To be part of a serial drama as iconic as Emmerdale on its 50th birthday is special in itself. What makes it even better is the gorgeous people I get to work with on a daily basis. Dreamy!” Plunkett, John (13 February 2004). "Patsy Kensit joins Emmerdale". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018 . Retrieved 24 November 2018. In 2014, Florrie became an accidental Emmerdale cast member after Katherine was asked to decorate Harriet’s home with pictures of relatives.

Other families followed: the middle-class Windsors in 1993, known as the Hope family after Viv's ( Deena Payne) 2001 marriage to Bob Hope ( Tony Audenshaw), and the ne'er-do-well Dingle family in 1994. [44] 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, Joe Tate returned to the village. In 2018, Kim Tate returned to the village after nearly 20-year absence, and in the following year her son James returned as well. 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 2022, only Donna Windsor's daughter, April, and the Hope branch of the family (Bob and his children, twins Cathy and Heathcliff) remain. [45] Our wonderful cast, crew and production are as one; the humour, the banter, the care and commitment are integral to our success as a programme.” In 2001 with a little 'help' the villagers bid farewell to Kathy. Pictured: (L-R) Tricia Fisher (Sheree Murphy), Marti Pellow and Kathy Glover Malandra Burrows (Image: YTV)Years of Emmerdale: The official Story of TV's iconic rural drama was written by Emmerdale stoyliner Tom Parfitt and is due to be published 29 September 2022.

I am thrilled to be working on Emmerdale again, it's a great show that I have followed for years, with a fabulous cast," the star said of his return to the village. "It has always had a special place in my heart. I had a fantastic time working on the show playing Gavin Ferris, 24 years ago. Chris Chittel plays Eric Pollard, - in the show for 36 years and is the longest serving cast member (Image: AMY BRAMMALL)'Chris has been in the show for 36 years and is the longest serving cast member. Another great character that’s changed and morphed over the years. He came in a bit of a wideboy bachelor, a social-climbing ladies’ man who was always up for a scam, and trying to con people. He went a good 20 years playing that role in the village and then they brought in this long-lost son David, and his stepson Jacob, and he got together with Val, and suddenly, he’s a family man. There’s always Pollard the rogue, but he’s now part of this generational family with these lovely scenes and so identifiable.' Brown, David (28 June 2021). "8 plotlines that will turn Emmerdale's Meena into a top soap serial killer". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021 . Retrieved 7 July 2021.

Even though he’s more the wise old family man these days, everyone in the Dales knows Eric Pollard’s reputation as a ruthless, Scrooge-like conman. On Sunday, millions of fans tuned in to watch the milestone occasion. A major storm hit the village on the day of Kim Tate and Will Taylor’s wedding.

It’s a life-changing experience to work with such a good ensemble team. There are still people involved in the show that I was with on the first day, there are no airs and graces, no one’s above anyone else-it’s the best formula for getting the job done.' Emmerdale SPOILERS: Leanna apologises to Leyla". Entertainment Daily. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020 . Retrieved 25 June 2020.

a b c d "Kevin Laffan". The Independent. 15 March 2003. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018 . Retrieved 27 November 2018. Katherine Dow Blyton, who plays Harriet, recently told Digital Spy and other media: "I'm involved [in the anniversary] because Harriet has once again got herself mixed up with men problems. By 2000, Emmerdale episodes were regularly getting 12 million viewers, and the number of episodes per week was increased from three to five. [12] An ITV talent show, Soapstars, was held in 2001 to cast the new five-member Calder family; the Calders made their debut on the show in November that year, and all members had left by August 2002. [13] [14] In 2004, Emmerdale became the first British soap opera to broadcast six episodes a week. [6] By 2006, Emmerdale was contending with, and at times beating, EastEnders in viewership. [6] In 2007, an hour-long special episode revealing the murderer of Tom King ( Kenneth Farrington) aired; the episode gained an average of 8.6 million viewers, peaking at 9.1 million viewers when Tom's son Carl ( Tom Lister) confesses to the murder. The episode received more than double the amount of viewership EastEnders did. [15] Emmerdale's Soapstar family dumped". CBBC. 9 April 2002. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018 . Retrieved 26 November 2018.

Storylines escalated, too. There had been affairs in the past, but now there were literal rolls in the hay. Duncan Lindsay of the Metro described Meena as "the most unique and entertaining soap villain ever" and admitted that he wanted her to get away with her crimes due to her strong presence on Emmerdale. [78] Many viewers praised Meena, and credited her with being the most interesting part of Emmerdale, while some complained about the violence shown in her murderous scenes, with Ofcom receiving hundreds of complaints about her brutality. [79] Aside from the name, lunchtime slot and bucolic imagery, there was the theme tune, which is the same arrangement but about five times slower, and admittedly, some of the cliff-hangers, compared to today, are rather tame, such as Annie’s best teapot being broken. It was a nostalgia fest, and I think that’s how Emmerdale was perceived for a good while.'

Katie first came in as a bit of a rebel, a bit like Andy, that’s probably why they connected early on,” Sammy, now 36, recalls. “When I got the job, my first thought was, ‘Oh my God! how am I going to live up to the Sugden family’?