By james art 
Sir Lindsay’s cameo on Monday sees him walk into the fictional Yorkshire village’s Hide Bar & Bistro in a tweed jacket and tights as a Lancastrian tramp and compliment Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) on her Yorkshire tea after ordering it.
He said: “It’s incredible that Emmerdale has been on our screens for over half a century – shining a light on the lived experiences of others; entertains viewers with its gritty storylines while making a major economic contribution to the North.
“It was an honor to help the cast celebrate the 10,000th episode of this enduring Yorkshire-based soap with a visit to the Woolpack.
“As a Lancaster, I am deeply impressed by the talent and warmth of our friends from ‘the other side’ of the Pennines.”
Sir Lindsay visited the ITV soap as it celebrated its 10,000th episode in May 2024, but producers were unable to use footage of him with him due to restrictions on political coverage shortly before last June’s election.
He was gifted with flip-flops and met the cast, with ITV saying that “through the magic of post-production, Sir Lindsay returned to the Hop (Hawksford Outdoor Pursuits) at the appropriate time and did his bidding for posterity”.
Hop is co-owned by Laurel and has Hide Bar & Bistro on its premises.
Emmerdale, first broadcast on 16 October 1972. by Yorkshire Television, first covered the Sugden family, beginning with the funeral of patriarch Jacob Sugden, and was called Emmerdale Farm.
On November 14, 1989 the word farm was dropped from the program title as the show shifted its focus beyond the Sugden family and the land to the wider village.
Since then, there have been more than 150 deaths along with around 100 weddings and more than 40 babies born on the soap, along with many storylines dealing with issues such as alcoholism and domestic violence.