For a while, viewers have been thinking that in Emmerdale Ella has the potential to make some of the villagers suffer. Mixed with her history, and that she just found out about Chas and Liam, will she make them pay?
When Liam broke up with Ella recently, she specifically asked if she was seeing anyone else – and he said no. But in reality he and Chas were wanting to give things another go together.
Not only did their break up result in Ella moving out of her home, but she also temporarily didn’t have a job. So she really hasn’t had the easiest of times lately.
And so, because of all of this Chas and Liam agreed to keep their romance quiet for a while.
Could Emmerdale’s Ella try to kill Liam and Chas? (Credit: ITV)
Emmerdale Ella pushed too far?
But at the end of the day, nothing stays a secret for long in Emmerdale. Thursday’s episode saw Ella’s fears confirmed, as she put the pieces together.
Viewers believe that while Ella may not seem psycho to others in the village, the other side of her is waiting to come out.
Over the last few weeks she has turned into somewhat of a stalker regarding Liam. From constantly wanting to know where he is to needing to know who he is with, it looks like her true colours are starting to show.
One fan posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Is Ella going to set fire to the Woolpack with Chas and Liam inside?…Psycho [expletive].”
The Woolpack would indeed be a good choice for location for Ella’s revenge, as it tends to be the place for dramatic storylines to reach their peak.
The theory was backed up by another user, who wrote: “Has it been on fire recently? I remember it blew up when Meena was in the show.”
After sneaking around, Chas and Liam are caught by Ella (Credit: ITV)
Could Ella kill Chas and Liam in huge Woolpack fire?
This is true, as back in 2021, Al Chapman decided wrecking the pub was his only way to get out of debt, and so he put a whisk into the microwave.
For a while after this the pub was closed, while refurbishments and the legal side of things were ongoing. So it has actually been a while since a big event happened there.
As Chas still currently resides there, could Ella aim to take away her home, job and her life?
It’s safe to say out of all the theories, this one is our favourite. Not only would it add some more drama to the village, but it also brings Emmerdale back to it’s centre; the pub.
We wouldn’t be opposed to seeing how that would all play out!
The famous Woolpack pub is at the centre of Emmerdale village life. It’s the second home to many of the locals and the place of dramas, affairs and fights. Those four walls have seen and heard it all!
There’s rarely a dull moment to be had in The Woolie, and the boozer wouldn’t be the same without the powerhouse landlords and landladies at the helm.
The iconic pub has changed hands several times over the years, but what names have been above the door?
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and have a look at the licensees, now and then….
The owners of the Woolpack pub in Emmerdale
Mr Wilks and Amos – the original Woolpack landlords in Emmerdale (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Amos Brearly and Mr Wilks 1972–1991
In the beginning there was Amos Brearly and his trademark bushy sideburns.
Amos became landlord of The Woolpack way back in 1948. He had already been at the helm for almost quarter of a century by the time viewers met him in 1972. He was a terrible gossip, prone to moodiness and something of a loner.
In 1973, Henry Wilks – who Amos always referred to as Mr Wilks – joined Amos behind the bar. The men went into business together and created an iconic partnership.
Henry first came to live with Amos after his own house was destroyed by a fire, but ending up staying on.
Although they frequently bickered and Amos’s most used catchphrase was “Nay, Mr Wilks” the pair managed to stick it out for 19 years.
The Woolpack changed premises in 1976 after the original building was found to have subsidence. Henry and Amos purchased a new site for the pub, where it remains to this day.
Having survived being held hostage in an armed robbery, a stroke and subsequent fall ended Amos’s days as landlord.
Henry stayed on for a while, but didn’t see eye to eye with the pub’s new owner, Alan Turner, and left shortly afterwards.
Turner didn’t make himself popular at first, but locals grew to love him (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Alan Turner 1991-1999
Ruthless businessman Alan Turner was one of the most unpopular men in the village when he bought The Woolpack in 1991.
However, running the local boozer actually mellowed Alan and the punters grew to love him.
He was joined behind the bar by his wife, Shirley, who was sadly shot and killed just months after they had married.
After Shirley’s untimely demise, Alan employed a series of locals of manage his pub, including Terry and Britt Woods and Bernice Blackstock.
Alan suffered a heart attack in 1999, after which he decided to sell up to his close friend and Bernice’s mum, Diane Blackstock.
In the years that followed he remained living the village and would frequently prop up the bar.
The first female Woolpack owner in Emmerdale
Diane and her daughter Bernice worked in the Woolpack together (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Diane Sugden 1999-2010
The first female owner of The Woolpack was Diane Sugden, who was a complete natural behind the bar. Her firm but fair approach meant that the locals always knew where they stood.
The gregarious Geordie originally co-owned the pub with her daughter, Bernice. After that Aussie Louise Appleton became her new partner and there was a brief (and tumultuous) time that Diane’s sister Val came on board.
It was also during the Diane years that The Woolie’s chef Marlon Dingle served up his first bar snacks.
Diane put the pub on the market in 2010 after planning to relocate to France with her then-partner Charlie Haynes. She wasn’t gone long though…
Diane sold to Nicola and Jimmy, but their reign was short lived (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Jimmy and Nicola King – 2010
Jimmy and Nicola King‘s time in charge of The Woolpack was brief to say the least.
The couple took over the business from Diane, but were never really cut out for managing a busy pub.
Affable Jimmy did a better job of charming the customers, but the locals couldn’t really warm to his spiky wife.
Nicola quickly realised she had quite enough on her plate caring for their young daughter Angelica, so with that the Kings reign was over.
Fortunately Diane was back behind the bar before you knew it with Chas beside her (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Diane Sugden (again) 2010-2016
Diane hotfooted it back from France after discovering Charlie was a conman and reclaimed her rightful place behind the bar.
Realising she couldn’t do it alone, Diane accepted an offer from long-serving barmaid Chas Dingle to buy into the business and the ladies proved to be a formidable duo.
Diane very nearly quit the UK for Oz in 2013. She was on the brink of giving Chas the whole pub, but ended up changing her mind at the last minute.
Then three years later she received the shattering news she was suffering from cancer. The shock diagnosis made Diane look at her priorities in life. She decided it was time to step down and sell her share of The Woolie to Chas. Which she did.
The Dingles take charge of the Woolpack in Emmerdale
Chas and Marlon were forced to accept Al’s help – and it ended in disaster (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Chas Dingle 2016-2021
Once Diane retired, Chas was finally able to make the Woolpack her own. Her cousin, Charity Dingle, bought into the business, but their partnership was far from harmonious.
While Chas was a natural with her punters, Charity was rude and abrupt and made it evident she couldn’t be bothered to put in the hard graft.
After growing sick of Charity’s attitude, Chas persuaded her to sell her share to Marlon, the pub’s long-standing chef.
Marlon proved to be a much more reliable partner. However, tough financial times resulted in Chas agreeing to allow Al Chapman into the business. It was disastrous mistake and one that cost Chas dearly.
Bent Al went on to torch The Woolpack as part of an insurance scam and Chas was forced to sell up.
Ryan and Charity now own the Woolpack in Emmerdale (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
2022-present day: Charity Dingle and Ryan Stocks
The Woolpack is currently co-owned by mum and son team, Charity Dingle and Ryan Stocks.
After Al’s plans to convert The Woolpack into swanky flats went up in the flames (quite literally), the pub was put up for auction.
In a shock twist, the highest bidders – and new owners – were revealed to be Charity and Ryan.
This time, Charity seems more willing to get stuck into the day to day running of the watering hole, while Ryan manages the financial side of things.
And Chas still has her hand in, working as the Woolpack’s bar manager.
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The Woolpack is the iconic pub and the beating heart of Emmerdale village. Affectionately dubbed The Woolie by fans, it’s the place where locals gather together, and its four walls have seen it all – the good, bad and very ugly!
The Woolpack is located on Main Street, and attached to The Grange Bed & Breakfast and neighbouring Pear Tree Cottage.
The Dales’ boozer was first seen on screen in 1972 and has changed hands many times over the years.
To date, the longest serving reign by a landlord is Amos Brearly. He ran the pub for an incredible 43 years, between 1948 and 1991.
The Woolpack’s current owners are Charity Dingle and her son Ryan Stocks, who took over in February 2022.
The history of the Woolpack
Did you know The Woolpack has been part of the village for nearly 250 years? The original Woolpack was first built in around 1776 and was owned by Ephraim Monks Brewery. It was situated at the other end of the village, opposite a large green.
In 1976, the pub was moved from its original building, due to subsidence, and moved to a former corn chandlers that had been derelict since the 1920s.
After a full refurb the new Woolpack was opened in February 1976 and remains to this day.
The owners of The Woolpack in Emmerdale
The current owners of The Woolpack are mum and son team Charity Dingle and Ryan Stocks. But they’re two in a long line of locals to be in charge.
Alan’s wife, Shirley, joined him behind the bar. But tragedy struck and she was killed just months after they tied the knot.
Following Shirley’s death, Alan brought in a series of locals to manage the bar – including Terry and Britt Woods and Bernice Blackstock.
Alan’s granddaughter, Tricia Stokes also worked as a barmaid and almost burnt the pub down when she had an accident with a box of sparklers.
A heart attack in 1999 saw Alan step down as landlord, although he remained a resident in the village.
This partnership was fraught with trouble (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
1999-2010: The Diane Sugden years (Part 1)
Bubby Geordie Diane Sugden was born to be a landlady. She was kind-hearted and a friend to all, but definitely didn’t take any nonsense and knew exactly how to keep the regulars in check.
Diane originally co-owned the Woolie with daughter Bernice Blackstock, then joined forces with Louise Appleton (played by Emily Symons – aka Home and Away’s Marilyn).
She also had a short-lived stint of running the pub with her sister, Val Pollard, but their volatile rows led Diane to buy her out.
After 11 years in charge, Diane also decided to sell up and relocate to France with fella Charlie Haynes.
2010: Jimmy and Nicola King
Jimmy and Nicola briefly took over the business from Diane, but were never really cut out for working behind a busy bar.
Loveable Jimmy did a better job of it, but let’s just say the locals didn’t exactly warm to his acerbic other-half.
Nicola soon realised she had quite enough on her plate caring for their young daughter, Angelica, so with that the Kings’ reign was over.
Things started off so well for these two (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
2010-2016: The Diane Sugden years (Part Two)
Diane returned to reclaim her throne, but realised she couldn’t cope on her own. Enter stage left Chas Dingle, who’d been pulling pints in the Woolpack for years and knew the place inside and out.
Together, the ladies were a force to be reckoned with and very popular with their punters.
But tragedy almost struck when Chas accidentally stabbed Diane after mistaking her for an intruder. Diane was rushed to hospital where doctors discovered she was suffering from cancer for a second time.
The shock diagnosis resulted in Diane reassessing her life and she sold her share of the pub to Chas.
The boozer is beloved by Chas (Credit: ITV)
2016-2021: Chas Dingle
With the baton in hand, Chas set about putting her own stamp on the pub. Chas’s cousin Charity Dingle bought into the business, but it was far from a harmonious working relationship.
Chas quickly grew tired of Charity’s laziness and sharp manner, so in the end she persuaded her cousin to sell her share to Marlon, The Woolpack’s long-standing chef.
This still kept things in the Dingle family, and thankfully for Chas, Marlon was a much more reliable business partner.
Tough financial times followed, but Chas’s ultimate downfall came when she allowed secret lover Al Chapman to buy into The Woolpack.
The bent businessman ended up torching the pub in an insurance scam, which forced Chas to sell up.
Ryan and Charity’s initial takeover wasn’t a hit (Credit: ITV)
2022-present day: Charity Dingle and Ryan Stocks
After Al’s plans to convert The Woolpack into swanky flats went up in the flames (quite literally), the pub was put up for auction.
The highest bidders – and new owners – were revealed to be Charity Dingle and her son Ryan Stocks.
This time, Charity seems more willing to get stuck into the day to day running of the watering hole, while Ryan manages the financial side of things.
And Chas still has her hand in, working as the Woolpack’s bar manager.
Big moments in the Woolpack in Emmerdale
The Woolpack has been at the centre of many of the village’s biggest and most memorable dramas over the years. Let’s take a look at some of its greatest hits.
The plane crash caused devastation in Emmerdale (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
The 1993 plane crash – Chris Tate’s life-changing injuries
Alan Turner’s fancy wine bar was reduced to rubble when a plane crashed into the village in December 1993.
Home Farm resident Chris Tate was in the bar at the time and his injuries left him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.
The Woolpack was also badly damaged, and its old taproom required complete rebuilding.
Tragedy struck for Tricia just outside the Woolpack (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
The storm of 2003 – Tricia’s death
Disaster struck on New Year’s Eve 2003 when The Woolpack was hit by lighting during a terrible storm.
The bolt from the sky resulted in the pub’s roof to caving in, which caused one of its windows to collapse and fall on barmaid Tricia Dingle.
Poor Tricia didn’t stand a chance and tragically succumbed to her injuries in hospital a few days later.
Cameron’s hostage situation took a deathly turn for him (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
The siege of 2013 – Cameron’s last hurrah
When another catastrophic storm battered the village in 2013, crazed Cameron Murray took several locals hostage inside The Woolpack.
Cameron let everyone go – apart from Chas and Debbie Dingle – who he trapped in the flooding cellar.
Marlon came to their rescue and the women escaped the rising floodwaters, but Cameron was electrocuted by the cellar light, instantly killing him.
Al was not a good business partner (Credit: ITV)
The fire of 2021 – Al Chapman’s revenge
Villain Al Chapman set fire to The Woolpack in an insurance scam.
Al’s plan had been to force Chas and co to sell up the boozer to developers, but when that failed, he decided his only out was to burn the place to the ground.
He started the fire by putting a whisk in the microwave, which resulted in The Woolpack exploding.
Sisters Manpreet Sharma and Meena Julta were casualties of the blast, but mercifully no one died.
The wedding didn’t go as planned! (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Births, marriages, deaths at the Woolpack in Emmerdale
Popular couple Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden decided to hold their wedding in The Woolpack back in 2017.
The couple were in the middle of exchanging their vows when the police stormed the pub and arrested Aaron’s grandmother, Faith Dingle.
The Woolpack was also the setting for Seth Armstrong’s wake in 2005, who was one the pub’s most iconic regulars.
Chas Dingle also gave birth to baby Eve in the Woolie toilets, with just Marlon on hand to help her out!
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
