Amos In 1980

Amos and Mr Wilks in the 1980s.

Click on each illustration for a readable view.

Ah, 1980! The year of Solidarity, Ronald Reagan (his election in the USA did far more to shape the decade than the election of Mrs T in the UK in 1979 - more here), the vexing question of whether we were going to the Moscow Olympics or not, the arrival of the first personal stereos in the UK (costing nearly £100 and known as the Sony Stowaway - more here), the release of the Rubik's Cube, which hit Britain just before Christmas (though in very short supply - more here), the ZX80 (more here) and the craze which caused us all to sit down, do a weird rowing dance and chant "Oops Upside Your Head..."

Pretty average year.

On the telly, we were fascinated by Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World.

Riffling through some old newspapers from 1980, I was interested that various synopsis for Emmerdale Farm indicate that it was a very eventful year for Amos Brearly. Do you know who Enid Pottle, the newcomer to Beckindale that took an interest in his poetry in January, was?

What was causing the strange noises at the Woolpack in March?

Who was Amos' mystery lady in November?

And can you tell me who was the unexpected visitor at the Woolpack in December?

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I was watching at the time, but I've slept since then!

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All material/information about Amos' 1980 "doings" gratefully received!

25 Years Ago - The Way Things Were - Gossip From Beckindale 1983 - Part 2...

TV Times, 19-25 February 1983. The synopsis for the episode of Emmerdale Farm broadcast on 22/2/ reads:

Jackie Merrick seems keen to settle in at Emmerdale. But he soon realises he has much to learn.

What were the details of this storyline?

When Jackie found an old butter churn in one of the outbuildings at Emmerdale Farm, he thought it might make a nice ornament. But Dolly, who was already making her own wool, was fired with the ambition to use it...

Annie exclaimed at the find "It's Granny Sugden's old churn! Where'd you find that?"

She pointed out that if the churn was to be used, it would need a stand.

Jackie set to work without consulting Matt, who happened upon the lad working on the stand some time later. He expressed concern at the lack of proper carpentry joints, and the use of nails instead of screws. But Jackie shrugged Matt's doubts off.

That night at the farmhouse, Pat, Dolly and Matt assembled...

... for the grand entrance of the butter churn, complete with Jackie's new stand.

Jackie gave his audience a brief demonstration...

... and the stand fell apart.

Jackie was furious - after all his work! - but Matt offered to help him make a new stand.

And the following day that's just that what they did.

Unknown to Jackie and Matt, Jack happened upon the scene and was glad to see his son was finally settling in at the farm.

The Emmerdale Farm Knitting Book, 1983

A nice item from 1983 which sometimes turns up on eBay. Good addition to any Emmerdale Farm/Emmerdale collection.

Some interesting facts about the (then) cast are included.

Did you know that Ian Sharrock appeared with Danny Kaye in ATV's production of Peter Pan?

Clive Hornby, the second actor to play Jack Sugden, joined the cast in 1980. He said in 1983: "I knew nothing about farming when I joined the series - but I've learned a lot and realised what a hard life it is."

Cuddlesome Seth Armstrong. Stan Richards had previously appeared briefly in soapland as a councillor colleague of Alf Roberts and Len Fairclough in Coronation Street.

Frederick Pyne helped to raise £25,000 for two hospitals for the disabled, much of it through personal appearances by himself and through arranging them with other members of the cast.

Cy Chadwick, 1987

TV Times, 31 January - 6 February, 1987:

Whilst Nick Bates learns that he has won a university place, Cy Chadwick, the actor behind Nick, reveals some of his background - and his interest in animal welfare.

1980-1985 - Changes At Emmerdale Farm...

The folks at Emmerdale Farm in the summer of 1984.

The first half of the '80s saw tremendous change at Emmerdale Farm, with Jack returning from his travels in 1980, and then marrying Pat Merrick in 1982. This meant that Pat and her daughter Sandie moved into the farmhouse. Young Jackie Merrick rebelled against the notion that Jack was his biological father and didn't settle at the farm. The hot-headed lad landed himself in quite a lot of bother, finally ending up living under the watchful eye of the Reverend Donald Hinton at St Mary's Vicarage.

When sister Sandie announced she was pregnant in 1983, Jackie moved into Emmerdale to keep an eye on her - but shortly afterwards she decamped, joining her father Tom in Aberdeen.

Andy Longthorn, the father of Sandie's baby, was beaten up by Jackie Merrick.

Jackie stayed on, working out his difficulties with Jack.

Sandie returned to the farm after the birth of her baby daughter, which she had had adopted.

Seth Armstrong became a very good friend to young Jackie.

Pat found it difficult to settle to a farming way of life at first, but she was soon wading in, helping out in the fields and keeping a pet goat, Annabelle, which wreaked havoc at the farm and in the village.

Jack was getting into a bit of a muddle with the financial side of things, so Annie asked Henry Wilks to take on the role he'd originally envisaged for himself when Emmerdale Farm Ltd was formed - financial manager. Henry agreed.

Why Jack strayed with Karen Moore from Hotten Market was not easy to explain. He'd set himself against the family with an extragavant purchase of cattle to upgrade his Freisian herd, and Karen lent a sympathetic ear to his problems. And one thing led to another...

Finally, Pat followed Jack to Karen's flat and told him: go home with her or never see her again.

Jack went home with Pat.

Joe meanwhile took up a new career at NY Estates in 1980. But life became increasingly fraught under boss Alan Turner, who arrived in 1982. Romance with vicar's daughter Barbara Peters in 1983 brightened things for Joe, but the problems with Alan were not going away. Finally, Joe took up an offer from NY's managing director, Christopher Meadows, to work at the company's beef operation in France. He hoped to make a fresh start there with Barbara, but she broke off their relationship and went to London. Joe left England but would return to live in Beckindale later in the decade.

Poor Joe - romantic good fortune was never his.

For the Skilbecks, there was one tragedy and two happy events: Dolly suffered a miscarriage in 1980, but, happily, a son, Samuel David, was born to the couple in 1982. The Skilbeck family moved into a two-bedroomed extension at Emmerdale.

The Christening of Samuel David Skilbeck in 1983.

Sam Pearson was aging but agile for almost half of the 1980s. His vegetable plot continued to flourish, he enjoyed a gossip with Amos or a spot of competition with Seth and continued to uphold his Christian way of life.

The era held its sorrows and upsets for Sam - he was greatly distressed by Sandie's pregnancy "out of wedlock", and his grandson Joe's affair with Barbara Peters, the Reverend Hinton's married daughter. Sam and the modern world had been at odds for a long time.

But there were many happy times - including a luxury cruise with daughter Annie which he won in a competition.

Sam died in late November 1984. He retired to bed after a very happy evening - an evening of triumph, which saw his pumpkin win first prize at the annual village show.

The next morning, Annie took him a cup of tea up to his bedroom to find he'd passed away in the night. Sam's loss was keenly felt at Emmerdale Farm and in the village of Beckindale.

As the new year of 1985 dawned, the Sugdens and Skilbecks could only wonder what the second half of the decade held in store for them...

The '80s Were Best!

1983: Annie advises Sandie to tell her mother that she is pregnant.

I've had several e-mails since starting this blog. Thanks to those who have got in touch and for the good wishes. Brian from the Wirral has written:

I'm so glad you're covering Emmerdale Farm from the 1980's. The show was in its prime and it was ceasing to live in the past like it did in the 70's. The 70's soaps got off on nostalgia too much. In the 80's, Sandie's pregnancy storyline reflected the plight of a couple of girls I knew at my comp. school and there were other great storylines. The Jack and Karen scenario was commonplace in the 1970's, let alone the 1980's, so RESPECT to Kevin Laffan's memory, but I don't know why he hated the story so much.

The other side of the coin was the introduction of Al Dixon who took on Walter's role. I always thought he looked sort of striking sitting there at the pub in his cap, but also really funny. Classic! Then there was Caroline Bates and Alan Turner and my hero ERIC POLLARD! the dashing anti hero of Emmerdale. And Amos and Henry were great, as was Seth. And Annie was still cooking on that old fashioned "Aga" stove thing! "Annie's Aga Saga" we called it!

I like reading this because it makes me remember so much. I shall keep reading!

Thanks, Brian. The blog basically covers the 1980s because I have material from that decade, but I am particularly fond of the Emmerdale Farm era from 1980-1987!

The Pub And The Church - Traditional Focal Points Of The English Village...

Amos Brearly is at the pumps whilst the Vicar, the Reverend Donald Hinton, enjoys Woolpack hospitality in the 1980s.

An interesting piece about the unlikely bond between the pub and the church in English villages on the TV Times soaps page, 21-27 September, 1985. Below that, we find an article about Paul Beringer, of Brookside and Albion Market. His part as busker Paul O'Donnell in the Market soap required a violin. Said Paul: "In fact I had to borrow a violin from my girlfriend, Malandra Burrows, who will soon be seen in Emmerdale Farm..."

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More about Albion Market here.

25 Years Ago - The Way Things Were - Gossip From Beckindale 1983 - Part 1...

When Grandad Pearson was presented with fish fingers for dinner, he was not impressed. "I never thought I'd ever see them served up in this house!"

"Now you have," said Annie, rather sternly. "So eat up and stop blethering!"

"To tell you the truth, Annie, I don't know how to start eating 'em," said Grandad.

Jackie stuck in his four penn'orth: "Oh, that's easy - you just pick 'em up and put 'em in your mouth."

Sam was most unhappy: "This is not the way the Lord made fish, lad - that's all I'm saying. I know how to eat fish."

Pat had bought the fish fingers because Sandie liked them, but Sam was adamant...

... fresh fish - and indeed fresh food in general - was best. "That's nowt like fresh food, is there, Annie, eh? It's got a kind of life to it."

Annie made a balancing comment - pointing out that the freezer did have its uses. But Sam was not convinced.

Good News For Mr Wilks

From the TV Times soaps page by Alan Kennaugh, 2-8 May, 1987.

Mr Wilks hears good news from daughter Marian. Arthur Pentelow's portrayal of the good hearted, down-to-earth businessman was one of my favourite Emmerdale Farm ingredients. Friend and business partner of Amos, friend of Annie and mover and shaker at Emmerdale Farm - his contribution to Beckindale life was immense.

Emmerdale Farm 15th Anniversary Special, 1987

A 15th anniversary magazine published by Associated Magazines Ltd in 1987. Lots to read - including a "Who's Who", a farming year review, a range of recipes and even a Beckindale characters' astrology section. This is a great investment for all fans of 1980s Emmerdale Farm, or those interested in finding out more. Copies regularly turn up on eBay.

Relive some '80s storylines - remember the birth of Sam Skilbeck in 1982?

Enjoy some (now) nostalgic photographs...

Old scandal - Joe Sugden and Barbara Peters had the village agog in 1983 and caused much distress for Barbara's father, the Reverend Donald Hinton, vicar of Beckindale.

Joe helped Beckindale win in 1986!

Jackie Merrick fell down a disused mine shaft in 1987. The fall gave him time to ponder the recent past and prepare for his end. This time he survived, however fate decreed that he wouldn't make it out of the 1980s.

Make Seth's cap!

Tragedy For Matt And Dolly...

Soaps, by Marsha Hanlon, TV Times, 23-29 November 1985.

This was the second child lost during pregnancy for Dolly. The first loss had occurred in early 1980 - and had also marked a change of actress in the Dolly role. When she was last seen before the tragedy, she was played by Katharine Barker. When she returned from hospital, Jean Rogers had taken over.

The reason for the 1985 miscarriage lay behind the scenes: actress Helen Weir, who played Jack Sugden's wife, Pat, and was the real-life wife of the actor behind Jack, Clive Hornby, announced she was pregnant after the start of the Dolly pregnancy storyline. It may have been possible to ignore this fact on screen - the 1980s American sit com Kate & Allie got round the pregnancy of actress Susan Saint James with some very creative storylines and camera angles. But the Emmerdale Farm production team opted to write Helen's real life condition into the plot and it was felt only one baby could be coped with on set.

So, tragedy knocked at Matt and Dolly's door.

They say that a miscarriage is a terrible trauma for a woman, but on this occasion I had to wonder how Matt, in particular, coped. This poor man had been positively battered by fate.

He'd already lost his first wife, Peggy - she had died suddenly in 1973. In 1976, the most awful tragedy befell the man when his infant twins, Sam and Sally, and Aunt Beattie, were killed in an accident at a level crossing.

Then, in 1980, came the loss of Matt and Dolly's much anticipated first baby, at an advanced stage of Dolly's pregnancy, and in 1985 their second sad loss.

Despite all this (and being accused of murder in 1986) Matt managed to plod on, sturdy and dependable. Some TV critics declared the character "boring", but, personally, I liked Matt. Life wasn't so frantic in soaps back in those days and Matt fitted the country setting perfectly.

Matt (Frederick Pyne) as he appeared on the front cover of the 1981 "Emmerdale Farm" novel "False Witness".