October 1982: "20 Things You Never Knew About Emmerdale Farm"

A "TV Times" souvenir to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary was published in 1982.

The Sun, 9 October, 1982:

Emmerdale Farm celebrates its tenth telly anniversary this month. But did you know that...

1) Seven of the eight original characters are still in the show - Annie, Jack and Joe Sugden, Matt Skilbeck, Sam Pearson, Amos Brearly and Henry Wilks.

2) Originally the series was intended to run for 26 episodes. It has run 750.

3) Frederick Pyne, who plays Matt Skilbeck, spent many years working on real farms in Cheshire and Cambridgeshire.

4) Real beer is served in the Woolpack and Ronald Magill, who plays landlord Amos, admits he has been "squiffy" on set quite a few times.

5) The work schedule is so tight that Clive Hornby, who plays Jack Sugden, once had to leave a hospital bed for filming.

6) The real farm and village for Beckindale have a special contract keeping the locations a secret to keep out sightseers.

7) When farmer Arthur Bell agreed to allow cameras on to his land he expected a few weeks of upheaval. Cameras and canteen caravans are now permanent.

8) Sexy Kirsty Pooley, one-time girlfriend of Frazer Hines, once posed nude for a magazine.

9) Thames TV were swamped with complaints when the same episode was shown twice in London.

10) The homely farm kitchen is just a set in the Leeds studio.

11) Emmerdale's flock of black-faced Masham sheep have won prizes at shows.

12) Filming always takes second place to farming. If a milking scene is needed everone waits for milking time.

13) Toke Townley, who plays Sam Pearson, really does go in for the simple life. He is a non-smoking teetotaller who lives in a Leeds flat and doesn't own a TV set.

14) A country diary kept by Farmer Bell's daughter Christine, was used to add authenticity to the scripts.

15) Frazer Hines and Freddie Pyne are now skilled at farm work.

16) Fans can buy Emmerdale cheese - mild and white - and Emmerdale wool.

17) Andrew Burt, who once played Jack Sugden, is due to pop up soon in Dr Who.

18) A gaggle of geese are special mascots of the cast and crew.

19) Hugh Manning, who plays widowed vicar Donald Hinton, once planned to go into the Church.

20) Real-life drama hit Emmerdale Farm a few years back when the stars' mobile canteen exploded. Three workers were badly burned.