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Victoria Pendleton wins starring role in Emmerdale

Double Olympic champion will appear in ITV soap on eve of Tour de France Grand Depart

Double-time Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton is to star in a special Tour de France-themed episode of ITV’s Yorkshire-based soap opera, Emmerdale, with the episode due to air on Friday 4 July – the day the 101st edition of the race begins in Leeds.

According to ITV.com, Pendleton will appear in the show to perform the reopening of Home Farm.

Pendleton said “Appearing on a soap is something I never expected to have the opportunity to do. So when the chance came up I thought it would be really good fun and my mum is a massive Emmerdale fan so that made the decision very easy.

“Fortunately I’m playing myself, so it shouldn’t be too difficult but it’s still quite nerve wracking. But the sun is out and I’m sure it will be fun and a great experience to do something different.”

Series producer Kate Oates said: “We are thrilled Victoria Pendleton is coming to Yorkshire to appear in an episode of Emmerdale. With the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire in July, the whole area is feeling the excitement of the event - and we felt it was only fitting Emmerdale was part of that.

“As well as a cycling theme to the re-opening of Home Farm, there will be mentions of the race and a few interesting cyclists passing through the village. Plus, Jimmy might get a bit excited at the thought of meeting a long-held crush…”

Last month we reported how a Yorkshire-based casting agent had been inundated with interest from cyclists hoping to land a role as an extra on the Tour de France-themed episodes of Emmerdale.

Pendleton isn’t the only reigning Olympic champion cyclist from Great Britain to feature in a soap opera this year.

In March, Sir Bradley Wiggins was complimented on his acting skills by Guardian TV and radio critic Mark Lawson after making a guest appearance on the long-running BBC Radio 4 series, The Archers.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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4 comments

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djcritchley | 9 years ago
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Still won't watch it.
 37

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Sudor | 9 years ago
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Wiggo on TheArchers, Pendleton on Emmerdale, who will it be for Eastenders and Corrie?. .

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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I like that something as mainstream as a TV soap in buying into the whole TdF thing - it can only be good for cycling as a whole. (Hello - we are human beings! Please don't run us over! etc etc)

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Marky Legs | 9 years ago
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This might be the ONLY soap episode I'll ever watch!!!

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