There should be a law against our alarm clocks ringing at 5am on a Monday morning – but this wasn’t just any Monday morning. With the assurance that life's far from quite in the country ringing in our ears, we leap out of bed (despite the ungodly hour!) and board a train to Leeds from London's Kings Cross. Yes, the Inside Soap team are off to an Emmerdale awards shoot – and dying to experience drama in the Dales first-hand!

As we arrive in Leeds a little bleary-eyed, we note that it's only 9am – despite assuming that it's at least lunchtime. We set off to a photographic studio, just minutes away from the Emmerdale set. There's no time to swing by the Woolpack for a swift half, sadly, as Sammy Winward (Katie) is already in make-up getting glammed up. Not that she needs much work done, however!

While chatting to Sammy, we're aghast to learn that poor Roxanne Pallett (Jo) has called to say she's stuck in Manchester after breaking down in her car! Determined not to miss out on our shoot, Roxy promises us she'll be with us faster than a dastardly Dingle leaving the scene of a crime – but will she make it?

Speaking of the Dingles, we're soon bowled over by an energetic little blonde brimming with charm and enthusiasm in the form of Eden-Taylor-Draper (Belle). We can't believe that Eden's only ten years old as she poses for snaps and munches on the tasty fruit salad set out in front of us. She's clearly an old pro when it comes to working it for the camera.

Just as our tiredness begins to kick in, we sit down for a natter and custard cream with Chris Chittell's (Pollard) mum, Margi – who informs us that she never misses a copy of Inside Soap! It's music to our ears and we're suddenly wide awake again, ready for the next village resident to glide into the studio. Thankfully, it's Roxanne – she's defied the odds and her dodgy exhaust with half an hour to spare before she's due to start filming with Kelvin Fletcher (Andy).

After a hectic day and a few gossip-filled hours later, it's a race against time for the Inside Soap gang as we make a mad dash for our London-bound train (luckily we're not travelling in Roxy's car) and we dive through the beeping carriage doors with seconds to spare. As we reflect on our day, we wonder what might have happened had we missed our ride home and been left stranded in the Dales. After all, shacking up with hunky David Metcalfe for the night wouldn’t have been so bad, would it?

Posted by Laura-Jayne Tyler, Editorial Assistant.

Do Emmerdale get your vote in this year's Inside Soap awards? Click on 'Inside Soap Awards' on the left-hand menu.