Emmerdale axe ghost plans

\'Emmerdale\' have axed plans to bring back a number of characters as ghosts in a spooky Halloween special.

Writers of the ITV soap were said to be keen to pen an unearthly episode of the show which would\'ve seen a number of stars reprise their roles as their late alter-egos in October, but they have had to shelve the idea because they "wouldn\'t have been able to afford it".

John Whiston, ITV\'s managing editor of continuing drama, said: "The writers pitched the idea of all the ghosts of \'Emmerdale\' coming out for Halloween, but we wouldn\'t have been able to afford it because there are so many dead people around the village."

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\'Emmerdale\' bosses enjoy having an "experimental streak", but John admits the writers are wary that fans feel the show needs to "earn the right" to change up their usual format.

He added to the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "We\'ve been known to have an experimental streak. Going back a bit, we heard the voices in Zoe Tate\'s head as she burned down the church. More recently, we\'ve seen the world through Ashley\'s eyes as his dementia took hold.

"Our audience go with us, but only when they feel we\'ve earned the right to take them on a particular journey."

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John Middleton departed his role as Ashley Thomas in April 2017 when his alter-ego lost his battle with dementia, and months later the 64-year-old actor hinted he could head back to the village as Ashley\'s twin brother.

He said: "There\'s no hint of Ashley coming back as a ghost but Ashley does have a twin brother called Luke so that could happen."

John did appear on screen again earlier this year when Ashley appeared on home videos.

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In December 2016, \'Emmerdale\' aired a special episode which focused on Ashley\'s battle with dementia from his point of view.