Emmerdale ‘brings back’ three dead legends in packed 10,000th episode next week

Emmerdale is set to pay tribute to a number of its most iconic ever characters as part of a milestone episode next week.

The ITV soap, a staple of UK TV for over five decades, will air its 10,000th episode next Wednesday (May 22) – not bad considering it was only originally commissioned for 26 episodes!

In order to mark the momentous occasion, fans can expect the offering in question to be a celebration of what made the much-loved serial the TV juggernaut that it is.

Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler), as viewers know, is in the process of organising a village fete, which will be the central focus of the special edition of the show.

The community event will be a proper throwback to the days when Emmerdale’s primary focus was more on the community and farming aspect, with less focus on the overly dramatic stories which take centre stage today.

Well, that is except for the subsequent hit-and-run storyline, but let’s not dwell on that right now!

In terms of the fete, a number of local businesses have accepted Nicola’s pleas and got involved in a bid to make the event as memorable as possible while Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) was roped in to assist with the scarecrow making.

The scarecrows, however, might just steal the show, as the three that we know of are uniquely dressed in a bid to pay tribute to legends from the past who are sadly no longer with us.

As can be seen in one of the pictures above, Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) is seen talking to Nicola outside the Main Street cafe ahead and, beside him, is a scarecrow dressed like the legendary Seth Armstrong (Stan Richards).

Seth, as longtime Emmerdale fans will recall, was a firm favourite of the ITV soap for over three decades. The Home Farm gatekeeper is fondly remembered for his penchant for skiving off work, his unlikely friendship with Kim Tate (Claire King) and his romance with Betty Eagleton (Paula Tilbook).

Following actor Stan’s death in 2005, Seth was killed off in the very same year, with the character passing away on a returning plane ride to the UK, which devastated Betty.

Betty, the much-loved busybody who loved nothing more than a good chinwag with her best mates, was a staple of the rural soap for over 20 years, having arrived in the village in 1994.

She really came into her own in the early noughties, however, with her constant gossiping sessions and fun days out with Edna Birch (Shirley Stelfox) a frequent fixture during that time period.

Edna died in 2016 after 16 iconic years in the show, following actress Shirley’s death in 2015. Betty, meanwhile, left the village shortly afterwards, with her character now residing in Australia. Actress Paula died in 2019.

Both characters will also be honoured next week, with scarecrows dressed in quintessential Betty and Edna outfits seen sitting outside the cafe – just like the two stalwarts always did!

What a truly touching tribute.

A stalwart of ITV’s nightly schedule, Emmerdale currently airs six (four half an hour offerings with an double-episode on Thursdays) episodes of drama each week on ITV and ITVX and screening in 7 territories worldwide; Australia, New Zealand, Eire, Canada, Sweden, Finland and the US.

To celebrate the 10,000 episode, Emmerdale has thanked the local community for its endless support by helping with the maintenance of 10000 trees.

Head of Production Nader Mabadi explains how they are swapping the Woolpack for the Woodland: ‘Our Studios and Village are a large part of the community, helping us beam the beautiful Yorkshire Dales to countries across the world, and all of us on the team are grateful to the Leeds and the wider Yorkshire communities for their continued support over the last 52 years of filming Emmerdale in the region.

‘With this in mind we thought a great way to celebrate our 10 000 milestone would be to pay that support forward, by making a sustainable contribution to the local environment in helping with the woodland project near to our village.’

Emmerdale airs its 10,000th episode on Wednesday May 22 at 7:30pm in ITV1 and ITVX.