The Queen was welcomed to Yorkshire with a blast when her Bentley rolled into the Emmerdale village.

She visited the set of Emmerdale and witnessed the village post office being blown up - but she did not flinch an inch.

The queen met the cast and crew of the hit soap opera when she visited Harewood House as part of her Golden Jubilee tour.

When she arrived it was raining and actor Patrick Mower, who stars in the soap as Rodney Blackstock, was the first to greet her.

He said: "Sorry about the rain ma'am, we tried to stop the weather but we couldn't."

The Queen's visit coincided with the show's 30th anniversary and to commemorate the occasion they blew up one of the village's most well known venues.

Dressed in a smart peach outfit protected by her see-through umbrella, the queen posed outside The Woolpack pub as the post office exploded.

Glass was thrown ten feet and smoke billowed out on to Main Street of Beckindale as the queen looked on unabashed.

There were two loud explosions, everyone took a step back but the queen remained unshaken, showing her nerves of steel from the war years were still intact.

Boxes of crisps went flying all over the place and continued to burn as the queen was led past them to the Emmerdale School Hall.

She was introduced to the Mayor of Emmerdale, Hotton and district, Eric Pollard, played by Chris Chittell, who welcomed her to the village.

She signed a commemorative book and met the cast, who lined up and shook her hand as she went past.

Eight-year-old actress Hannah Midgley, of Idle, who stars as Victoria Sugden, was chosen to present a posy of flowers to the queen.

The youngster said: "She was lovely."

Actor Mark Charnock, who plays the role of loveable Marlon Dingle in the soap, was approached by the Queen and starred in a scene with her.

The actor, who lived in Otley, said: "I was very excited at meeting her, it was a honour for the show. It was great to meet her.

"When the explosion went off I was stood next to her outside the pub and she didn't even flinch, she was a real pro - cool as a cucumber!"

She asked actor Clive Hornby, who plays Jack Sugden, which part he played and told him that it seemed like a dangerous place to live.

The Ilkley resident said: "It was such a thrill to meet her. She asked me about my character, because Jack is the only original one left.

"She asked if I had been here for all these years and I told her only for the past 23, but it felt like 30."

She expressed dismay to actor John Middleton, who plays vicar Ashley Thomas, about his church burning down and he replied that such things were a common occurrence.

There was only one way in and out of Emmerdale along a rickety old road and there were worries that the Queen's Bentley would take a battering just days after it had come out of the body work shop following an earlier accident.

They had brought one of the Bentley's to Harewood beforehand to test it over some of the small bridges.

The Queen left the soap village for Harewood House to attend a special selective gathering of 3,500 people.