Monday May 30 saw a new look for ITV’;s long-running soap Emmerdale. The revamp was handled by brand agency Lambie-Nairn, which was asked to create an image refresh in line with the show’;s increasingly contemporary feel.

The new opening titles have been shot in HD and will immerse the viewer into the heart of the village, peeking behind closed doors and reflecting different elements of the Yorkshire village. The sequence begins with a sweeping woodland shot leading to a glance inside three of the most iconic sets – the Woolpack, the Dingles and Home Farm. A suite of logos has been designed to reflect the different facets of the village including brass and stone versions, while Emmerdale’;s theme music has a new orchestra recording.

The re-brand follows a £5million investment by ITV Studios to create a bespoke production studio in Leeds, which opened earlier this year. There’;s also a re-launched website www.itv.com/emmerdale which is intended to provide an immersive Emmerdale experience featuring an interactive map of the village and video profiles of pivotal characters.

Commenting on the rebrand, executive producer Steve November said: “Our aim is to refresh perceptions of the programme. Emmerdale has a unique voice and we wanted to reinforce that by giving it a more contemporary feel, to reflect the richness and diversity of its characters & stories.”

Emmerdale is produced by ITV Studios and appears on ITV1 Monday to Friday at 7pm with an extra episode at 8pm every Thursday. In ratings terms, it currently averages 8.5m viewers per episode. In the past 12 months viewing has increased by 13% among 16-34s and 6% among the ABC1s.