Emmerdale Live - TV review

We were told there would be two weddings, two births and a death in the special programme, and it was the death that had everyone guessing, right up to the last five minutes of the programme.

There will have been two types of people watching the show last night – avid fans, and those who had their eyes peeled to see if there were any slip-ups.

However, the professional cast and crew pulled out all the stops for the episode and the lines were practically word perfect.

Any slip-ups could have been explained away by the fact that most of the actors were supposed to be drunk, thanks to the two wedding receptions that were taking place.

There was a huge party atmosphere in the Yorkshire village, and you felt that everyone was on a natural high due to the buzz of being involved in the first live broadcast for a drama to take place mainly outdoors.

It seems there were huge efforts made to ensure the celebratory show went off without a hitch – sets were built in empty buildings, special sound and camera equipment was hired and roads dug up to hide countless cables.

However, it was all worth it as the show started with the two weddings – one happy, and one not so happy.

Poor Dan, who tied the knot with Chas Dingle only to have her run out on him during the surprise wedding reception he had organised.

Carl had threatened to expose her affair with Cameron unless she paid him £30,000 – when he turned up at her wedding we, like her, thought it was all over.

No wonder she packed her bags quickly and begged Dan to run away with her – if only he had then may be the night wouldn't have ended in tears for Chas.

The other wedding was a totally different story – although as we expected Declan's sister Megan tried to ruin the big day, and even pushed the bride's face into the cake before flouncing off.

Most brides would have been devastated by such a move, but the unflappable Katie just laughed and Declan's first taste of their wedding cake was by swiping some of the icing off her face with his finger.

Both the births went well – it was like watching a ladies' tennis match at Wimbledon as the camera went from the hospital where Debbie Dingle was grunting her way through labour to the village where Gennie Walker was gasping away while giving birth.

The acting throughout the show was incredible – I'm sure acting out labour is nerve wracking at the best of times and usually involves a couple of takes.

However, the cast knew they just had one chance – and Nikhil faints with aplomb when he sees his new baby girl.

So, with weddings and births done and dusted there was only one thing left – the death.

We had a clue what was going to happen when Cameron picked up a candlestick in the church, looking as though he was going to clock Carl over the head with it.

However, the ending for Carl was a bit more dramatic than that as he gets hit over the head with a brick not by just one person – but two.

Firstly Chas whacks him with the brick as he attacks her by the camper van, then Cameron comes along and follows up with another smash to Carl's head – which he does just as Carl is shouting up to the skies that he is indestructible.

The show finished on a high with fireworks – celebrations will have been taking part in the Yorkshire Dales last night, and to be honest they all deserved it.