Emmerdale’s unexpected name change and sweet reason behind it
In 1994 ITV executives decided to re-brand hit soap Emmerdale and change it's name to honour the infamous Sugden family.
Emmerdale was originally named Emmerdale Farm (Image: ITV )
Emmerdale first landed on the small screen back in the 70s and has since gone on to become a staple on ITV. Although after 12 years on air bosses decided that it was necessary to shift its focus and change the title.
Originally it was called Emmerdale Farm – after being based on BBC Radio 4 The Archers. The soap, which is set in the Yorkshire Dales, initially revolved around the Sugden’s.
The programme centred around the family and their rural life on their working far. The unique unit lived in a sprawling house that often attracted lots of drama.
It started out as a three-month serial but after five years of continued success by 1977, the show was awarded a prime-time evening slot across most ITV regions. Honouring the family, producers decided to drop Farm and keep it as just Emmerdale.
Over the past 50 years, there have been several changes within the production team. But in the late 1980s, Emmerdale saw a dramatic storyline which included original cast member Pat Sugden fatally dying.
Emmerdale was created around the original Sugden family (Image: ITV)
In May 1994 the village was renamed Emmerdale from Beckindale in honour of Annie Sugden, who was left in a coma for three months.
It was reported that Helen Weir, who played the character, clashed with executives off-screen which led to her suddenly quitting the show and being written out.
She ended up dating Clive Hornby who was her onscreen husband, Jack Sugden with the couple having a child.
It was later revealed that her decision came from a dispute over the inclusion of her and Clive’s son playing the role of their son Robert on the programme.
In December 1993, Emmerdale received its highest-ever ratings as 18million viewers tuned in to watch a tragic plane crash unfold.
The episode saw an Eastern European airline, which was travelling to Canada and over Britain, burst into flames as it exploded and crashed into the quant village.
In emotional and compelling scenes 250 passengers on board were instantly killed. But nine villagers were included in the total which were: Mark Hughes, Elizabeth Pollard, Archie Brooks and Leonard Kempinski.
Cain Dingle left furious by sister Belle’s revelation (Image: ITV)
As of 2024 Emmerdale generally attracts and pulls in an average of 4 million viewers each week.
Recently fans have been left convinced that Tom King is set to pin a murder Cain Dingle in an astonishing new twist involving his younger sister.
Cain has been left furious from the revelation that his sister, Belle Dingle (played by Eden Taylor-Draper), has been preyed upon by the dastardly Tom (portrayed by James Chase).
