Lisa Riley, known for playing Lisa Dingle in Emmerdale, has teased what’s to come during the festive period on the ITV soap

Christmas is known for being a hugely dramatic and action-packed time in soapland, and it seems like Emmerdale fans are in for a treat this year.

Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, has teased what’s to come during the festive period, revealing the storylines to be “really exciting”, with Mandy and her husband Paddy (Dominic Brunt) being at the centre of a new plot, along with Paddy’s father Bear (Joshua Richards).

The actress explained that Vicky Thomas will be directing the Christmas Day episode of Emmerdale. Vicky was the director behind the soap’s huge limo crash, which resulted in the deaths of several characters, including Amy Wyatt and Suzy Merton.

This year’s festive storylines are set to continue into the New Year, as soap bosses are gearing up for the highly anticipated Emmerdale and Coronation Street crossover episode, which will air in January.

“You’re going to find out. It’s going to straggle over the whole of Christmas and into the New Year, and it’s a storyline that’s never been done before,” Lisa told The Sun.

“When we got the script, we were told months ago, it’s something really exciting,” she went on. “That’s so good about soaps, we’ve planned loads of things to knock you off kilter.”

Viewers last saw Bear earlier this year, when his behaviour suddenly changed and he began acting erratically, leading Paddy to become convinced his father was suffering from depression.

When Paddy was attacked by a dog, he contemplated killing the dog in order to make the village safe. This dilemma drove a wedge between Paddy and Bear, who had simply told his son to man up, resulting in Paddy kicking Bear out of the house.

Bear proceeded to pack up his car and then lied to his family about having a friend who would let him stay. He then disappeared, and fans have been left wondering if his behaviour was due to an undiagnosed illness.

However, Lisa teased that what’s happening to Bear could be completely unexpected, telling fans that the storyline “might be a complete curveball”.

She went on to say Emmerdale’s writers are “dropping stuff” designed to purposefully “knock you off kilter”.

The Emmerdale and Coronation Street crossover episode marks a first for British soaps, with a special one-hour episode scheduled to land on TV screens in January, which will see the two ITV shows merge together for the very first time.