Emmerdale Spoiler Pics - 1980s Style!

Back in the 1980s, the process of providing "spoilers" for Emmerdale Farm - and in fact all other soaps and TV programmes was rather different. For a start, the World Wide Web wasn't invented until March 1989 (more here) and not up and running until the early 1990s. So, the Internet was a mystery to the vast majority of us and a very different place to today.

In those prehistoric days, TV companies sent out photographs via snail mail to relevant publications - newspapers and listing magazines, with some blurb pasted to the back giving details of the actors and characters pictured, the programme date, and a little teaser about what was going on. The photograph above shows Amos Brearly embarking on his first story-line of the 1980s, and the blurb on the back read:

FULL ITV NETWORK (except STV/WTV/CHA) Tuesday, JANUARY 8, 1980.

STV Wednesday, JANUARY 9, 1980

WTV/CHA Thursday, January 10, 1980 } times vary, all early evening

Amos turns his hand to poetry in the new series of

"EMMERDALE FARM"

Mine Host at the Woolpack, Amos Brearly (RONALD MAGILL -right), finds the Curate, the Rev. Bob Jerome (RICHARD HOWARD), very non-committal when he presents him with his masterpiece of poetry for the parish magazine. An amusing moment from the opening episode of the new series of Yorkshire Television's dales serial, "EMMERDALE FARM".

A 1987 "spoiler":

EMMERDALE FARM EPISODE 1201 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 12 1987 AT 7 P.M.

It's Seth's birthday and plans are afoot for a surprise party down at the Woolpack. Seth just thinks all the whispering is people talking about him behind his back. But no-one knows how old the errant gamekeeper is - and Seth certainly isn't letting on.

Press contact: Katy Turner (0532) 438283 Ext 3065

1981: A Deaf Man In Beckindale...

In the summer of 1981, a young man called Nicholas Houghton (played by David Gillies) arrived in Beckindale to restore a 9th century cross unearthed in St Mary's churchyard, and to make a plinth so that the cross could be displayed in the church.

The Reverend Donald Hinton was surprised to discover that Mr Houghton was deaf. Nicholas was, however, an expert lip reader, and detected much else via sight. He even knew when the vicarage door bell was rung, due to a brief distracted glance from Donald. When Donald walked up behind Nicholas whilst he was working on the cross in the churchyard, Nicholas turned to greet him, saying he knew he was there because of the shadow the vicar cast on the ground.

At The Woolpack, Amos was fascinated by the visitor, who had saved him from a hefty plumbing bill after repairing a leaking cistern (Amos had already sought to repair it and managed to cause a flood, but that's another story!).

Amos was used as the voice of ignorance in the story-line. He spoke to Mr Wilks about Nicholas:

"I cannot get over it, Mr Wilks - I can't believe as that man is deaf. He seems just like an ordinary human being!"

Henry was perturbed: "Well he is an ordinary human being!"

"I know. Well, I know in't way you mean and I reckon you ought to know in't way I mean, no offence intended!"

"None taken - I was just trying to make..."

Amos broke in and got himself in a verbal twist - as he so often did: "I mean no offence intended to him! By saying what I said, which might 'a' been taken as meaning summat what I didn't mean, but which is true any road, 'cos deaf folk aren't normal, are they?"

"Well, of course they are!" cried Henry. "They can't hear, that's all. You wouldn't say a one-legged man weren't normal, would you?"

"I certainly would! Men are s'posed to have two legs!"

Henry sighed. "Yes they are. But a one-legged man is a perfectly normal man who's just lost a leg, you don't treat him like an idiot because of it, do you?"

"I don't treat anyone that way!" said Amos, highly offended.

Before Nicholas left Beckindale, Donald Hinton spoke to him:

"I suppose there's no way... nothing can be done to get your hearing back? I would like to help."

"To make people understand - that would be the greatest help," said Nicholas. "I'm deaf, yes - I wish I could hear. I wish I could make people understand the way deaf people feel. The kind of world we have to live in. But I'm lucky. I can speak. I can read. I have work. There are far more deaf people that I know of that have none of the compensations I have. If you want to help me, try and make the world understand about them."

1982: The Arrival Of Alan Turner - Saviour Of NY Estates!!

Joe Sugden was setting up a pig unit and expecting his first delivery on Alan Turner's first day at NY Estates in 1982. "So I'm arriving at the same time as fifty pigs, am I? I hope that's not ominous!" said Alan.

The SAVIOUR of NY Estates? Alan Turner?! Well, yes, he was! The NY Estates Beckindale operation would have been wound up in 1982 if it hadn't been for our Mr T! The show's production team felt that the NY story-line had run its course and it was time for changes.

Richard Thorp expected to be in Emmerdale Farm for six months:

"But I got such a rapport going, first with Stan Richards as Seth Armstrong, and later with Diana Davies, who played Alan's secretary, Mrs Bates, that the powers that be liked it and kept it."

Of course, NY Estates was gone before the end of the 1980s - but Alan Turner remains in Emmerdale to this day!

1981: Mr Wilks - The Red Indian!

Dolly Skilbeck took her role as head of the Beckindale playgroup very seriously, and had no hesitation in going to Henry Wilks, who had become parish councillor for Beckindale in 1981, when it seemed maintenance was needed at the village hall, where the playgroup was held.

The rent the playgroup paid, which hadn't been raised in years, was increased slightly and some of the major work was carried out. But Dolly still wasn't happy. When a little girl scraped her knee slightly on a nail sticking up out of the floor, Dolly determined to get Henry on-side. The general opinion in Beckindale was that the village was not getting a fair deal out of the rates - in comparison to larger places like Hotten.

Dolly invited Henry to spend some time at the playgroup. At first he was sceptical: children did scrape their knees, and the hall looked fine to him. He spent several hours at the playgroup, getting involved in face painting and reading stories to the children. By the end of it, he was so taken with the playgroup and the children that, although he still didn't see why Dolly was so up in arms, he vowed his support to her.

Dolly was very pleased with herself for seeing the issue through, and even more so when money was provided to carry out the repairs.

Mr Wilks left the playgroup in a great hurry on the day of his visit, realising that he would be late back at The Woolpack, and not wanting to incur the wrath of Amos.

But laughter not frowns greeted his arrival at the pub: he's forgotten to remove his face paint and head dress!

Arthur Pentelow at the Corner Shop, Esholt, in the 1980s. Always a tempering influence on Amos (particularly necessary during Amos' manic-to-the-max '80s era), Mr Wilks was one of Beckindale's best-loved villagers, and a huge favourite with viewers of Emmerdale Farm.

Roxy Music - Some Things Last Forever - At Least In Soapland...

Archie gets funky to Roxy in 1984.

Picture the scene: it's the late 1970s and Suzie Birchall and Gail Potter of Coronation Street are working at Mike Baldwin's fashion shop, The Western Front. Mike wanted teenage girls to staff the shop as he thought they would, hopefully, know what the punters were "in to".

Oddly, Gail and Suzie often used to play severely out-of-date music, like Roxy Music's early '70s stuff, in the shop. Not something I ever heard when Sue, my older cousin, dragged me around real fashion shops in the late '70s...

Picture the scene: it's the mid-1980s, the setting is Tarrant, home of the boating saga Howards' Way, and local teens, wearing very "trendy" ripped clothes are having a boogie... to early '70s Roxy Music. That never happened at any disco I attended back then! (Incidentally, they followed it by hoofing it up to mid-'80s Robert Palmer - PURLEASE!!)

Picture the scene: it's Howards' Way, a fashion shoot, and the background music is a Bryan Ferry track from the mid-1980s...

Picture the scene: it's Beckindale, December 1984, and Archie and the local teens are listening to a Roxy Music compilation LP, including early '70s groover Love Is The Drug, and 1980 sensation Midnight Hour.

Picture the scene: it's the next day at Emmerdale Farm and Jack Sugden is doing the farm accounts and listening to the radio, which just happens to be belting out Roxy Music's 1980 hit, The Same Old Scene.

Picture the scene, it's Tarrant again...

I won't go on. But Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry tracks seemed to crop up an awful lot in our '70s and '80s serials. Much as I love the group and Mr F, and aware as I am that the group and Bryan Ferry as a solo artist had chart hits from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, they seemed to crop up more than was natural, particularly when it came to scenes involving teenagers - who might more realistically have been listening to The Fall or the latest synth epic.

I know there were copyright issues and Emmerdale Farm in the 1980s did make an effort to be modern, including snatches of Party Fears Two, Like To Get To Know You Well, various Sade hits, and Relax. I suppose Roxy/Bryan Ferry must have had an arrangement with UK telly producers which made their music an attractive proposition, but the band's back catalogue cropping up in two separate scenarios in one episode of Emmerdale Farm in 1984 did seem to be straining credibility more than a little!

"Ooh, Jack, not this bunch again - let's switch it off!"

Amos: When True Love Was Crushed By A Crushed Ukulele

Was Amos ever in love as a young man, asks Cerys? Well, yes, perhaps! Of course, he asked Annie Sugden to marry him in an early episode, but that was purely for practical reasons - and he wasn't exactly young at the time. However, in 1982, he revealed a tragic story to Mr Wilks...

"I might 'a' married Gillian Partridge. Aunt Emily thought I should 'a' done."

"Who were Gillian Partridge?" asked Mr Wilks.

"Oh, very talented, Mr Wilks, very talented!" said Amos. "You've not seen her like this side 'a' Bridlington!"

"Mmm, sounds very impressive - what did she do?" asked Mr Wilks.

"George Formby impersonations," said Amos.

"Oh dear!" Mr Wilks began to chuckle. Even Walter was smiling. But then neither was what you might call sensitive.

"She'd 'a' won that talent contest - if Uncle Arthur 'adn't sat on her ukulele!" continued Amos. "It were all his fault. He ruined what were likely to be a very fruitful relationship!"

And so, it seems, Amos' youthful dreams of romance were crushed.

Just like Gillian's ukulele.

Sheila Mercier - In Appreciation

Sheila Mercier as Annie Sugden made a brief return to Emmerdale as a tribute to Clive Hornby last week. And for fans of Emmerdale, new as well as old, it was a great pleasure to see her on-screen. From being parched for a cup of tea, to fixing Eric Pollard with a glare, and talking good sense to her family, Annie was as wonderful as ever. And it was good to see her with Richard Thorp - now the longest running regular cast member as Alan Turner (I've just been watching his debut episodes from 1982 - seems like yesterday!).

Many thanks to Sheila. Her appearance was a tremendous tribute to Clive Hornby, and a great treat for us viewers.

Tim Fee To Retire

Timothy J Fee began work on Emmerdale Farm as unit manager in 1988, then became Production Supervisor. In the 1990s, his job title was upgraded to Production Controller. He was given the new title of "Line Producer" in February 2002. Here's a brief Emmerdale Tim Timeline:

1988: Begins work on Emmerdale (Farm) as Unit Manager - Sheila Mercier mentions this as his original job title in her autobiography, Annie's Song (1994)

1989: Tim is listed as "Production Supervisor" in the closing credits of a November episode I have on disc.

1994: Sheila Mercier refers to Tim's role as "Production Supervisor" in her autobiography.

1996: Listed as "Production Controller" in the closing credits of several episodes I have on disc from that year.

February 2002: Job title changed to Line Producer - discovered on-line:

Yorkshire TV executives have also announced that Tim Fee, Emmerdale's production controller is being given the new title of line producer to recognise even more fully 'his importance to the smooth running of Emmerdale'. 'As anyone who works on Emmerdale knows, Tim is at the heart of all that goes on there and played a key part in the smooth transition to five episodes a week,' says John Whiston.
...
Says Tim, who has worked on Emmerdale for 12 years: 'I'm thrilled to be supporting Steve in his new role and look forward to even more Emmerdale success, after taking the show to five-times-a-week with Kieran.' 'With the combination of Tim and Steve both Keith and myself are not just confident but excited about the future for Emmerdale and know that we've got a great team to take the show on from the excellent state that Kieran left it in,' says John Whiston.

http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Fee_Tim_32935649.aspx

(scroll down!)

Sheila Mercier wrote fondly of Tim in her autobiography, Annie's Song (1994):

"He has such a sunny disposition that it rubs off on everyone."

From all of us here at The Beckindale Bugle, we wish you a long and happy retirement, Tim!

The Funeral Of Jack Sugden - Farewell To An Emmerdale Favourite

Click on image for details. Clive Hornby debuted as Jack Sugden on 19 February 1980. The character's funeral will be featured in this week's episodes of Emmerdale on ITV1. See all our Clive Hornby/Jack Sugden information here.

1980: Clive Hornby - First Scenes As Jack Sugden

With the funeral of Jack Sugden to be featured in Emmerdale next week, and Sheila Mercier making a brief return as Annie Sugden, I've had several enquiries about Clive Hornby's debut as Jack back in 1980. So, I've opened my 1980 folder and discovered these pics and details.

Clive's first scene as Jack was outside the farm.

He took a long look at the exterior of his family home, and then made his way to the kitchen door...

Jack's grandfather, Sam Pearson (Toke Townley), answered the door and, with a wink at Jack, said:

"Oh, Annie, it's the man from the travelling library!"

"Eh? They're not coming round door-to-door now, are they?" Annie was highly puzzled.

"Just trying to encourage more people to read, Mrs Sugden!" said Jack, stepping over the threshold.

Annie was delighted: "Jack! You're early! You were gonna phone! I was gonna come to meet you!"

Jack: "I 'ad to walk it, Ma."

Annie: "Oh! Nothing's ready, you know!"

Sam: " 'Course it is! Been ready for ages!"

Annie: "I didn't expect you to walk in like that! Oh, it's good to see you! You look well, I'll say that for you. Welcome home, lad!"

Sam: "Aye, welcome back, lad!"

More to follow on Jack's funeral at the weekend. In the meantime, for all those interested in Clive Hornby's opening decade as Jack Sugden, please look at our 'Jack Sugden' label here.

A Warm Welcome At The Woolpack...

The title banner from The Hotten Courier, official YTV publicity information, May 1st 1986. Fiction jostled with fact as the YTV version of The Courier, which was of course based on the fictitious newspaper featured in the series, covered news from the TV programme - cast characters, production team, etc - and was not focused on the unreal world of Beckindale. And yet it contained advertisements, just as the fictional Courier might do, for those arch rival hostelries - The Woolpack and The Malt Shovel - it even included the telephone numbers: The Woolpack's was Beckindale 828 and The Shovel's Beckindale 808!

"There's always a warm welcome at The Woolpack"...

Hmmm...

Yes...

I see what they mean...

Walter enjoys a Woolpack warm welcome.

The Woolpack, with Amos as landlord, was never the most convivial place: in the first eight years of the show, Amos was dour and sour, a gossip and given to puffing himself up like a peacock. Who wanted to spend the evenings with the likes of him and pay for the privilege?!

In 1980, Ronald Magill took Amos up to a new peak - he became less dour, but louder, more animated, more fad-ridden, more pompous, more prickly, more nosey... more everything! The old Amos could display sound commonsense at times. The '80s Amos was usually absolutely bonkers! I believe that the arrival of Seth Armstrong as a full-time Woolpack regular, plus the arrival of Al Dixon as Walter, and Amos gaining an allotment - all events of 1980 - contributed enormously to Mr B's increased oddness.

But he was a sweet, innocent soul underneath. I suppose that's why we loved him.

Why No Alan Turner?

Our Mr Turner enjoys a nice cuppa in 1986.

Hassan asks: Why no Alan Turner in your 1980 and 1981 reviews so far?

Because he didn't arrive in Beckindale until March 1982, Hassan. Apparently, the plan was to feature the character for a few months, then NY Estates was to pull out of Beckindale and Alan would leave. But, of course, his on-screen rapport with Stan Richards as Seth Armstrong ("GET OUT, SETH!") and a certain child-like vulnerability about Mr Turner's character, coupled with a warm smile and twinkling eye, ensured that the character stayed on. No cardboard villain, this!

There is quite a lot of Alan Turner material on this blog - click here - and I have prepared a little chart of 1980s NY Estates managers below.

Jackie Merrick - Out Of Fashion?

Cerys writes:

Jackie Merrick must have been one of the most out of date teenagers in England in the early 1980s! He seemed to have hardly any clothes, and those that he did have, particularly those dreadful patched flares, made him look like he was off to Woodstock in 1969 - or to a tramps' convention! And yet he was into modern bands like Adam and the Ants!

Sandie ran him pretty close for the first couple of years. I know that Pat was hard-up, but no working class teenager I knew would have been seen dead in the clothes Jackie and Sandie wore in the early 1980s! If teenagers had actually been playing the roles, I'm sure they would have protested!

I see what you're saying, Cerys. I think the "Woodstock" flares stood out like a sore thumb when Ian Sharrock played scenes with other young male characters in their fashionable narrowed legged trousers post-1980. But to be fair, Jackie was mainly using the flares for work at that time. Meanwhile, Sandie seemed to be making an effort at fashion by late 1981 - and, let's face it, flares were still very common in 1980. They had been cutting edge in the late 1960s, stagnated in the 1970s, and there wasn't much dosh around for splashing out on new gear in the early 1980s.

A pal of mine recently watched a documentary about the football scene in 1980. Included was footage of fans queuing for a match and my friend tells me it looked like "Attack Of The Flaredy People"!! The queue was literally knee-deep in them!

Pat was financially hard-pressed, as you say, and the Emmerdale Farm wardrobe department was not exactly up-to-date (teenager Rosemary Kendall was not exactly a thrilling dresser in the mid-1970s). I was just glad to see some permanent teens in the show. And, hey, Jackie was making a bit of an effort for his courting of Angie Richards in 1983 - he took her for a drink at the ultra-trendy Woolpack and actually pushed up his coat sleeves - a very fashionable thing to do!

Emmerdale Farm - The Novels!

I've had a couple of enquiries about the Emmerdale Farm novels. These were published from 1977-1989, and written first by Lee Mackenzie and then by James Ferguson. The first novel was called The Legacy, and the last Wives And Lovers.

Additions to the series were usually advertised on ITV directly after an episode of Emmerdale Farm: "The latest Emmerdale Farm novel, Wives And Lovers [and so on], is now available." The screen capture above is from 1989.

The 1980s AND The 1990s?

1984 - Amos is furious that Walter has been sneaking off to The Malt Shovel; 1994: Jack Sugden surveys the devastation after the plane crash which ended 1993.

I've had an e-mail from Karl:

I love your blog - it's informative, fun and packed with great pictures. Would you consider extending the Beckindale Bugle to cover the 1990s, as well as the 1980s? It would be great to see these two wonderful Emmerdale decades here.

I'd love to, Karl, but I didn't see a great deal of Emmerdale in the '90s for various reasons. The Bugle is written out of affection for the 1980s era in the show, which gave me lots of viewing pleasure.

Still, there's no doubt that the 1990s were a fascinating decade in the show. How about starting a 1990s Emmerdale blog yourself?

Thanks for your kind words about The Bugle. There's much more to come as we put 1981 and 1984 under the spotlight.

1981: The Sheep Shelter

Jack was not happy when Matt suggested buying a sheep shelter from Clifford Longthorn. He wanted to invest money in starting organic farming at Emmerdale, although Joe was in opposition and the other members of the household had misgivings. Jack was even more disgruntled to discover that Matt had been to see Henry Wilks to discuss the financing of the shelter. Matt had seen the shelters in action on a visit to Smithfield in 1980, and been highly impressed.

"Matt, not another new fangled gadget, eh?" groaned Grandad Pearson.

"Oh no, Grandad, it's just a shelter for sheep, that's all," said Dolly.

Grandad was not convinced of the need for such a thing: "Well, they never needed shelters in my day!"

"Ah, but they did, they just didn't 'ave 'em, that's all!" said Matt. "They save a lot of money in lost lambs, do them shelters."

"Aye, Matt, well, we did lose a lot in the old days - especially in a bad winter," Grandad conceded.

Jack was still not happy.

Then Matt dropped a bombshell: asked where the shelter would go, he announced: "I've thought about that. There's only one place that it can go."

"Where's that?" asked Joe.

"Well, it's got to go round the back for a start," said Matt. "And it's got to go on well-drained land. I mean, that bit of land has got the right gradient. There's no other land round the back there that's really flat enough. "

"Well, which bit of land?" asked Joe.

"I don't really like to say..." Matt was looking very uncomfortable.

"Come on, Matt," urged Annie.

"Grandad's vegetable patch," said Matt.

Grandad was most unhappy. When Dolly asked how he was a day or two later, he bellowed: "Nobody round here takes any notice of my feelings anymore!"

He was promised another patch, but still felt he was being ill treated.

The rest of the family, and Henry Wilks, backed Matt's sheep shelter plan, but Jack - who was still fixed on the idea of investing in organic farming, tried to stall things. When Matt showed him a photograph of the shelter, he announced its appearance wouldn't fit in with the existing buildings.

Matt did not understand Jack's view of farming at all sometimes: the sheep needed the shelter - aesthetics didn't come into it!

As the days passed, Annie grew increasingly annoyed with her eldest son. Until, realising that her intervention was needed, she decided to take action.

Jack was feeling misunderstood - but was convinced he knew best:

"We're still spending too much on concentrates. I'll be glad when I can cut back on them and start using the grass better. Of course, it'll take time. The others don't really understand the principles involved. You can lead a horse to water, but if he thinks he can do without it..."

"I wish you could hear yourself talk, Jack - if only you knew what you sounded like!" cried Annie.

"What?" Jack was puzzled.

"You really do think you're the only person around here with any sense, don't you? You've been carrying on on this farm as if you owned it!"

"I haven't, Ma!"

Annie ignored him: "Well you don't own it - just remember that! I'm getting so fed up of you and your grandad behaving as though you're the only two people that matter!"

"It's not me I'm talking about - it's the farm!" said Jack, startled.

His mother glowered: "We agreed on this sheep housing for Matt, didn't we?"

"Aye. I've not forgotten that."

"No, but you're ignoring it - you're putting it off, hoping he'll forget the whole thing. Well, he won't forget it and neither will we. You can think we're a lot of idiots if you like for not understanding your farming principles, but let me tell you this: Matt knows more about sheep farming than you'll ever know. He's more expert in his field than you, with or without book learning!"

"I know that, Ma, but..."

Annie bulldozed him: "Happen you do! And happen that's why you're being so pig headed about letting him have his sheep house!"

"Oh, that's not fair, Ma..."

"Then why hasn't he got it? It's been over a week since we decided!"

"I don't mean to be pig headed. I know Matt's good at his job. Oh, he's a bit slow sometimes..."

Annie rose from her chair, furious.

"No, I didn't mean it, Ma!" Jack was shaken.

"All right, go and talk to him!"

"Aye, I will..." said Jack, playing for time.

"GO ON!!" cried Annie.

"What, now?!"

"No point in holding back!"

Jack scuttled for the door: "I'm going!"

Annie watched her eldest son scuttle out of the kitchen, like some daft little lad, her face stony.

Then she turned...

... and burst out laughing!

Jack sought out Matt and soon Matt was smiling.

The sheep shelter went up.

Matt was thrilled with it. He showed Grandad the ventilation system: "You can have a howling gale blowing outside, and in here all you get is fresh air!"

Later, Annie asked Sam about the loss of his vegetable patch: "You're not too upset, are you, Dad?"

"No, of course I'm not, love!" said Sam. "He's a good lad - and to see him running around like a spring lamb is worth any amount of vegetable gardens! Mind you, as long as I have another one as good!"

"What do you reckon, Dolly?" asked Matt.

"Seven!" said Dolly.

"Eh?!" Annie was puzzled.

"I've been counting up how many times he's said 'What do you reckon, Dolly?'!" grinned Dolly.

A hay fight broke out between the Skilbecks, and Matt chased Dolly to the nearby barn...

... where Mr and Mrs Skilbeck indulged in a quick kiss and a cuddle - both well pleased with the outcome of the sheep shelter affair - and with each other.

Freddie or Frederick?

Yasmin has written:

I've read that Frederick Pyne is sometimes referred to by friends as "Freddie". How was his name listed in the closing credits of Emmerdale Farm?

As Frederick, Yasmin.

I hope the 1981 screen capture above will bring back some happy memories of Frederick Pyne and Jean Rogers as Matt and Dolly - they were two of the audience's favourite characters in the 1980s. And that included me!

Click on one of the labels below for more information.

The Beckindale Bugle Review Of 1981

E-mails: Seth's Sons And Screen Caps Of Beverley Callard

McDuff enquires:

I've been reading that Seth Armstrong had two sons, Fred and Jimmy. Do they appear in the 1980s?

Fred does, briefly. I'll be writing more about that soon, although I don't recall seeing Jimmy!

Mark W writes:

PLEASE some larger screen caps of lovely Beverley Callard in her 80's Emmerdale gear!

Here's a publicity pic I prepared for one of my other blogs! I'll upload some more Beverley Callard/Angie Richards screen caps as soon as possible.

Am I A Fan Of The 1980s Walter?

Are you a fan of Al Dixon's Walter (1980-1985) asks Laura, via e-mail?

I loved that character, Laura - one of Emmerdale Farm's '80s and in fact all-time greats.

When Walter was in The Woolpack, with Amos chuntering on at him, all seemed right with the world!

Read The Bugle's Walter information here.

1983: Beverley Callard In Emmerdale Farm!

Beverley Callard (then Beverley Sowden) made her soap debut in Emmerdale Farm in 1983. She played Angie Richards, a chip shop cashier, who was briefly Jackie Merrick's girlfriend. She had big hair. She wore pixie boots... and she was a little too modern for Beckindale.

The relationship was doomed to failure. The couple had nowhere to be alone together - Angie, who was older and more experienced than Jackie, ended up taking his virginity on the parlour sofa at Emmerdale Farm in the dead of night - although Jackie bluffed that it wasn't his first time.

Annie Sugden suspected what Jackie had been up to under her roof, and he was strongly reprimanded.

Soon, Angie was calling the whole thing off. This led to an altercation at the local disco: as True by Spandau Ballet played in the background, jealous Jackie almost came to blows with Angie's new boyfriend.

Jackie cooled it, and Angie disappeared from his life.

In 1989, Beverley Callard appeared in Coronation Street as Liz McDonald, wife of big Jim, and mother of Steve and Andy - and more permanent soap stardom was hers.

UPDATE: I've had several comments and e-mails pointing out that Beverley also appeared as June Dewhurst in Coronation Street in 1984. Many thanks to all those who have written.