Emmerdale has been on our screens for four decades – can you believe it? The Yorkshire set soap is celebrating its landmark anniversary this week with a series of special episodes…
and a live show on Wednesday 17th October.
Emmerdale Farm, as it was then known, first aired in 1972 and followed the lives of the Sugdens, a traditional Yorkshire farming family. The show’s creator Kevin Laffan left in 1985 after bemoaning the soap’s move towards “sex, sin and sensationalism.” ‘Farm’ was dropped from the soap’s title in 1989 and some famous names who have starred in the show over the years include Patsy Kensit, Maxwell Caulfield, Amanda Donohoe and Pauline Quirke.
I have never been an avid watcher of the soap; I’ve always found that it lacks the charm of Coronation Street and the drama of Eastenders. I was surprised to discover that Emmerdale still draws in six million viewers and is on six nights a week.
Maybe the farm setting of Emmerdale doesn’t appeal to me or perhaps Emmerdale is just a bit too tame for my taste. As someone who comes from Yorkshire, I must say that some of the broad Yorkshire stereotypes are a bit much for me and it seems a bit out of touch and ridiculous to think that all the character’s lives would revolve around this tiny village.
I do appreciate that it must be hard for the writers and actors at Emmerdale to keep things exciting in the shadow of ITV’s most loved soap – Coronation Street. Corrie celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010 and marked the occasion with the dramatic tram crash, which was filmed live. It’s a bit of a shame that Emmerdale are celebrating such a big landmark with a live show, just like Corrie did, but as I’m sure Emmerdale fans are very excited about the big anniversary.
A 40 year continual run is an incredibly impressive achievement, so I must say congratulations Emmerdale!