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Butterwick Hospice | Fundraising | Emmerdale Allstars V NSA Select XI butterwick.org.uk |
For the 1994 debut album by The Cardigans, see Emmerdale (album).
Emmerdale, known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989, is a popular and critically acclaimed British soap opera that has aired on ITV since 1972. It is set in the fictional village of Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994) in West Yorkshire, England, and was created by Kevin Laffan, with Steve Frost and Gavin Blyth serving as Executive Producer and Series Producer respectively since 2009. Emmerdale is the third most popular soap opera on British television, behind Coronation Street and EastEnders. The series is produced by Yorkshire Television and broadcast on the ITV network, and was first aired on 16 October 1972. It was originally conceived and broadcast as a daytime programme in an afternoon slot, becoming an early evening programme in 1978 in most ITV regions - but excluding London and Anglia, both of which followed in the mid-1980s. Until the mid-1980s, Emmerdale took seasonal breaks and was not an all year round soap. The series was first broadcast over the Christmas holiday period in 1988. Emmerdale is shown on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 19:00 and on a Thursday at 19:00 and 20:00 (as of 23 July 2009). Episodes are first broadcast on ITV1. Every episode lasts around 29/30 minutes (including commercials). Without adverts the total time of footage averages to around 22 minutes per episode. Repeat episodes and the omnibus of the show can be seen on ITV2. [edit] OriginsThe basic premise of Emmerdale Farm was very similar to the BBC radio soap opera The Archers - focusing on a family, a farm, and characters in a nearby village. The farmyard filming techniques of Emmerdale Farm were originally modelled on the revolutionary soap-opera The Riordans, made by RTÉ, Ireland's broadcaster, from the mid-1960s to the end of the 1970s. The Riordans broke new ground for soap operas by being filmed largely out of doors (on a farm owned, in the storyline, by Tom and Mary Riordan), rather than, as was the norm in British and American soap operas, being almost totally shot in studios (even 'outdoor' scenes were sometimes filmed indoors). The Riordans pioneered farmyard location shooting, with real farm animals, and actors driving tractors. In the 1960s and 1970s, outdoor filming of television programmes using OBUs (Outdoor Broadcast Units) was in its infancy, due to the far higher costs involved, and the reliance on things like the weather that were out of the control of the programme makers. The success of The Riordans showed that a soap opera could be filmed largely out of doors. Yorkshire Television sent people to The Riordans set in County Meath, Ireland to see the making of the programme at first hand.[1][2] [edit] Series backgroundThe Miffield estate was the biggest employer in the village of Beckindale - situated 39 miles (63 km) from Bradford and 52 miles (84 km) from Leeds. Lord Miffield gave the lease of Emmerdale Farm, on the edge of the village, to the Sugden family in the 1850s out of gratitude, after Josh Sugden had sacrificed his life for the Earl's son in the Crimean War. Josh's grandson Joseph married Margaret and they had a son Jacob. In the 1930s, Jacob Sugden supposedly purchased Emmerdale Farm for his family. In 1945 he married Annie Pearson - daughter of farm labourer Sam Pearson. Jacob had run the farm into the ground, as he had drunk away most of the profits, leaving it in a sorry state. It was badly maintained, and the future of the farm looked bleak at the time of Jacob's death on the October 10, 1972. Jacob left a wife Annie and three grown children, two sons, Jack (the eldest) and Joe (the youngest of the three), and daughter Peggy. These characters would form the basis of the series Emmerdale Farm. [edit] The first episode The first episode of Emmerdale Farm opened with the funeral of Jacob Sugden on 16 October 1972. Jacob had upset the family when he left the farm to his eldest son, Jack, who had not been seen since 1964 when, at the age of 18, he left his family, heritage and Beckindale - for London. Jack Sugden returned to the farm in this opening episode, although he chose to stay away from the funeral - making his presence known only after the service, when the Sugdens returned to their home, Emmerdale Farm - where they found him waiting for them. The first lines uttered in this first episode were spoken by Peggy Skilbeck: "Matt, who's she?" Peggy was referring to Marian Wilks who was watching the funeral cortege whilst out riding. The Wilkses proved to be new to the village; Marion's father Henry Wilks was a wealthy businessman. In subsequent months, Jack sold a share of the Farm to Annie, Joe, Peggy and his grandfather Sam Pearson. Emmerdale Farm Ltd was formed after Henry Wilks bought Sam's share of the estate. The first episode was repeated on Granada Plus on 1 January 2000.[3] Subsequent earlier episodes from the 1970s and 1980s have been aired on Granada Plus, and Sky Soap. [edit] EpisodesOver 5000 episodes of Emmerdale have now been made. All episodes exist in the archives, however episodes 35 and 36 now only exist as a double 'omnibus' edition, despite being billed as two separate episodes at the time (1973). [edit] CharactersMain article: List of Emmerdale characters [edit] EvolutionInitially the show focused on the farm, and the Sugden family who lived on and ran it. As time went on, the show's focus moved to the nearby village of Beckindale. To reflect this change, the show's name was changed in November 1989 to Emmerdale, and later the name of the village changed from Beckindale to Emmerdale in 1994 after the infamous plane crash. Coinciding with the soap's name change was the introduction of the Tates, who would emerge as the soap's leading family in the 1990s, overshadowing the Sugdens. In turn, the Tate family has since been supplanted, with the Dingle family taking centre stage beginning in the mid-90's, and the King family from mid to late 2000s. By the end of the 2000s, several new families were created, such as the Wyldes and the Bartons. In 2001, a new family was introduced made up of 5 people who had been selected through a TV series "Soapstars" using open auditions similar to the successful Popstars format. This provoked criticism from the existing cast although a mooted strike did not materialise after it became clear that all 5 had previous acting experience and some were already Equity members. However their run on the series was very brief and none were still in the cast a year later. [edit] Village businessesDespite being a small village, Emmerdale is a bustling place for business. The current businesses are:
[edit] Major storylinesMain article: Major Storylines of Emmerdale Until 1993, Emmerdale was largely ignored by press and viewers alike, in the face of better-known soaps such as Coronation Street, EastEnders and Brookside. This, however, was changed when its plane crash storyline brought Emmerdale into the public eye, giving the show its highest-ever viewing figures of 18 million, and consequently keeping the show as one of the most watched soap operas on British television. Other major storylines included the Home Farm siege in 1994, the storm of 2003, the Kings River explosion of 2006, the Tom King kidnapping of 2006, and the murder of Tom King on Christmas Day 2006. [edit] DisastersEmmerdale is extremely well known for the number of disasters and dramatic stunts it has featured over the years. The most notable disasters are listed below.
[edit] Memorable exitsEmmerdale is famous for its hugely dramatic exit storylines. These characters have made some of the most famous, memorable exits from Emmerdale.
[edit] Filming locationsLocation shooting originally occurred in the village of Arncliffe in Littondale, one of the less frequented valleys of the Yorkshire Dales. In exterior shots, the village's hotel, The Falcon, was used to represent the fictional Woolpack Inn. Eventually the location of the shooting location became publicly known, which is perhaps what prompted the move to the village of Esholt in 1976, where it stayed for the next 22 years. This location also became a tourist attraction and the village pub has retained the adopted name of The Woolpack Inn. The original Emmerdale Farm buildings are near the village of Leathley. Creskeld Hall (Home Farm) is one of the few original filming locations used in the entire run of the series and has been involved in many storylines. Since 1998, a purpose-built set on the Harewood estate in Leeds has been used (building on the Harewood estate started in 1996). The first scenes shot in the purpose-built set on the Harewood Estate were broadcast on 17 February 1998, from the front of the Woolpack (although some scenes were shot there from 1997). The houses in the new village at Harewood are timber framed structures covered in stone cladding. The village is built on green belt land so all the buildings are classed as "temporary structures" and must be demolished within ten years unless new planning permission is given. There is no plan to demolish the set and new planning has now been drawn up. Although no church was built on the Harewood set, there is a churchyard full of gravestones, some of them for the characters who have died in the serial. Butlers Farm is really Brookland Farm, a working farm, located in the nearby village of Eccup. Brookland Farm is where all the external, farmyard and buildings shots are filmed with the internal house shots being filmed in the studio. Much location footage is carried out in other areas of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, such as the fictional market town of Hotten, which is actually shot in Otley, a market town on the outskirts of Leeds. The Benton Park School in the Rawdon area of the city and the primary school in Farnley are also used as shooting locations. Indoor scenes are mostly filmed at Yorkshire Television's 'Emmerdale Production Centre' on Kirkstall Road, Leeds (located next to the main Yorkshire Television building).[4] [edit] SchedulingMain article: Scheduling of Emmerdale When Emmerdale was first broadcast in 1972, it was twice a week in an afternoon slot. It later moved to a 19:00 slot and the number of episodes has steadily increased, with there now being four half-hour episodes and one hour long episode each week. Emmerdale is filmed roughly between 4–6 weeks before it is first broadcast on ITV 1. On 8 July 2009 it was announced that from 23 July Emmerdale would have two episodes on a Thursday - one at 7.00pm - 7.30pm and one at 8.00pm - 8.30pm, and drop its current hour long Tuesday episode which would instead revert to a half hour episode from 7.00pm - 7.30pm. The announcement was made as part of a major rescheduling exercise by ITV.[5] [edit] PopularityThe show is one of the most watched programes on British television, and is ranked high in the British popularity stakes, only being outdone by the two major mainstream soaps, Coronation Street and EastEnders. An average Emmerdale episode generally attracts 6-12 million viewers
Numerous other hour long episodes that have clashed with rival soap EastEnders have won in the battle for viewing figures. Over the past few years the village soap has gone head to head with BBC's EastEnders on numerous occasions, and has emerged on top many times, establishing itself as a serious contender for the second most popular British soap opera. Some notable examples include:
 [edit] AwardsAlthough Emmerdale has sometimes won the 'ratings debate', it is Eastenders who is the clear winner in both the ratings and the awards vote. Emmerdale has won 20 awards in total at the British Soap Awards, but Eastenders has won more a wards than any other soap with a total of 60 awards. In 1999, at the first British Soap Awards, it won two awards; one for 'Best Dramatic Performance' by Kelvin Fletcher for his portrayal as Andy Sugden, and another for 'Best Exit' by Claire King for her portrayal as Kim Tate. At the 2000 British Soap Awards it won one award for 'Best Exit' for Paul Loughran as Butch Dingle who was killed in a bus crash. At the 2001 British Soap Awards it won two awards; one for 'Most Spectacular Scene' for Andy Sugden burning the barn, one for 'Hero of the Year' for Clive Hornby as Jack Sugden. At the 2002 British Soap Awards it won one award for 'Best Exit' for Batley the dog. At the 2003 British Soap Awards it won one award for 'Best Single Episode' for Marlon and Tricia's wedding plans. At the 2004 British Soap Awards it won three awards; oone for 'Most Spectacular Scene' for the dramatic storm episode, one for 'Best Dramatic Performance' for Mark Charnock for his portryal as Marlon Dingle, and one for 'Best Exit' for Sheree Murphy for her portryal as Tricia Dingle who was killed in the storm. At the 2005 British Soap Awards it won two awards, one for 'Best Single Episode' for Charity's and Tom's wedding, and one for 'Best Actress' for Emma Atkins who played Charity Tate. At the 2006 British Soap Awards it won four awards; one for 'Most Spectacular Scene' for Daz Eden and Belle Dingle being trapped down a mineshaft, one for 'Best Bitch' won by Nicola Wheeler for her portryal as Nicola Blackstock, one for 'Best Exit' for Leah Bracknell for her exit as Zoe Tate, and one for 'Best Comedy Performance' for Charlie Hardwick for her portrayal as Val Lambert. At the 2007 British Soap Awards it won two awards; one for 'Most Spectacular Scene' for the Kings River house collapse and one for 'Best Dramatic Performance by a young Actor or Actress' for Eden Taylor-Draper for her portryal as Belle Dingle. At the 2008 British Soap Awards it won two awards; 'Best Single Episode' for Baby Daniel's death, and 'Special Achievement Award' for Emmerdale's line producer Timothy J. Fee. At the 2009 British Soap Awards it won 'Most Spectacular Scene of the Year' for Victoria Sugden falling through the ice into the lake. However none of the veteran actors in the show like Richard Thorpe, Chrstopher Chittell or the late Clive Hornby has ever won the Lifetime Achievement Award. Emmerdale has also won 12 awards at the Inside Soap Awards In 2001, Emmerdale won a British Academy Television Award for Best Continuing Drama. It has also been nominated in the same category in 2000, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2007, Emmerdale won a Special Recognition Award at the TRIC Awards, being the first soap to have won that award. This win marked Emmerdale's first ever TRIC Award win at the annual ceremony Emmerdale has also won a Royal Television Society Award in 2005 in the category of 'Soaps and Continual Drama' and has also been nominated for the same award in 2002, 2004 and 2006 [edit] Overseas[edit] IrelandEmmerdale reaches viewers in the Republic of Ireland via both the widely available UTV from Northern Ireland and the TV3 Television Network in the Republic of Ireland. UTV and TV3 screen Emmerdale simultaneously in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. [edit] SwedenEmmerdale has been shown in Sweden since the 1970s – originally on TV2 and since 1994 on commercial channel TV4. Under the title Hem till gården ("Home to the Farm"), the programme is broadcast twice a day (as of May 2008, previously only once a day) on Monday to Friday 11.50-12.50. The episodes currently being screened (September 2009) date from January 2007. [edit] FinlandThe programme is shown in Finland on commercial channel MTV3, where it goes out at 17.30 and 18.30 Mondays to Fridays with a repeat of each episode at 10.35 and 11.00 on the following weekday. [edit] New ZealandEmmerdale is shown in New Zealand on TV One from Monday to Friday at 12:30. [edit] AustraliaEmmerdale was shown in Australia for the first time in July 2006 when cable television provider Foxtel began screening episodes from 2006 on its UKTV channel. Emmerdale will now air on Channel Seven's new free-to-air digital channel 72 7Two weekdays at 3pm starting from Nov. 3, 2009. [edit] RomaniaOn 2 February 2007 it was announced that Emmerdale would be broadcast on the Romanian free-to-air channel Pro TV. The station has bought 50 episodes of the soap dating back to 2000. [edit] Elsewhere
[edit] Opening and Closing creditsThe original titles were on film and featured a slow panning shot of the Yorkshire dales, before slowly zooming in on Beckindale village/Arncliffe and then the farmhouse. The title caption zoomed out to the camera. The closing credits were on captions and the film underneath was the view from a helicopter of the Dales passing by Arncliffe. The theme, written by Tony Hatch, was performed on the cor anglais with piano and strings accompaniment. The opening titles changed for the 1974 episodes to an aerial panning shot of Arncliffe and a different view of the farmhouse and the font was changed to a bold yellow one. The end credits remained the same but with the different font. The farmhouse in sunset credits lasted the longest and were introduced in 1975, and continued to be used until November 1989 when the programme's title was shortened to Emmerdale. This was replaced with a montage of images, shot around Esholt, of various activities such as someone hang-gliding, a Land Rover fording a stream, an oil tanker going over a bridge and someone out horse-riding at Home Farm, the credits rolled over a static shot of the farmhouse. This lasted until September 1992 when the theme tune was changed. The opening credits used from September 1992 until December 1993 were similar but used superimposed images. The closing credits rolled over a static shot of some Yorkshire scenery. Initially, the credits were displayed on separate slides but, after several weeks, reverted to the all scrolling format used from 1989. The opening titles changed again from the plane crash episode in December 1993. This sequence comprised shots from the 1989 introduced titles, 1992 introduced titles and some newly filmed shots. Unlike the previous titles, this new sequence did not feature superimposed images. It remained in use until November 1994 when another similar new sequence was introduced. From January 1994, the credits rolled over a static shot of Esholt/Emmerdale. This credit sequence is notable since the original "Emmerdale Farm" music was used for the closing credits, while the newer version remained in use for the opening and break bumpers. The exception to this was during the plane crash when the credits rolled over the destruction of the village and a slow piano theme was used. When the opening titles were updated again in November 1994, and the new theme tune was used exclusively. In December 1998, the opening titles were replaced by another montage, this time of helicopter shots of the Yorkshire moors and farming areas. Superimposed were short scenes of actors (which were not members of the cast) performing the various emotions seen in a soap. The closing credits rolled over a continuous shot of Emmerdale, filmed from a helicopter flying away from the village. At the same time, in 1998, a new version of the theme tune was introduced. A grand orchestral theme was introduced over the titles, credits and break bumpers. From September 2004, a different version of the theme, played mainly on the piano, was used for the break bumpers only. In September 2005, the opening titles were replaced with another helicopter montage, this time marginally slower and without the actors. The closing credits were generic ITV Network style credits over a continuous shot of the village, again from a helicopter, but filmed from a different angle. In 2009, the Original theme played over the end credits of Jack Sugden's funeral episode. [edit] SponsorshipEmmerdale have in the past been sponsored by a number of commercial partners including Daz, Heinz Salad Cream, Calgon, Airwick, Veet and Lemsip. On 6 October 2009, ITV announced a sponsorship agreement with online bingo site Tombola Bingo[6]. [edit] DVD Releases
The full list for the 'Best of Emmerdale' DVD:
Controversially, for a 35th anniversary set, the years 1974-1993 were totally omitted. A second volume featuring episodes 27–52 has been released on 24 August 2009. A third volume featuring episodes 53–78 is scheduled for 2010 with a fourth volume featuring episodes 91–104 to follow. [edit] Series producers
[edit] Lists...
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 53°53′14″N 1°32′22″W / 53.8871°N 1.5394°W
Categories: Emmerdale characters | Yorkshire Television productions | 1972 in British television | 1972 television series debuts | 1970s British television series | 1980s British television series | 1990s British television series | 2000s British television series | Emmerdale | English-language television series | Fictional cities and towns in England | ITV television programmes | Television shows set in Yorkshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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