TWO popular ITV series, Emmerdale and Downton Abbey, chose their Christmas specials to feature beautiful boxes made by West Devon business The Empty Box Company.

Specialising in handmade Edwardian boxes to preserve a wedding dress, the Empty Box Company knew each of the two series had filmed with a selection of boxes but was surprised and delighted to see them on the screens, both in Christmas day specials.

Emmerdale had jilted bride Priya taking her wedding dress from an Empty Box Company wedding box, and Downton Abbey had a stack of boxes containing the outfits that Rose wears for her debutante ball and presentation to the King.

Marketing director Giselle Hulme said: 'I was very relieved actually, because Downton had bought 29 boxes from us and yet none had appeared in the autumn series. Our last chance was the Christmas special and sure enough, they were piled elegantly at the bottom of a beautiful staircase containing all of Rose's "coming out" dresses.

'Emmerdale was due to be screened in January but Christmas is a time for special things and they brought this one forward. The props department chose one floral extra large box and a more sassy Endsleigh gold design as a choice for the show designer, but the character Priya is definitely a more sassy girl that would go for gold!'

The Empty Box Company has a workshop in Milton Abbot and one in Surrey and has been making boxes for 26 years.

Giselle said: 'It has been wonderful to see the boxes on TV used in such apt settings.'