Emmerdale Cast Guide 2018

Emmerdale Cast Guide 2018 image

First episode

Six adults outdoors, in funeral clothing

The Sugden family in the first episode

The first episode of Emmerdale Farm, aired on 16 October 1972, began with Jacob Sugden's funeral. Jacob upset the family when he left the farm to his eldest son, Jack, who left home at 18 in 1964 and had not returned. Jack appeared in the opening episode, avoiding the funeral and waiting for the Sugdens at Emmerdale Farm. Over the next few months Jack sold a share of the farm to his mother Annie, brother Joe, sister Peggy and grandfather Sam Pearson. Emmerdale Farm Ltd was formed when Henry Wilks bought Sam's share of the estate. The first episode, along with the others, have been repeated and released on a variety of media.[3]

Characters introduced in the first episode were:

Overview

First 21 years

The show's focus, initially on the farm and the Sugden family, moved to the nearby village of Beckindale. Reflecting this change, on 14 November 1989 its title was changed to Emmerdale. Coinciding with the title change was the introduction of the Tate family. These changes and more exciting storylines and dramatic episodes, such as Pat Sugden's 1986 car crash and the 1988 Crossgill fire, gradually began to improve the soap's popularity under new executive producer Keith Richardson. Richardson produced the programme for 24 years, overseeing its transformation from a minor, daytime, rural drama into a major UK soap opera.[4] The Windsor family arrived in 1993.

Plane crash and the next 15 years

By 1993 Emmerdale was beginning its third decade on the air. In December of that year, one particular episode emerged as a major turning point for the show's history. Meant to evoke memories of the Lockerbie Disaster whose fifth anniversary was just nine days prior, the Emmerdale episode written for 30 December attracted its highest-ever audience (over 18 million) by featuring a plane crashing into the village, killing four people.[5] According to Nick Smurthwaite, the episode brought forth not just ratings but "complaints from aghast viewers."[5] Nevertheless, the episode proved to be "brilliant television", as the highly rated episode "allowed the writers to get rid of much dead wood, and reinvent the soap virtually from scratch", which included survivors changing the village name from Beckindale to Emmerdale.[5]

Emmerdale had dramatic storylines for the rest of the 1990s and new long-term characters, such as the Dingle family, were introduced. The Tates became the soap's leading family during the decade, overshadowing the Sugdens and remaining at Home Farm for 16 years. Family members left or died and the last, Zoe, left in 2005. The early and mid-2000s included episodes with a storm (a similar, less-major storyline 10 years after the plane crash), a bus crash, the Kings River explosion, Sarah Sugden's death in a barn fire and the Sugden house fire (set in 2007 by Victoria Sugden, who was seeking the truth about her mother's death). It also saw the introduction of major long-term characters, including the King family and Cain and Charity Dingle (who left before returning in 2009).[6]

2009–2012

In 2009 the longest-tenured character, Jack Sugden, was killed off after the death of actor Clive Hornby (who had played Jack since 1980). Jack's funeral featured the first on-screen appearance in 13 years of Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier). Early that year, executive producer Keith Richardson was replaced by former series producer Steve November (later replaced by John Whiston). Gavin Blyth became the series producer, followed by Stuart Blackburn after his death.

40th anniversary week and beyond

Emmerdale celebrated its 40th anniversary on 16 October 2012. On 1 May 2012, it was announced that the show would have its first-ever live episode.[7] On 25 June 2012, it was announced that Tony Prescott, who directed the 50th anniversary live episode of Coronation Street in December 2010 would direct the episode.[8] On 23 July it was reported that an ITV2 backstage show, Emmerdale Uncovered: Live, would be broadcast after the live episode.[9] On 14 August, it was announced that the production team was building a new Woolpack set for the live episode. Although Emmerdale's village and interior sets are miles apart, its producers wanted The Woolpack to feature in the live episode.[10] On 31 August, it was announced that Emmerdale had created and filmed a live music festival with performances by Scouting for Girls and The Proclaimers.[11] On 6 September, it was confirmed that the One-hour live episode would include an unexpected death, two weddings and two births.[12]

Emmerdale Live aired on 17 October 2012, in the middle of the 40th anniversary week, with the death revealed to be Carl King's. The story of Carl's death took the show into 2013, when a new series producer replaced Blackburn (who became producer of Coronation Street).

At the beginning of August 2015, Emmerdale introduced a new storyline: "Summer Fate", with the tagline "The choices we make are the paths we take. Who will meet their summer fate?". A promo for the storyline was released on 13 July. A disaster storyline had been rumoured, confirmed by the promo. The disaster was identified on 1 August, two days before the disaster week began, as a helicopter crash. The crash was triggered by an argument between Chrissie and Robert Sugden; Chrissie set Robert's car ablaze, causing exploding gas canisters to collide with a helicopter. The helicopter crashed into the village hall during Debbie Dingle and Pete Barton's wedding reception. Regular characters Ruby Haswell and Val Pollard were killed in the aftermath of the crash. Although Ross Barton was apparently murdered by his brother Pete, it was learned three weeks later that he survived.

Families

Emmerdale has featured a number of families, some defining an era of the show:

  • The Sugden family (1972–present)
  • The Bates family (1984–2001)
  • The Tate family (1989–2005, 2009–present)
  • The Windsor/Hope families (1993–present)
  • The Dingle family (1994–present)
  • The Glover family (1994–2000)
  • The Thomas family (1996–present)
  • The Blackstock/Lambert family (1998–present)
  • The Reynolds family (1999–2007)
  • The King family (2004–present)
  • The Sinclair family (2006–2008)
  • The Wylde/Lamb family (2009–2011)
  • The Barton family (2009–present)
  • The Sharma family (2009–present)
  • The Macey family (2010–2014)
  • The Spencer family (2011–present)
  • The White family (2014–present)

The Sugdens and their relatives, the Merricks and the Skilbecks, were at the centre of the show during the series' first two decades in the 1970s and 1980s (the Emmerdale Farm era). The Sugdens, owners of Emmerdale Farm, were its first family. Many of its members, and those of the Merrick and Skilbeck families, have left or been killed off since the mid-1990s.

December 1984 saw the arrival of Caroline Bates; her teenage children, Kathy and Nick, followed in late 1985. Caroline left the show in 1989, returning for guest appearances in 1991, 1993-1994 and 1996. Nick was written out of the show when he was sentenced to ten years in prison in 1997. Kathy and her niece, Alice, remained in the village until late 2001; by then, Kathy had outlived two husbands. Through her, the Bateses are related to two of Emmerdale's central families: the Sugdens (through Jackie Merrick) and the Tates (through Chris Tate).

Sugdens remaining in the village include Jack's widow, Diane; his three children, Andy, Robert and Victoria Barton; Andy's children Sarah and Jack (the latter born on the show's 40th anniversary), and Robert's son Sebastian. Other families followed: the middle-class Windsors in 1993 (known as the Hope family after Viv's 2001 remarriage to Bob Hope) and the ne'er-do-well Dingles in 1994.

The Tate, Windsor-Hope and Dingle families predominated during the 1990s and 2000s. The era's storylines included the 1993 plane crash, the 1994 Home Farm siege, the 1998 post-office robbery, the 2000 bus crash, the 2003–04 storm and the 2006 King show-home collapse. By the mid- to late-2000s, the last of the Tates (Zoe, daughter Jean and nephew Joseph) had emigrated to New Zealand. In 2009, Chris Tate's ex-wife Charity and their son Noah returned to the village. In 2017, Joseph Tate returned to the village. Members of the Windsor-Hope family left the village in early 2006, and Viv Hope was killed off in a village fire in February 2011 after nearly 18 years on the show. As of 2017, only Donna Windsor's daughter, April, and the Hope branch of the family (Bob and his children, twins Cathy and Heathcliff) remain.

The King family arrived in 2004 (as the Tates departed), but, apart from Jimmy King and his three children, Elliott, Angelica and Carl, its members have been killed off.

In 2018, most of the Dingles remained, with having actually increased their numbers in Emmerdale over recent years. Their circumstances had changed in their two decades in the village; Chas Dingle owned half of The Woolpack, with Charity Dingle owning the other half, and Marlon was a chef there. In 2014, the Dingles, Bartons and Whites are the central families; the Bartons are a farming family, and the Whites currently own Home Farm. In 2018, the Barton and White families had slowly been diminished, while the Sugden, and later the Tate, family had been brought back into front-burner storylines.

Storylines

Main article: Major Emmerdale storylines

Over the years, Emmerdale has highlighted a range of different social issues, including rape, cancer, miscarriage, dementia, homosexuality, arson, murder, HIV, sexual assault, post traumatic stress disorder, brain aneurysm, adultery, domestic violence, financial problems, embezzlement, sexual abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, anorexia, teenage pregnancy, gambling addiction, bereavement, fraud, suicide, mesothelioma, schizophrenia, manslaughter, becoming a parent in later life, sudden infant death syndrome, self-harming, assisted suicide, epilepsy and premature births.

1970s

  • 1973 – Sharon Crossthwaite was raped and strangled by Jim Latimer.  Jack Sugden discovered the truth after arriving home to find Jim trying to strangle Penny Golightly, after which Jim confessed his murder of Sharon.
  • 1973 – Jack Sugden's lodger, Ian ("Trash") McIntyre, died trying to escape from a first-floor window at The Old Mill, where Jack had locked him in for his own safety; he fell, breaking his neck.
  • 1976 – Matt Skilbeck's twin children (Sam and Sally) and his aunt, Beattie Dowton, were killed at a level crossing when their car was struck by a train.
  • 1976 – Heather Bannerman crashed into the front gate at Emmerdale Farm after borrowing her husband's car.
  • 1977 – A storm broke over Beckindale, and Ray and Sarah Oswell sought refuge at Emmerdale Farm after their cottage was destroyed by a falling tree.
  • 1977 – A fire broke out at Emmerdale Farm, and the Beckindale Volunteer Fire Service arrived to fight the blaze; a firefighter was severely burned.
  • 1977 – A fire broke out in the village, attributed to tourists staying in a barn.
  • 1978 – An explosion at a mine trapped the vicar's son, Clive Hinton, and his friends Ian and Rod. Clive and Rod were found unconscious, and Ian escaped with cuts and bruises.
  • 1978 – Steve Hawker and Pip Coulter robbed The Woolpack and left Amos Brearly and Henry Wilks locked in the cellar. The teenagers went to Emmerdale Farm, where they held Sam Pearson at gunpoint. To save her father, Annie Sugden gave them a getaway car.

1980s

  • 1981 – Farmer Enoch Tolly was killed in a tractor accident.
  • 1982 – Enraged when he was sacked from NY Estates by Alan Turner, Jackie Merrick set fire to one of NY's caravans.
  • 1985 – Jackie Merrick was knocked off his motorbike by Alan Turner's Land Rover, and spent five months in hospital with multiple fractures.
  • 1986 – Pat Sugden died when she crashed her car down a hillside after she swerved to avoid a flock of sheep.
  • 1987 – Jackie Merrick fell down a disused mineshaft whilst trying to rescue a stray sheep.
  • 1988 – Phil Pearce left old rags at Crossgill Farm; they caught fire, trapping Annie Sugden inside.
  • 1989 – Quarryman Dennis Rigg was crushed to death by Joe Sugden's bull when he threatened to evict the Sugdens.
  • 1989 – Jackie Merrick accidentally shot himself whilst hunting a fox for a £10 bet.

1990s

2000s

  • 2000 – A van and minibus collided in the village. Van driver Pete Collins died at the scene, and minibus passenger Butch Dingle died in hospital the next day.
  • 2000 – Longtime character Sarah Sugden died in a barn fire set by her adopted son, Andy. Sarah's lover, Richie Carter, was trapped in the barn but was rescued by Sarah's husband  Jack.
  • 2001 – School headmistress Jean Strickland was struck and killed by a stolen car driven by Marc Reynolds, a student returning home from a night out with friends.
  • 2003–2004 – A storm pounded Emmerdale 10 years after the plane crash, leaving part of the village in ruins with downed power lines and trees. Lightning struck The Woolpack's chimney, sending it through the roof into the bar and fatally injuring Tricia Dingle. Ashley Thomas and Louise Appleton were stranded on the road.
  • 2005 – Max King died when the Land Rover in which he was a passenger crashed into a brick wall and exploded. Driver Andy Sugden escaped unharmed, giving the police a false account of the accident to avoid prosecution.
  • 2006 – The Kings River show home was destroyed by explosions from a gas leak. Three people died; Noreen Bell and estate agent David Brown were killed in the explosion, and Dawn Woods died in hospital from internal injuries.
  • 2006 – Tom King was murdered on Christmas Day by his son, Carl, who struck him on the head with a statue and pushed him out a window.
  • 2007 – DCI Grace Barraclough was killed when she was hit by a lorry on her way to the police station to report Carl's murder of his father.
  • 2007 – Victoria Sugden threatened to burn down the family home if her father (Jack) and adoptive brother (Andy) did not tell her who killed her mother. Andy admitted he was responsible, but the fuel she had spread ignited when the boiler fired up; the house was gutted, but the family survived.
  • 2008 – Matthew King was killed when his van crashed into a wall while he tried to run over his brother, Carl. The brothers were fighting after Carl ruined Matthew's wedding to Anna De Souza earlier that day.

2010s


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