Who is Jack Deslandes and why has Emmerdale’s scriptwriter quit the ITV soap?
A BELOVED Emmerdale scriptwriter has bid goodbye to the Dales.
Jack Deslandes has quit the ITV soap, with fans wanting to know why he is leaving the show.
Who is Jack Deslandes?
Jack Deslandes is known for being one of Emmerdale scriptwriters.
He started working for the soap in 2023, and was involved in some big storylines in that time.
On Jack’s blog he revealed how he joined Emmerdale at the height of Paddy Kirk’s mental health crisis which saw the character contemplate suicide.
Before this, he worked for Coronation Street as a researcher and was a freelance videographer before that.
When did Jack Deslandes quit scriptwriting for Emmerdale?
On May 5, 2024, Jack announced he would be leaving Emmerdale.
He confirmed in a lengthy post that his final credits on the show had played out the week before.
Jack also discussed the complexities of working for such a high profile soap.
Speaking on his blog, he revealed: “From struggling to write a six episode arc on day one to being given sixty scenes to polish up by the end of the day towards the end.
“I learnt how to write fast, how to pitch to that group of writers, who to pitch with, the different roles storyliners took in encouraging conversation in conferences and talk throughs, and what beats I needed to hit to make my producer happy.
“And I made some great friends and grew confidence in my strengths in building stories.”
Jack Deslandes' biggest Emmerdale plots
The scriptwriter worked on many of the show's big plots during his time on Emmerdale.
His biggest storylines were:
Charity and Mack’s love triangle with his baby mother, Chloe Harris.
Jack also helped out on Marlon and Rhona’s chaotic marriage in the wake of the emrbyo scandal involving baby Ivy.
However, his biggest plot was the delicate storyline of Paddy Kirk being suicidal.
Why did Jack Deslandes quit Emmerdale?
Jack confirmed that he quit Emmerdale to go and work for EastEnders.
In fact, he has already been working on the BBC One soap for four months (as of May 2024).
Writing again on his personal blog, Jack discussed his time on Emmerdale and his inner conflict of now being a rival to his former place of work.
The writer penned: “Last week, my 144th and final credit rolled over the familiar strings of Emmerdale farm… I’ve been at EastEnders more than four months now so it’s been slightly strange to see the Emmerdale episodes I was working on air from afar.
“It’s like watching an ex finish the marathon they were training for whilst you were together – you’re pleased they’re doing well, but know your new partner might not appreciate you liking their Instagram post.
“But given talking about the stories I worked on whilst I was at Emmerdale was embargoed until transmission, I thought it would be nice to allow myself one post of reflection on my time in the Dales.”
Jack said that he wished his former Emmerdale pals despite them now being rivals.
He concluded: “My move to EastEnders has been made easier by the toolkit of skills and workflow techniques given to me at Emmerdale and although we’re now rivals in not only ratings but also next month’s Baftas.
“I only wish the team there well and hope there are many more moments of madness and mayhem down on t’ farm.”
Jack’s new role sees the crew member develop EastEnders stories as well as assist and edit scripts of his junior staff.
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