New episodes of Emmerdale explore characters' lives in lockdown. Stars Lucy Pargeter and Dominic Brunt take Georgia Humphreys behind the scenes.

Emmerdale fans will have noticed that the ITV soap has been a little different in the last couple of weeks.

Special episodes have been airing twice a week since Monday June 8, giving audiences an insight into how a variety of their favourite villagers are dealing with "the trials and tribulations" of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Filmed with scaled-down teams and social distancing measures in place, they have so far starred duos such as Cain Dingle (played by Jeff Hordley) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), and Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson).

Still to come before the soap returns to its previous lockdown broadcast schedule is an episode following much-loved couple Chas Dingle and Paddy Kirk.

With the pub shut because of coronavirus, Chas is struggling and feeling like she's cut off from her old life.

Paddy is keen to get their relationship back on track, so the pair take time to reflect, and come up with new plans for the future.

Here, stars Lucy Pargeter, 43, and Dominic Brunt, 50, tell us more.

TELL US ABOUT PADDY AND CHAS'S RELATIONSHIP AT THE MOMENT...

Dominic: There is an unspoken strain and Chas is feeling it more than Paddy. Chas has had the bulk of the childcare and is, to some degree, more isolated than he is. He's also not very aware of others' feelings and he's clumsy emotionally.

CHAS IS VERY WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE WOOLPACK, ISN'T SHE?

Lucy: She has every right to be worried. There aren't many people sitting in lockdown with no worries, thinking it doesn't matter how long it goes on because they have an endless pot of money that will pay the bills and look after their kids and keep them fed, clothed and watered.

The Woolpack is her livelihood and, with the state of how things are at the moment, pubs and the leisure industry is one of the last things that will be opened up, so it's a massive strain on her.

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT PADDY AND CHAS'S RELATIONSHIP?

Dominic: I like the fact that they are chalk and cheese. He doesn't take her for granted and Chas always gives Paddy a run for his money. I get the feeling that Chas has been around the world and Paddy has been around the Harrogate area.

WAS IT HARD TO LEARN THE SCRIPT, GIVEN THAT IT'S A TWO-HANDER?

Dominic: I was worried that it might be a 20-odd-minute monologue shared between Lucy and myself, but it's quite episodic and cut into bite-size chunks. Most scenes are about five pages long so we can film it in stages.

I haven't learned a single line of dialogue in about three months though so I'm nervous. Lucy is a master at learning lines and hardly ever stumbles. No pressure!

Lucy: We've been given a few two-handers, so we are quite used to the scenario of Dom and I being locked in the Woolpack back room for days on end.

We know each other inside out. It is great as we know each other's signs and on-screen cues to fill in the gaps or if we're taking a pause. I feel Dom and I are fully prepared even though I've got a lockdown brain. Hopefully despite this it will all just fall back into place.

TELL US HOW THE FILMING PROCESS DIFFERS FROM NORMAL...

Lucy: The social distancing is going to be strange as it's almost like everything that we go against. I would say we are a very tactile industry, cast and crew alike. Our days are filled with hugs and kisses, being in close proximity, laughing, touching, sharing dressing rooms and spending a lot of time with each other.

It's going to be very weird and I'm not looking forward to the way we're going to be working. There is a two-metre stick around to make sure we don't get too close!

HOW HAVE YOU PERSONALLY FOUND LOCKDOWN?

Dominic: I've relished spending time with my family, but home-schooling is not easy. I've always admired teachers, but I have a newfound respect.

I've also missed the job I love soooo much. It's all been a bit of a worry too with the dangers involved and the news has been so utterly tragic every day. So much heartbreak for so many people.

Lucy: I went into it thinking 'I'm going to be really creative and do something different every day'. Then tiredness kicked in, and monotony kicked in, and missing my mates and then the massive weight of responsibility kicked in.

I'm here on my own with my three kids. I'm used to being a single mum, but then you have to put into the mix that you're actually trying to fight to keep your children alive and the fear of what would happen if I became sick. It's all the implications. It's a life-and-death situation for so many people, and that has hit me massively.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM THE TIME IN LOCKDOWN?

Lucy: I have had a really stressful time with online shopping, as I couldn't get a slot for six weeks. I was relying on my mates around me and my workmates to go shopping for me, which is a massive deal for me as I don't like putting anyone out of their way.

I'm very staunch in that I wanted to provide and be in control of everything, and asking for help from my friends just wasn't me. To say to my friends 'I can't go shopping and we have nothing in the house', well, it has been a massive learning curve. I have realised that I have so many people around me I can rely on and we're so close.

*Watch Emmerdale on ITV on Mondays and Wednesdays.