A Two-Hander is a play, film or television programme in which only two characters appear. While they can sometimes be in a form of conflict, they can also be in a position of harmony and the script explores the nuances of the relationship between the two.
Within serials, the form has been most utilised by EastEnders which, for the purposes of filming several episodes simultaneously, produced an episode in October 1986 which featured just the characters of Den and Angie Watts (plus a non-speaking window cleaner) and which garnered critical acclaim. Up to 2010 the programme has produced eighteen such episodes, several episodes with just three or four speaking parts and even an episode with a single character, Dot Cotton, in January 2008.
Emmerdale has rarely used the concept and by the early 2000s had only aired two two-hander episode in their long history. Episode 2754 (28th September 2000) featured Paddy Kirk and Mandy Dingle before she left for Southampton. Episode 3143 (28th March 2002) featured Bernice and Ashley Thomas, as Bernice realises she no longer loves Ashley and they decide to split.
In June 2020, Emmerdale aired six special two-hander episodes when they returned to filming after shutting down production entirely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These episodes were filmed over a two week period with strict social distancing measurements in place and limited cast and crew, hence why the two-hander format was chosen and featured characters during the lock-down. These episodes aired between 8th and 24th June.