Monday 27 October 2008

The Emmerdale Farm Who's Who Of The 1980s - Part 1: Changing Times In Beckindale - Changing Cast And Characters

1980 - Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby) - an original character recast




1980
- Dolly Skilbeck (Jean Rogers) - recast





1980 - Seth Armstrong (Stan Richards). Seth first appeared in 1978, but the character did not become a full-time permanent Beckindaler until the summer of 1980.



1980
- Sergeant Ian MacArthur (Martin Dale)




1980 - Pat, Jackie and Sandie Merrick (Helen Weir, Ian Sharrock, Jane Hutcheson) - early characters, recast, and slightly rewritten





1980 - Walter (Al Dixon) - the second Woolpack Walter



Also in 1980... peripheral characters the Longthorn family appeared for the first time. Seth Armstrong became a full-time character - and regular at The Woolpack. By the end of 1980, Seth's appearances were matching those of the long term characters. It was also "hello" to NY Estates workers John Tuplin (Malcolm Raeburn) and Daniel Hawkins (Alan Starkey).


1982 - Alan Turner (Richard Thorp)





1983 - Archie Brooks (Tony Pitts)






1984 - Mrs Bates (Diana Davies)








1985 - Kathy and Nick Bates (Malandra Burrows and Cy Chadwick)




1986 - Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell)




Also in 1986, Phil Pearce (Peter Alexander) - who left his wife for Sandie Merrick - first appeared.

1988 - Sarah Connolly (Madeleine Howard)






1988 - Kate Hughes, with children Rachel and Mark (Sally Knyvette, Glenda McKay, Craig McKay)

1989 - Frank, Kim, Chris and Zoe Tate (Norman Bowler, Claire King, Peter Amory, Leah Bracknell)

Also in 1989: the Whiteley family, Pete (Jim Millea), his grandfather Bill (Teddy Turner) and wife Lynn (Fionnuala Ellwood) were first seen on-screen.

This is a work in progress - and will build into a complete 1980s "Who's Who Of Beckindale". If you want to know who arrived, who left, who died and who lived in Beckindale throughout the 1980s, keep checking the "1980s Beckindale Who's Who" label below!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great work on who's who of the 1980s. Don't forget Denis Rigg of 1988-89 too. Marian Wilks also returned and was recast in the 80s.

Drew said...

Denis, Marian, Emily Brearly, etc, will appear in a section entitled "passing through" as they featured in the show very briefly.

There will also be a section entitled "Always There" (the title is a little tribute to Howards' Way!). Which characters can you think of that were there from New Year's Day 1980 (and before) to New Year's Eve 1989 (and beyond)?

Then, a third section on deaths and departures - Harry Moore to Jackie Merrick.

Drew said...

A wrong answer to the question about wall-to-wall 1980s characters - Amos 1972-1995? No, Ronald Magill left the permanent cast in 1991 and simply made a few guest appearances in later years.

A reader asks were there really three Marians? I'm going on hearsay, and shouldn't really, but a contact informs me that Marian was heard in a telephone conversation with Mr Wilks between the Harrison/Blythe eras and an actress was credited with providing the voice. Is this true? All info gratfully received!