50 Years of Emmerdale: The official story of TV's most iconic rural drama

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In 2014, the Dingles, Bartons and Whites were the central families; the Bartons are a farming family, and the Whites owned Home Farm.

The Bear actor’s turn for Calvin Klein has ignited wide debate across the ad industry’s favourite social media channel: LinkedIn. The first episode aired on 16 October 1972 at 1:30 pm, and began with the Sugden family convening in the fictional village of Beckindale for the funeral of a relative. The production team had continually had issues with the fictional village's geography, but they found that the plane crash allowed them to introduce a village that had continuity.Richardson produced the programme for 24 years, overseeing its transformation from a minor, daytime, rural drama into a major prime time UK soap opera. Emmerdale has gripped viewers for half a century and is marking that milestone with a special episode tonight. Emmerdale fans have been left reeling for all the right reasons after getting a hint at what's to come during the show's 50th anniversary celebrations next month.

With this gift, the recipient will be able to use their voucher to step into the heart of their favourite soap for an unforgettable guided journey behind the scenes on the live working production set while also meeting a beloved mystery cast member at the same time!The series is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. The special programme will air exactly 50 years to the day since the ITV soap first appeared on screens in 1972 on Sunday, October 16.

The theme tune devised by Tony Hatch of Crossroads and Neighbours fame introduced viewers to the Sudgen family of the farm and those they interacted with around the village. The familiar village is littered with branches, debris and rocks, as trees sway in the heavy wind - while it's not yet known how much damage is caused to the area. Home Farm is a mansion in Emmerdale; it was first introduced on-screen as Miffield Hall in 1973 and was renamed in 1978.From 6 January 1988, all ITV regions networked the show in the 6:30 pm slot, but two years later, the transmission time reverted to 7:00 pm, still twice weekly. By 2018, most of the Dingles still remained, having actually increased their numbers in Emmerdale over the years. It's also been revealed there could be multiple deaths during the big storm week, as one cast member teased more than one funeral - while no details have been announced by ITV. 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. Explore the stunning Emmerdale Village as you visit the outdoor set where episodes of your favourite soap are brought to life.