Emmerdale's Eric Pollard star says it's a 'shame all its storylines are sensationalist'

dailystar.co.uk:

Emmerdale's Eric Pollard star has branded the ITV soap's storylines as "sensationalist", saying it's a "shame".Christopher Chittell, who plays the iconic character, has been on the soap since 1986 and is still going strong as its longest-serving cast member ever.Despite being part of some big storylines in his time, including his beloved Val's tragic death, he reckons things have changed on the series.READ MORE: Haunted soap sets – Corrie stars return as ghosts to eerie EastEnders encountersThe 74-year-old spoke of the ITV soap as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, which will see a huge storm rip through the Yorkshire village and leave a wave of destruction for many of the characters.He spoke of the changes over the years, saying: "The biggest change is the topic of storylines, they're all sensationalist, which is a shame."Chris said on the Soap From The Box podcast: "We have to look at life and be able to reflect it to do our jobs.

And life as we see it now, hells bells, you daren't cough, walk in the street because there's a death. But life is not like that." He explained he'd recently seen an old episode of Coronation Street in which Sarah Lancashire's Raquel Watts and Julie Goodyear's Bet Lynch locked up the Rovers Return for a quiet night. "It was perfect," he said. "That's what's missing." Although it seems Chris isn't a huge fan of the direction Emmerdale is going, the same can't be said for its audience as a whole.

Emmerdale was voted Best Serial Drama again at this year's National Television Awards, while Marlon Dingle actor Mark Charnock won Best Serial Drama Performance.Chris isn't the only Emmerdale icon to have slammed the changes that have happened to it over the years.Speaking on the same podcast, John.