Emmerdale writers have incorporated the real-life leg injury of actress Louise Jameson into the storyline of her character, Mary Goskirk. In Monday night's episode, Mary was seen walking with a cane, and when Tracy Robinson asked about it, Mary joked that she had hurt herself bungee jumping.
Louise Jameson, 74, who is known for roles in EastEnders and Doctor Who, first revealed her injury on social media in July. She posted on X that she had taken the 'break a leg' advice to the extreme and had to cancel performances of her one-woman show. When a fan asked about the cause, she replied that it was a boring old fall.
Soap operas typically film six to eight weeks ahead of broadcast, so the injury had to be written into the script. This is not the first time Emmerdale has adapted to an actor's real-life injury; earlier this year, Mary's character sported a bandage on her arm after a fall, though it was unclear if that was also a real injury.
Other soaps have done similar things. Coronation Street recently wrote in actor Jacob Roberts's leg surgery, and Simon Gregson's broken leg was also incorporated into the show. Gregson commented that after a few minutes, viewers don't care about the explanation.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
