Here comes the BRIDE...

Or does she? Emmerdale stars DOMINIC BRUNT and LISA RILEY on Paddy and Mandy's wedding-day drama

- JOHNATHON HUGHES

EMMERDALE MONDAY-FRIDAY, 7.30PM, ITV1 SOAP

Back in the summer of 1999, the country was going crazy for a solar eclipse, sci-fi movie The Matrix was packing them in at the cinemas and Emmerdale’s Paddy Kirk was about to make an honest woman of Mandy Dingle.

Sadly, the marriage didn’t last and both went on to have relationships with other people. But a quarter of a century later, almost to the day, the reunited couple are about to say ‘I do’ for a second time!

Dales favourites Lisa Riley, 48, and Dominic Brunt, 54, are just as excited as fans about the big day, so TV Times joined them to chat about their enduring partnership on and off screen, the bride’s showstopping dress and, of course, last-minute wedding hitches…

It’s 25 years since Mandy and Paddy’s last wedding. How do you feel about coming full circle?

LISA Old!

DOMINIC We keep saying to each other, ‘We were just kids.’

LISA I’ve just turned 48 – where’s that time gone?! Dom reminds me of the crazy storylines from when we were younger. Paddy bought Mandy a piglet named Madonna and things like that. Now, it’s evolved and Paddy is a father figure to the likes of Aaron and Vinny.

Have you gone back and watched the original wedding from 1999?

DOMINIC Sometimes you see clips when you’re on a talk show. They always play that one. Certainly when the characters got back together, it kept getting shown.

LISA And there’s the video spin-off when the Dingles went to Venice – the newer cast like Paula Lane [who plays Ella Forster] can’t believe we went on location. These days, we don’t leave the car park!

It’s nice we touch on that with this second wedding, as Mandy and Paddy are hopefully heading back to Venice for their honeymoon.