Happy 50th birthday Emmerdale!

Happy 50th birthday Emmerdale!

But how times have changed in the village since the soap made its debut on our screens on October 16, 1972.

Back then the show was called Emmerdale Farm, and had been created by playwright Kevin Laffan. He was commissioned by ITV to devise a rural Yorkshire drama to be aired in a daytime slot for 13 weeks. It proved to be a big success, so the run was expanded to 26 weeks, then a year… and the rest is history. It proved so popular it was moved to a prime-time slot in 1977, where it’s remained ever since.

Although the format was originally reminiscent of radio serial The Archers, filming of the farmyard scenes was inspired by the Irish drama The Riordans; Yorkshire TV, who produced Emmerdale, even sent crew members over to Ireland to watch scenes being shot so they could learn the secret of making such a programme.

Originally, the plots centred mostly on just eight characters, most of whom were members of the Sugden family, who owned the titular farm, with filming taking place on location in and around Arncliffe in Littondale. Among the original cast was Yorkshire-born Frazer Hines, who was then best known for playing Jamie during a three-year stint in Doctor Who.

“Emmerdale changed my life,” he says now. “It got me out of London. I was living in Chiswick at the time, and I used to commute. In the end I decided to sell my house in London and I moved to Harrogate, and it certainly changed my life. It got me a nice house, and some lovely, lovely friends.

“Fifty years ago from the five ITV regions there was Harriet’s Back in Town (Thames TV), Crown Court (Granada), Marked Personal (Thames TV), Emmerdale Farm (Yorkshire TV) and General Hospital (ATV). From those five programmes, only Emmerdale is still going and that is what I love. I was part of that. Myself and the gang… we were part of getting that show on the road and here it is 50 years later, still going strong.”

Hines became a heart-throb while playing Joe Sugden. He left the soap in 1994, five years after it changed its name to Emmerdale, which also became the moniker of the village; it had previously been known as Beckindale. Filming subsequently moved to a purpose-build set on the Harewood estate.

The style of the programme has also altered a lot. Long gone are the days when rural issues were at its centre. Instead, headline-hitting, controversial and topical stories dominate; there’s a chance to relive some of them in this celebratory special.

Expect interviews with cast members past and present, as well as clips from some of the 74 weddings, 43 births and 105 deaths we’ve witnessed over the years.

Then stay tuned for an hour-long episode, which begins quietly with Kim riding her horse through the village, Moira looking out over her land, and Dawn and Lucas flying a kite above the houses – but you can bet that this is the calm before the storm…