Emmerdale - wikipedia Emmerdale For the 1994 debut album by The Cardigans, see Emmerdale ( album ). Emmerdale Also known as Emmerdale Farm ( 1972 -- 1989 ) Genre Soap opera Created by Kevin Laffan Starring Present cast Former cast Theme music composer Tony Hatch Country of origin United Kingdom No. of episodes 8,171 Production Producer ( s ) Various ( currently Iain MacLeod ) Location ( s ) Leeds Studios Leeds, West Yorkshire ( 1972 -- Present ) Arncliffe, North Yorkshire ( 1972 -- 1976 ) Esholt, West Yorkshire ( 1976 -- 1997 ) Harewood estate, West Yorkshire ( 1997 -- Present ) Camera setup Videotape ; Multiple - camera Running time 30 minutes 23 - 25 minutes ( excluding advertisements, with occasional 60 - minute episodes ) Production company ( s ) Yorkshire Television ( 1972 -- 2006 ) ITV Productions ( 2006 -- 2009 ) ITV Studios ( 2009 -- present ) Release Original network ITV Picture format 576i Colour ( 4 : 3 SDTV, 1972 -- 2001 ) 576i ( 16 : 9 SDTV, 2002 -- 2011 ) 1080i ( 16 : 9 HDTV, 2011 -- present ) Audio format Monaural ( 1972 -- 1990 ) Stereo ( 1990 -- 2011 ) Dolby Digital 5.1 ( 2011 -- present ) Original release 16 October 1972 ( 1972 - 10 - 16 ) -- present External links Website Emmerdale ( known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989 ) is a British soap opera set in Emmerdale ( known as Beckindale until 1994 ), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale Farm was first broadcast on 16 October 1972. Produced by ITV Yorkshire, it has been filmed at their Leeds studio since its inception. The programme has been broadcast in every ITV region. The series originally appeared during the afternoon until 1978, when it was moved to an early - evening time slot in most regions ; London and Anglia followed during the mid-1980s. Until December 1988, Emmerdale took seasonal breaks ; since then, it has been broadcast year - round. Episodes air on ITV weekday evenings at 19 : 00, with a second Thursday episode at 20 : 00. The programme began broadcasting in high definition on 10 October 2011. Emmerdale is the United Kingdom 's second - longest - running television soap opera ( after ITV 's Coronation Street ), and attracts an average of five to seven million viewers per episode. October 2012 marked the 40th anniversary of the show. During that month, the show made a live episode to mark the anniversary. Contents 1 Conception 2 Characters, residences and businesses 3 First episode 4 Overview 4.1 First 21 years 4.2 Plane crash and the next 15 years 4.3 2009 -- 2012 4.4 40th anniversary week and beyond 5 Families 6 Storylines 6.1 1970s 6.2 1980s 6.3 1990s 6.4 2000s 6.5 2010s 7 Audience 8 Awards and nominations 9 Locations 10 Sponsors 11 Longest - appearing actors 12 Scheduling 12.1 Broadcast history 13 Overseas 13.1 Ireland 13.2 Sweden 13.3 Finland 13.4 New Zealand 13.5 Australia 14 Production 14.1 Executive Producers 14.2 Series Producers 15 See also 16 References 17 External links Conception The premise of Emmerdale Farm was similar to the BBC radio soap opera The Archers, focusing on a family, a farm and characters in a nearby village. The programme 's farmyard filming was originally modelled on RTÉ 's The Riordans, an Irish soap opera which was broadcast from the mid-1960s to the end of the 1970s. The Riordans broke new ground for soap operas by being filmed largely outdoors ( on a farm, owned on the programme by Tom and Mary Riordan ) rather than in a studio -- the usual practice of British and American soap operas. The programme pioneered farmyard location shooting, with farm animals and equipment. During the 1960s and 1970s, outdoor filming of television programmes with outdoor broadcast units ( OBUs ) was in its infancy due to higher costs and reliance on the weather. The Riordans ' success demonstrated that a soap opera could be filmed largely outdoors, and Yorkshire Television sent people to its set in County Meath to see the programme 's production firsthand. Characters, residences and businesses Main article : List of Emmerdale characters Emmerdale has had a large number of characters since it began, with its cast gradually expanding in size. The programme has also had changing residences and businesses for its characters, including a bed - and - breakfast and a factory. The Miffield estate was the largest employer in the village of Beckindale, 39 miles ( 63 km ) from Bradford and 52 miles ( 84 km ) from Leeds. Lord Miffield leased Emmerdale Farm, on the edge of the village, to the Sugden family during the 1850s in gratitude after Josh Sugden sacrificed his life for the earl 's son in the Crimean War. Josh 's grandson Joseph married Margaret Oldroyd and their son, Jacob, was born in January 1916. During the 1930s, Jacob Sugden purchased Emmerdale Farm. In 1945 he married Annie Pearson, daughter of farm labourer Sam Pearson. Margaret Sugden died in 1963, and Joseph died the following year. Jacob Sugden ran the farm into the ground, drinking away its profits. The badly - maintained farm 's future looked bleak at his death on 10 October 1972. He was survived by his wife Annie, two sons and a daughter : Jack, the eldest ; Peggy and Joe, the youngest of the three. These characters formed the basis of Emmerdale Farm. Character types on Emmerdale have included `` bad boys '', such as Cain Dingle, Ross Barton, Carl King, Robert Sugden and Aaron Livesy ; `` bitches '', such as Kim Tate, Charity Tate, Nicola King, Chrissie White, Kelly Windsor and Sadie King ; `` villains '', such as Cameron Murray, Lachlan White, Pierce Harris, Steph Stokes, Rosemary King, Gordon Livesy, Emma Barton and Sally Spode ; caring characters, such as Laurel Thomas, Emily Kirk, Lisa Dingle, Paddy Kirk, Ashley Thomas and Ruby Haswell ; sassy females, such as Chas Dingle, Val Pollard, Viv Hope, Nicola King, Faith Dingle, Rebecca White and Leyla Harding, and comedy characters such as Kerry Wyatt, Bernice Blackstock, David Metcalfe, Val Pollard, Paddy Kirk, Faith Dingle, Seth Armstrong, Dan Spencer and Jimmy King. The show has had a number of matriarchs, including Diane Sugden, Viv Hope, Lisa Dingle, Annie Sugden, Faith Dingle and Moira Barton. Older characters in Emmerdale include Edna Birch, Betty Eagleton, Eric Pollard, Pearl Ladderbanks, Sandy Thomas, Seth Armstrong, Alan Turner, Sam Pearson, Lily Butterfield and Len Reynolds. First episode 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. Characters introduced in the first episode were : Annie Sugden ( Sheila Mercier ) Jack Sugden ( Andrew Burt ) Peggy Skilbeck ( Jo Kendall ) Matt Skilbeck ( Frederick Pyne ) Joe Sugden ( Frazer Hines ) Sam Pearson ( Toke Townley ) Amos Brearly ( Ronald Magill ) Henry Wilks ( Arthur Pentelow ) Marian Wilks ( Gail Harrison ) Alec Saunders ( Alan Tucker ) 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. 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. According to Nick Smurthwaite, the episode brought forth not just ratings but `` complaints from aghast viewers. '' 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. 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 ). 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. 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. On 23 July it was reported that an ITV2 backstage show, Emmerdale Uncovered : Live, would be broadcast after the live episode. 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. 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. On 6 September, it was confirmed that the One - hour live episode would include an unexpected death, two weddings and two births. 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 1990 -- Frank and Kim Tate arrived home to find the Home Farm barn conversion had been set afire. Although Michael Feldmann was suspected, the culprit was farm labourer Jock McDonald. 1990 -- Kate Sugden struck and killed Pete Whiteley when she drove home from Hotten. 1990 -- A chemical tanker crashed into the village, trapping Amos Brearly in the Woolpack cellar. 1993 -- 1994 -- A plane crashed in Beckindale, leaving most of the village in ruins and killing Archie Brooks, Elizabeth Pollard, Mark Hughes and Leonard Kempinski. 1994 -- Shirley Turner was shot dead during the Home Farm raid by Reg Dawson, ex-husband of Viv Windsor. 1995 -- Luke McAllister died when his van crashed into a wall and exploded in flames. 1996 -- Dave Glover died in a fire at Home Farm after he attended the wedding of Biff Fowler and Dave 's sister, Linda. 1997 -- At the engagement party for Steve Marchant and Kim Tate, after Lord Alex Oakwell snorted cocaine and took Linda Fowler for a late - night drive. As Linda fought off his advances, he crashed through a fence and struck a tree. Alex moved the semi-conscious, bleeding Linda to the driver 's seat, wiped his fingerprints off the steering wheel and left her to die. 1998 -- Vic Windsor died on Christmas Day when he struck his head on an ice - cream chest freezer in an attempt to prevent an armed Billy Hopwood from robbing the post office. 1999 -- Graham Clark killed Rachel Hughes, pushing her off a cliff. 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 2010 -- Aaron Livesy and Jackson Walsh went out with Paddy Kirk and Marlon Dingle. After an argument with Aaron, Jackson 's van stalled on railway tracks and was struck by a freight train ; he was paralysed from the neck down. 2011 -- A fire set by corrupt policeman Nick Henshall spread through the village, killing Terry Woods and Viv Hope. 2012 -- On their way to a hotel ( booked by their son after their reconciliation ), John and Moira Barton 's Land Rover hit a patch of black ice and stopped at the edge of a ravine. Although Moira ( the passenger ) was rescued by Declan Macey and Katie Sugden, the car fell into the ravine with John trapped inside ; he died in hospital. 2012 -- On Emmerdale 's 40th anniversary, Carl King was killed with a brick by romantic rival Cameron Murray after he tried to rape former lover Chas Dingle. 2013 -- Genesis Walker 's car ran off a country road and into a ravine during a high - speed chase by Cameron Murray and Debbie Dingle after Genesis overheard Cameron admit that he murdered Carl King. Cameron pulled the semi-conscious Gennie out of the car and suffocated her. 2013 -- On Emmerdale 's 41st anniversary, Cameron Murray escaped from prison and held villagers hostage in The Woolpack. Alicia Harding was shot, and in a showdown in the flooded Woolpack cellar with Debbie, Chas and Marlon Dingle ( who were rescued ) Cameron was electrocuted. 2014 -- During an argument Belle Dingle pushed Gemma Andrews, who fell and hit her head on a stone. They walked away, but on her way home Gemma fell and was rushed to hospital where she died. 2014 -- Donna Windsor threw herself and Gary North from a multi-storey car park to their deaths. 2014 -- Declan Macey shot Robbie Lawson dead in an attempt to kill Charity Macey. 2015 -- During an argument, Chrissie Sugden set her husband Robert 's car on fire. The fire caused gas canisters to explode, sending a helicopter crashing into the village hall during Debbie Dingle and Pete Barton 's wedding reception. Ruby Haswell, Val Pollard and the helicopter pilot were killed. 2015 -- Robert Sugden ( Ryan Hawley ) is shot outside The Woolpack by an unknown assailant in front of Chas Dingle ( Lucy Pargeter ) ; four weeks later, a flashback episode revealed the events of that night. Ross Barton ( Michael Parr ) shot him after Ross agreed with Andy Sugden ( Kelvin Fletcher ) to kill the other 's brother. Ashley Thomas ( John Middleton ) might have dementia and Paddy Kirk ( Dominic Brunt ) cheated on his wife, Rhona Goskirk ( Zoe Henry ), with Tess ( Nicola Stephenson ). 2016 -- In one of the biggest disasters in Emmerdale, a multi-car pile - up on the Hotten bypass causes for Aaron Dingle, Robert Sugden, Paddy Kirk, Rhona Goskirk, Pierce Harris, James Barton and Ashley Thomas to be involved in a horrible accident and leaving the lives of Aaron, Rhona and James hanging in the balance, with James succumbing to his injuries. The accident was caused by Emma Barton pushing James over a road bridge, hitting Ashley Thomas ' car. Audience This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2016 ) An average Emmerdale episode generally attracts 6 -- 8 million viewers, making it one of Britain 's most popular television programmes. During the 1990s, the series had an average of 10 -- 11 million viewers per episode. On 30 December 1993, Emmerdale had its largest audience ( 18 million ) when a plane crashed into the village. On 27 May 1997, 13 million viewers saw Frank Tate die of a heart attack after the return of wife Kim. On 20 October 1998, 12.5 million viewers saw The Woolpack explode after a fire. The village storm on 1 January 2004 attracted 11.19 million viewers. 18 May 2004 episode in which Jack Sugden was shot by his adopted son, Andy, attracted 8.27 million viewers. On 17 March 2005, 9.39 million watched Shelly Williams fall from the Isle of Arran ferry. Zoe Tate left the show after 16 years on 22 September 2005 before 8.58 million viewers, marking her departure by blowing up Home Farm. On 13 July 2006, the Kings River house collapse was seen by 6.90 million viewers. Cain Dingle left on 21 September 2006, before an audience of 8.57 million viewers. On Christmas Day 2006, 7.69 million saw Tom King murdered on his wedding day. Billy Hopwood crashed his truck into a lake on 1 February 2007, attracting 8.15 million viewers. The end of the `` Who Killed Tom King ? '' storyline on 17 May 2007, had an audience of 8.92 million. On 14 January 2010, 9.96 million saw Mark Wylde shot dead by wife Natasha. Natasha 's 27 October confession to daughter Maisie attracted an audience of nearly 8 million. On 13 January 2011, 9.15 million saw a fire kill Viv Hope and Terry Woods. The live 40th - anniversary episode on 17 October 2012, drew an audience of 8.83 million. On 16 October 2013, 8.37 million watched Cameron take the occupants of The Woolpack hostage and shoot Alicia. The next day, 9.28 million viewers saw Cameron Murray die. Awards and nominations Further information : List of awards and nominations received by Emmerdale Locations Esholt, West Yorkshire, used for exterior scenes from 1976 to 1997 Village set, built by Yorkshire Television in 1997 on the Harewood estate near Eccup, Leeds, West Yorkshire Location shooting was originally filmed in the village of Arncliffe in Littondale, a quiet valley in the Yorkshire Dales. The Falcon, the village hotel, served as the fictional Woolpack Inn. When the filming location became public it was moved to the village of Esholt in 1976, where it remained for 22 years. Filming returned to Esholt for a one off episode in 2016 for the Ashley Thomas dementia special which aired December 2016. The location was used to represent Ashley 's onset of dementia to the viewer. The original Emmerdale Farm buildings are near the village of Leathley. Creskeld Hall, in Arthington, ( Home Farm ). The buildings are one of the few original filming locations used for the entire series, and have been involved in many storylines. Construction of a purpose - built set began on the Harewood estate in 1996, and it has been used since 1997. The first scenes filmed on the set ( the front of The Woolpack ) were broadcast on 17 February 1998. The Harewood set is a replica of Esholt, with minor alterations. The Harewood houses are timber - framed and stone - faced. The village is built on green - belt land, with its buildings classified as `` temporary structures '' which must be demolished within ten years unless new planning permission is received. There is no plan to demolish the set, and a new planning application has been drawn up. The set includes a church and churchyard, where the characters who have died on the series are buried. Butlers Farm is Brookland Farm, a working farm in the nearby village of Eccup. Farmyard and building exteriors are filmed at Brookland, with interior house shots filmed in the studio. Location filming is also done in the City of Leeds and other West Yorkshire locations ; the fictional market town of Hotten is Otley, 10 miles North West of Leeds. Benton Park School in Rawdon and the primary school in Farnley were also used for filming. Interiors are primarily filmed at Yorkshire Television 's Emmerdale Production Centre in Leeds, next to Yorkshire 's Leeds Studios. As of 28 March 2011, HD - capable studios in the ITV Studios building were used for most of the interior scenes. Four farms have been featured on Emmerdale : `` Original '' Emmerdale Farm ( 1972 -- 1993 ) -- Belonged to the Sugden family for many years, until subsidence forced them to move. Filming location : Lindley House Hawthorn Cottage ( 1993 -- 1997 ) -- Matt and Peggy 's former home, the second Emmerdale Farm, was sold and converted into a quarry. Filming location : Bank Side Farm Melby Farm ( 1997 -- 2002 ) -- A third Emmerdale Farm went bankrupt, and Jack moved into Annie 's old cottage ( Tenant 's Cottage ) in the village. Filming location : Burden Head Farm Butler 's Farm ( 2003 to present ) -- Acquired by Andy Sugden and Katie Addyman in 2003 before the Bartons took over in 2009. Filming location : Brookland Farm Sponsors Emmerdale 's first sponsor ( from 14 December 1999 to 20 February 2002 ) was Daz detergent, followed by Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Heinz salad cream from May 2003 to May 2005. Reckitt Benckiser took over until 2009, advertising Calgon, Air Wick, Veet, and Lemsip. Tombola Bingo underwrote the show from November 2009 to March 2012, followed by Bet365 Bingo until March 2014. McCain Foods began a two - year, £ 8 million sponsorship on 7 April 2014. Start of sponsorship End of sponsorship Brand 1999 2002 Daz 2003 2005 Heinz Tomato Ketchup & Heinz Salad Cream 2005 2009 Reckitt Benckiser ( Air Wick, Calgon, Veet & Lemsip ) 2009 2012 Tombola 2012 2014 bet365 Bingo 2014 Present McCain 's Longest - appearing actors The 12 actors who have appeared in the series for 20 years or more are listed in the table below. The longest - tenured actor and the longest - serving cast member overall is Chris Chittell who has played Eric Pollard for 31 years. The longest - tenured actresses are Sheila Mercier ( Annie Sugden ) and Jane Cox ( Lisa Dingle ) with 22 years. Longest - appearing Emmerdale actors ( as of 2018 ) Rank Actor Character Tenure Chris Chittell Eric Pollard 1986 -- ( 31 years ) Richard Thorp Alan Turner 1982 -- 2013 ( 31 years ) Clive Hornby Jack Sugden 1980 -- 2008 ( 28 years ) Stan Richards Seth Armstrong 1978 -- 2003, 2004 ( 25 years ) 5 Steve Halliwell Zak Dingle 1994 -- ( 23 years ) 6 Sheila Mercier Annie Sugden 1972 -- 94, 1995, 1996, 2009 ( 22 years ) 7 Jane Cox Lisa Dingle 1996 -- ( 21 years ) 8 Mark Charnock Marlon Dingle 1996 -- ( 21 years ) 9 Paula Tilbrook Betty Eagleton 1994 -- 2015 ( 21 years ) 10 John Middleton Ashley Thomas 1996 -- 2017 ( 21 years ) 11 Dominic Brunt Paddy Kirk 1997 -- ( 21 years ) 12 Kelvin Fletcher Andy Sugden 1996 -- 2016 ( 20 years ) Scheduling Main article : Scheduling of Emmerdale Emmerdale was first broadcast two afternoons a week in 1972, and it later moved to a 19 : 00 slot. The number of episodes has increased, to its current six half - hour episodes each week. Each episode is filmed two to four weeks before it is broadcast on ITV. Broadcast history Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Weekly episodes 1972 -- 1988, 1990 -- 1997 1988 -- 1990 1997 -- 2000 2000 -- 2004 5 2004 -- 2008 6 2008 -- 2009 5 ( 1 hour on Tuesdays ) 2009 -- present 6 Overseas Ireland Emmerdale reaches viewers in the Republic of Ireland via UTV Ireland, which broadcasts the series simultaneously with ITV in the UK with a live feed from London. Breaking news on ITV would interrupt the broadcast. Emmerdale was broadcast during the day on RTÉ One from 1972 to 2001 before it moved to TV3. RTÉ were several months behind ; for many years, they broadcast the show five days a week ( instead of ITV 's three days a week ) and took a break during the summer. As the series began a five - night week, RTÉ fell behind the ITV broadcasts ; the gap between RTÉ One 's last episode and TV3 's first episode was about three months. Sweden The series has appeared in Sweden as Hem till gården ( `` Home to the Farm '' ) since the 1970s -- originally on TV2 and since 1994 on TV4. Two episodes are broadcast weekdays at 11 : 35. Emmerdale is the most - watched daytime non-news programme in Sweden, attracting 150,000 to 200,000 viewers daily. Episodes are repeated overnight on TV4 and in prime time on digital channel TV4 Guld. Finland The programme appears in Finland on MTV3 on primetime, 17 : 55 -- 18 : 25 and 18 : 25 -- 18 : 55 Monday to Friday, two episodes a day, with repeats of each episode the following weekday morning between 9 : 00 and 11 : 00. Episodes originally aired in the UK in September 2017 were broadcast in Finland in May 2018. Emmerdale attracts an average of 350,000 to 450,000 viewers per episode, and is the most watched non-Finnish every - weekday program in Finnish television. New Zealand Emmerdale is broadcast in New Zealand weekdays on ONE, with an hour - long episode Monday to Thursday and a half - hour episode on Friday from 12 : 30 to 13 : 00. It is the second-most - watched daytime programme, after the news. Episodes are broadcast a month behind ITV 's. Australia Emmerdale was broadcast in Australia for the first time in July 2006, when UKTV began airing the 2006 series with episode 4288. As of April 2016, UKTV episodes are from July 2014, twenty one months behind the UK airings. Production Executive Producers Michael Glynn Keith Richardson Steve Frost ( 2009 - 2012 ) Jane Hudson ( June 2018 ) Series Producers David Goddard ( 16 October 1972 -- 16 January 1973 ) Peter Holmans ( 22 January 1973 -- 17 July 1973 ) Robert D. Cardona ( 23 July 1973 -- 18 May 1976 ) Michael Glynn ( 3 January 1977 -- 10 January 1980 ) Anne W Gibbons ( 15 January 1980 -- 29 September 1983 ) Richard Handford ( 4 October 1983 -- 28 August 1986 ) Michael Russell ( 2 September 1986 -- 24 March 1988 ) Stuart Doughty ( 30 March 1988 -- 31 December 1991 ) Morag Bain ( 2 January 1992 -- 14 December 1993 ) Nicholas Prosser ( 16 December 1993 -- 29 November 1994 ) Mervyn Watson ( 1 December 1994 -- 6 August 1998 ) Kieran Roberts ( 11 August 1998 -- 13 April 2001 ) Steve Frost ( 16 April 2001 -- 25 February 2005 ) Kathleen Beedles ( 28 February 2005 -- 29 February 2008 ) Anita Turner ( 3 March 2008 -- 13 March 2009 ) Gavin Blyth ( 16 March 2009 -- 8 April 2011 ) Stuart Blackburn ( 11 April 2011 -- 4 April 2013 ) Kate Oates ( 4 April 2013 -- 16 May 2016 ) Iain MacLeod ( 17 May 2016 − 2018 ) Kate Brooks & Laura Shaw ( June 2018 ) See also List of Emmerdale characters List of Emmerdale spin - offs & merchandise List of births, marriages and deaths in Emmerdale List of longest - serving soap opera actors List of storylines in Emmerdale List of original Emmerdale characters List of past Emmerdale characters List of recurring and minor Emmerdale characters References Jump up ^ `` Hollyoaks ' Iain MacLeod moves on to produce Emmerdale ''. Liverpool Echo, 18 September 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2016. Jump up ^ Byrne, Andrea ( 8 February 2009 ). `` The plough and the stars : how TV 's revolutionary Riordans changed Ireland ''. The Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 October 2009. Jump up ^ Kirby, Terry ( 15 July 2006 ). `` Emmerdale : the village that won over a nation ''. The Independent. Retrieved 6 October 2009. Jump up ^ Best of Emmerdale - First episode Archived 23 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine. ITV.com Jump up ^ Leigh Holmwood, ITV exec Richardson leaves Emmerdale after 24 years The Guardian, 15 January 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2012 ^ Jump up to : Smurthwaite, Nick ( 1 March 2009 ). `` Mastermind of the Plane Crash in Emmerdale, Phil Redmond : Man of the People ''. SecEd. 2009 ( 3 ). doi : 10.12968 / sece. 2009.3. 1463. ISSN 1479 - 7704. Jump up ^ Macdonald, Ian W. ( 2013 ). `` The Screen Idea Work Group : Emmerdale ''. Screenwriting Poetics and the Screen Idea. Palgrave Macmillan, London : 81 -- 110. doi : 10.1057 / 9780230392298_5. ISBN 978 - 1 - 349 - 35191 - 6. Jump up ^ ' Emmerdale ' live episode confirmed for 40th anniversary Digital Spy, 1 May 2012 Jump up ^ `` ' Emmerdale ' 40th anniversary live episode director confirmed - Emmerdale News - Soaps ''. Digital Spy. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` ' Emmerdale ' to have ITV2 backstage show following live episode - Emmerdale News - Soaps ''. Digital Spy. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` ' Emmerdale ' builds new Woolpack set for live episode - Emmerdale News - Soaps ''. Digital Spy. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` ' Emmerdale ' holds music festival with Scouting for Girls, Proclaimers - Emmerdale News - Soaps ''. Digital Spy. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` ' Emmerdale ' death confirmed for 40th anniversary live episode - Emmerdale News - Soaps ''. Digital Spy. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012. Jump up ^ Kilkelly, Daniel ( 17 October 2013 ). `` ' Coronation Street ' christening special claims 9.2 m on Wednesday ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 January 2015. Jump up ^ Leeds Studios location Google Earth Archived 19 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Emmerdale to be sponsored by McCain in two - year deal ''. Digital Spy. 17 March 2014. Jump up ^ `` UTV to take on RTÉ and TV3 with exclusive rights to Corrie and ' Emmerdale ' ''. BreakingNews.ie. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015. Jump up ^ MMS, MMS ( 17 April 2014 ). `` MMS Daily Hot Top Ratings ''. MMS.se. Retrieved 17 April 2014. Jump up ^ Finnpanel. Broadcast ratings. Week 49 / 2016. Retrieved : 27 December 2016. Available : https://www.finnpanel.fi/en/tulokset/tv/vko/top/2016/49/mtv3.html Jump up ^ `` Throng TV Ratings ''. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014. Jump up ^ `` Symons : Marilyn Fisher was easy, cracking the UK was n't ''. Australian Associated Press. 22 June 2006. Jump up ^ Brown, Pam ( 27 June 2006 ). `` Emily swaps soaps ''. The West Australian. West Australian Newspapers. p. 5. Jump up ^ `` Frost, Beedles quit soap production roles ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` Emmerdale 's new Producer ''. ITV.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` New Corrie, ' Emmerdale ' producers named ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 November 2007. Jump up ^ Holmwood, Leigh ( 15 January 2009 ). `` ITV exec Richardson leaves Emmerdale after 24 years ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2010. Jump up ^ `` Blyth named new ' Emmerdale ' producer ''. Digital Spy. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2010. Jump up ^ Daniel Kilkelly. ' Emmerdale producer Blyth dies aged 41 '. Digital Spy. 27 November 2010 Jump up ^ ' Emmerdale ' announces new series producer Digital Spy, 16 March 2011 Jump up ^ `` Meet the new boss - News and spoilers - Emmerdale ''. ITV. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` Corrie and Emmerdale : New Producers appointed ''. ITV. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015. External links Emmerdale at itv.com Emmerdale at stv.tv Emmerdale ClassicTelly.com Emmerdale What 's on TV Emmerdale on IMDb Emmerdale at TV.com Emmerdale Characters Present characters Past characters Episodes Emmerdale Live Storylines Major storylines Emmerdale plane crash Emmerdale Village 's 500th anniversary Other The Woolpack Births, deaths and marriages Spin - offs and merchandise Scheduling Awards and nominations The Woolpackers Emmerdale characters Present and future Moira Barton Ross Barton Bernice Blackstock Rodney Blackstock Belle Dingle Cain Dingle Chas Dingle Debbie Dingle Lisa Dingle Marlon Dingle Sam Dingle Zak Dingle Rhona Goskirk Leyla Harding Bob Hope Jimmy King Nicola King Paddy Kirk Pearl Ladderbanks Aaron Livesy David Metcalfe Eric Pollard Douglas Potts Jai Sharma Priya Sharma Diane Sugden Robert Sugden Victoria Sugden Charity Tate Gabby Thomas Laurel Thomas Brenda Walker Past Louise Appleton Seth Armstrong Chloe Atkinson DCI Grace Barraclough Adam Barton Holly Barton John Barton Alice Bates Nick Bates Edna Birch Rita Brannigan Amos Brearly Archie Brooks Lily Butterfield Graham Clark Danny Daggert Toni Daggert Anna De Souza Donald De Souza Miles De Souza Albert Dingle Alice Dingle Del Dingle Eli Dingle Mandy Dingle Shadrach Dingle Betty Eagleton Daz Eden Adam Forsythe Jonny Foster Biff Fowler Linda Fowler Alicia Gallagher Dave Glover Kathy Glover Roy Glover Ella Hart Jamie Hope Jean Hope Viv Hope Billy Hopwood Rachel Hughes Perdita Hyde - Sinclair Eve Jenson Ivan Jones Leonard Kempinski Carl King Lexi King Matthew King Max King Rosemary King Sadie King Tom King Emily Kirk Jason Kirk Ross Kirk Lizzie Lakely Faye Lamb Ryan Lamb Paul Lambert Declan Macey Steve Marchant Paul Marsden Siobhan Marsden Luke McAllister Simon Meredith Sandie Merrick Carrie Nicholls Scarlett Nicholls Lord Alex Oakwell Phil Pearce Sam Pearson Val Pollard Hari Prasad Len Reynolds Ollie Reynolds Sean Reynolds Nikhil Sharma Grayson Sinclair Jarvis Skelton Dolly Skilbeck Matt Skilbeck Sally Spode Jo Stiles Steph Stokes Andy Sugden Annie Sugden Jack Sugden Joe Sugden Kate Sugden Katie Sugden Pat Sugden Sarah Sugden Chris Tate Frank Tate Kim Tate Zoe Tate Ashley Thomas Jasmine Thomas Sandy Thomas Tara Thornfield Alan Turner Terence Turner Gennie Walker Jackson Walsh Chrissie White Henry Wilks Shelley Williams Donna Windsor Kelly Windsor Scott Windsor Vic Windsor Dawn Woods Duke Woods Terry Woods Syd Woolfe Amy Wyatt Maisie Wylde Mark Wylde Natasha Wylde Nathan Wylde By year 1972 -- 73 1977 1978 1982 2017 2018 Soap operas in the United Kingdom TV soaps National Coronation Street EastEnders Emmerdale Hollyoaks Scotland River City Wales Pobol y Cwm Rownd a Rownd Medical and emergency services Casualty Holby City Doctors Australian imported ( co-produced in the UK ) Neighbours Home and Away Radio soaps The Archers Home Front Defunct TV 199 Park Lane Albion Market Angels The Appleyards The Bill Brookside Castles Castle Haven The Cedar Tree Compact Crossroads Echo Beach Eldorado Emergency -- Ward 10 Families Family Affairs Family Pride Garnock Way Gems General Hospital The Grove Family High Living London Bridge Machair Market in Honey Lane Miracles Take Longer The Newcomers Night and Day Park Avenue The Practice Quayside Revelations The Royal Today Sixpenny Corner Springhill Starr and Company Taff Acre Take the High Road Together Triangle United ! 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Question: who is the longest serving actor in emmerdale
Answer: Chris Chittell