Lindley Farm, the exterior location for Emmerdale Farm from 1972-1993, photographed here (by yours truly!) circa 1988.Surprising trends can be discovered when viewing large tracts of Emmerdale Farm episodes...
For instance, wading into 1984, I have been surprised to find a dramatic increase in the show's farming content!
Suddenly, Jackie Merrick (Ian Sharrock) is seen delivering a calf, aided by the Rev Donald Hinton (Hugh Manning) and Henry Wilks (Arthur Pentelow)...
Aborted lambs are being discovered in the fields as a sheep-worrying dog begins visiting the farm - we witness the grim discovery and Jackie burying some of them...
Matt Skilbeck (Frederick Pyne) is teaching Jackie how to be a shepherd in some very lengthy scenes...
And whilst Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby) and Karen Moore (Annie Hulley) dally in their illicit hotel room love nest, Matt and Jackie are discovering that the ram they have brought in for "tupping" might not be up to the job and could be heading (as Matt says) for the "meat pie factory"...
And all this in a few month's worth of episodes - also liberally sprinkled with the usual "out in the fields" and cow shed milking scenes!
