son Johnny, Frankie Robinson, who is the daughter of Tracy Metcalfe and the late Nate Robinson.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the source added: "Some of the kids haven't been seen in years, and it's not gone unnoticed. Soaps are meant to be about families and communities, but in Emmerdale, it's clear only certain families matter."
Fans question storylines
Earlier this year, Charity Dingle gave birth to Leyla Sugden and let her granddaughter Sarah think she was her surrogate, but the child was actually the product of a one-night stand she'd had with Ross Barton. The only character currently pregnant is Dawn Fletcher, who is engaged to Joe Tate.
Fans have also recently brought up the subject on social media, with one fan writing on Reddit: "When I would see Vanessa out and about I would think oh I bet Tracey is looking after Johnny but she's gone now. But then there's Vanessa playing darts in the Woolpack and getting drunk, but like, who is looking after Johnny? To be fair, I've not seen him around for like a year or two."
"Have the producers just forgot that she has a son?? Because they are so used to just pretending he's upstairs in the house, but now Tracey has left, so they can't make out she's looking after him lol. Justice for Johnny left to his own devices since about 2 or 3 years ago lol."
In response, another said: "Appreciate it's harder working with child actors, but the fact some of them literally disappear off screen for close to or even longer than a year sometimes is insane and not even gets mentioned the majority of the time either. Boggles me that they keep adding more to the cast, too. I think Kyle, Eve and Isaac, to a lesser extent, are the most consistent kids in the cast."
"After Leyla Jr.'s storyline is sorted by the end of summer, I imagine we'll see her one more time at Christmas, and then after that, we won't see her till she's in a school uniform."
A third said: "I think the writers should get creative with solutions. Example, they could just have someone yell upstairs for the kids to turn down the music, or have adults chat/meet at the park (and you hear kids play, but don't show them), or have someone trip over toys, etc."
ITV's recent budget cuts
In 2025, ITV announced a string of budget cuts that saw ITV Daytime brands Lorraine and Loose Women slashed to airing just 30 weeks out of the year. Meanwhile, both Emmerdale and fellow soap Coronation Street were reduced to five episodes a week as part of a "soap power hour" which launched in January with a crossover special titled Corriedale.
ITV's Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo, said at the time: "The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led. We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX, and we want to present their favourite soap to them in the most digestible way.
"In a world where there is so much competition for viewers' time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows.
"Research insights also show us that soap viewers are increasingly looking to the soaps for their pacey storytelling. Streaming-friendly, 30-minute episodes better provide the opportunity to meet viewer expectations for storyline pace, pay-off and resolution.
"Whilst viewing is growing on ITVX, we know a significant proportion of our soaps' audience still watch us via the schedule. This new pattern is in the DNA of the soap genre - nobody else does 30 minute drama this successfully. It creates a soap power hour that's consistent and easy to find in the linear schedule for the UK's biggest soaps."
The Mirror has contacted ITV for comment. Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
