John Jacob "Jack" Sugden is a fictional character from the BritishITVsoap operaEmmerdale. The character was originally played by Andrew Burt from 1972 to 1973 with a brief return in 1976, when the actor left for Italy to write a book. On his return in 1980 he was played by Clive Hornby. Hornby remained in the role until 2008 when he was forced to take a break from Emmerdale due to illness. His last on-screen appearance was on 21 February 2008, and his absence was explained by the character visiting his mother, Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier) in Spain. Although Hornby was intended to return, he died from his illness in July 2008 without returning to the programme. Jack was written out following Hornby's death, dying off-screen of a heart attack in February 2009.
Jacob and Annie Sugden's son Jack is one of the original characters in Emmerdale. The Sugden family were the owners of Emmerdale Farm from the programme's early days. Jack and his younger siblings, Peggy Skilbeck and Joe all worked on the farm.
From the early days, Jack appeared to be a very rebellious and self-righteous character who cared little for others' views. He also has numerous flings with different women and failed marriages, due to his infidelity. Jack is an intelligent and articulate man but shown to keep secrets from his family. As time passed and Jack became a father, he has matured much more. He has firmly secured his roots in farming, which he originally tried so hard to escape from. Jack is still a man of principles and of pride, which can sometimes be his biggest weakness.
Jack was initially played by Andrew Burt, who appeared in over 100 episodes.[1] Burt left the role in 1973 in order to work in the theatre again.[1] Burt reprised the role in 1976.[1] The role was then recast to Clive Hornby, who first appeared as Jack in 1980.[1] Hornby departed the role due to ill health in 2008.[2]
In 1997, Hornby was filming a scene which included Jack pushing a tractor when he got injured. He was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung and spent eight days recovering. Speaking of the incident, Hornby said “It’s all right now but it made me realise that I never wanted to spend eight days again in a hospital."[3]
Storylines
1972–1973
Jack returns to Beckindale on the day of Jacob's funeral. He watches the procession from The Woolpack and wanders around the farm. Following the funeral, Jack meets Marian Wilks and then enters the farmhouse and is met with a frosty reception from his sister, Peggy who resents Jack as he has returned to the village for the first time in eight years without a word and has inherited the farm, which has caused bad feeling between her and their brother, Joe. Jack's mother Annie tells him he is welcome to stay but must help. Later, Jack quarrels with Marian when he finds out her father Henry was a partner in a company that poisoned local fish and suggests it may have been done deliberately. Jack agrees to surrender the farm to Peggy but Annie insists Jack makes the farm work. Jack then takes an interest in an old Millhouse which has a preservation order on it and plans to restore it and later reside there. He also has many a heated discussion with Henry over land access. Wallace, a friend of Jack arranges a meeting between him and a mystery woman named Lynn. Around this time, Marian and Jack become close much to Joe's chagrin. When Lynn arrives, everyone is intrigued. Jack reveals that Lynn is his common-law wife from his time in London.
When Ruth, Tom and their children Jackie, Sandie and Tommy arrive in the village, Jack offers Tom a job as a farmhand but regrets it as Tom is proven to be lazy and fires him. Tom retaliates with blackmail, threatening to tell Marian that Jack is the biological father of his son, Jackie. Tom's suspicions come from Jackie's likeness to Jack, sharing the names John Jacob and knowing of Ruth's past relationship with Jack. Jack refuses to give in and fires Tom. Marian finds out and the Merricks leave.
When Jack comes into some money, the family are suspicious of its source and discover Jack wrote a successful novel while in London. Marian is curious and enjoys the book but is ultimately unimpressed with the sexist views. Jack battles with Henry over a piece of land that Harry Jameson (John Glyn-Jones), an old friend of Jacob's, is selling. Harry tries to get them to increase their offers but Jack knows Harry is desperate and he accepts Jack's offer. He consults a solicitor and has the farm shared between Annie, Joe, Peggy and their grandfather, Sam Pearson (Toke Townley) but Sam, not wanting the responsibility, sells his share to Henry. After Peggy dies in October 1973, Jack returns to London.
1980–2008
He returns in February 1980, vowing to stay for good as he wanted to settle down. Ruth, now calling herself "Pat", returns to the village with Jackie (now played by Ian Sharrock) and her daughter, Sandie Merrick (Jane Hutcheson) after leaving Tom for good and reunites with Jack. During this time, Jackie discovers that Jack is his biological father and takes the news badly and there is an unease between the two. In October 1982, Jack and Pat marry but less than two years into the marriage, Jack begins an affair with local newspaper reporter, Karen Moore (Annie Hulley). Pat finds out and demands Jack chooses between her and Karen and he chooses Pat and they reconcile. In 1985, Pat learns she is pregnant and gives birth to Jack's second son, Robert (Richard Smith), on 22 April 1986. Jack is left devastated when Pat dies in a car crash four months later, leaving him to bring up Robert on his own.
Clive Hornby as Jack Sugden after the recast and when he returned in 1980.
After a lengthy period of grieving, Jack begins dating again when he meets mobile librarian, Sarah Connolly (Madeleine Howard), in 1988; Sarah also becomes a mother figure to Robert. Jackie dislikes Sarah at first and feels she is trying to replace Pat but warms to her thanks to intervention from his wife Kathy (Malandra Burrows). Jack is left bitter and angry when Jackie dies in a shooting accident in August 1989 and Sarah is there for him. The couple move in together in 1990, and Jack often proposes but she keeps turning him down. Sarah falls pregnant in 1993 and gives birth to a daughter in March 1994, Victoria (Jessica Heywood) whose crying wakes up Annie, who had been knocked comatose following a plane crash in which Jack became one of the heroes of the hour by helping rebuild the destroyed Skipdale Bridge. Jack and Sarah marry in May 1994 and in the same month the village is renamed Emmerdale.
Jack faces more grief when he learns of Joe's death in a car crash in Spain in June 1995 and is inconsolable and is unable to attend the funeral due to a bad back. Jack and Sarah's marriage is tested when Jack has a fling with Sarah's friend and Jack's former stepniece, Rachel Tate (Glenda McKay) but they reconcile. The Sugdens adopt Andy Hopwood (Kelvin Fletcher) a school friend of Robert (now Christopher Smith). By the end of the 1990s, Jack and Sarah's marriage is in trouble again when Jack suggests Robert and Andy work on the farm rather than attend school and money problems worsen. They take in a lodger, Richie Carter (Glenn Lamont) and Sarah, feeling neglected, begins an affair with Richie and leaves Jack. Sarah gets custody of Victoria (now Hannah Midgley) and Jack gets custody of Robert and Andy. Andy sets the barn on fire to help Jack claim on the insurance but the plan goes wrong when Sarah is killed and Jack is arrested as the chief suspect. Andy comes clean to Richie about the fire and begs him to change his statement and he agrees, resulting in Jack's freedom.
Jack later begins dating Woolpack landlady Diane Blackstock (Elizabeth Estensen). When Andy discovers Robert (now Karl Davies) is having an affair with his wife, Katie (Sammy Winward), he waits for Robert in his caravan with a shotgun, intending to shoot him but accidentally shoots Jack instead. Having almost died, Jack initially disowns Andy but they reconcile and Jack and Diane plan to marry but she reveals that she had colon cancer and undergoes chemotherapy. The couple married and enjoy a honeymoon in Las Vegas while Diane recovered. Further drama ensues when Jack learns Andy is the father of 15-year-old Debbie Dingle's (Charley Webb) daughter, Sarah, but supports Andy when he said he wanted to be a hands-on father, impressed with how responsible Andy had become. After a revenge attempt against Andy for killing Sarah backfires, resulting in the tragic death of Max King (Charlie Kemp), Jack banishes Robert from the village.
Jack and Diane assume responsibility for Andy's half-brother, Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor), as Jack and Sarah did with Andy a decade earlier. Andy and Daz's father, Billy (David Crellin), is released from prison and returns to Emmerdale much to the ire of various residents, having robbed the Post Office and killed Vic Windsor (Alun Lewis) on Christmas Day 1998. During this time, Billy works to prove he has changed and begins an emotional affair with Diane. Diane, riddled with guilt, confesses and she and Jack separate but later reconcile following Victoria (now Isabel Hodgins) discovering of the truth about her mother's death. Jack visits Annie in Spain in 2008 and remains for several months until Annie informs the family of Jack's death of a heart attack on 5 February 2009, leaving them devastated.
Diane brings Jack's body back from Spain, along with his mother Annie, making her first return to her old home in 13 years. Val (Charlie Hardwick) and Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) arrange his funeral. Jack is buried in the village churchyard. Andy, Daz, Sam (James Hooton) and Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell) are pallbearers. Just before the service, Alan Turner (Richard Thorp) recalls to Betty Eagleton (Paula Tilbrook) a conversation where Jack had told him about the events of Jacob's funeral. Diane reads a letter Jack had written for Andy, Victoria, Daz and Robert during the service, telling them that he loved them and wanted them to live together as a family and reveals that he knew in his last weeks that he would not live to see the village again. Andy breaks down in tears and flees the church. As Jack is laid to rest, Diane places his chequered cap onto the coffin. Andy sees Robert, who is watching from a distance and drives away. Robert leaves a flower on the grave before leaving again. That afternoon, Val put a framed photo of Jack up next to the pictures of Amos and Henry Wilks in the pub. Andy, Diane, Daz and Victoria visit the grave that night to say a last goodbye. As they walk away, Diane looks back and sees a vision of Jack next to the grave. He smiles at her and she smiles back and realises that Jack will always be with her and the children and would be looking down on them.
Reception
A writer from The Daily Telegraph called Jack a "literary-minded farmer forever battling with his younger brother Joe".[4] Craig Jones from LeedsLive called Jack one of the show's "most iconic characters",[2] whilst Rachel McGrath from HuffPost wrote that the character was "much-loved".[5] Rianne Houghton from Digital Spy called him a "legend" and wrote that he was "considered by many to be a good guy" despite his "occasional inter-marital indiscretions".[6]
In October 2016, Emmerdale aired scenes where Robert (now Ryan Hawley) tells his boyfriend Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) that Jack had "leathered" him when Robert was 15 years old after catching him with another boy.[5] This revelation divided fans, with some criticising the show's retcon and debating whether Jack would be capable of that action, as well as accusing the show of ruining the character.[5] However, others praised the decision to revealing a less nice side to Jack and thought it was a bold decision.[5][6] Houghton from Digital Spy did not think that Jack would be abusive and noted that fans were "shocked" and that some were "less than impressed".[6]
Related Research Articles
Andy Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, played by Kelvin Fletcher. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 July 1996. Andy is the son of Billy Hopwood and Trisha Hopwood and the adoptive son of Jack Sugden and Sarah Sugden.
Robert Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. The character originally appeared on the show regularly between 22 April 1986 and 3 October 2005. During that time he was first played as a baby by Richard Smith between 1986 and 1989 before the role was taken over by Christopher Smith from 1989 until 2001. In 2001, Karl Davies took over the role in order for the character to become involved in more adult storylines, as he grew older. Davies briefly reprised his role as Robert for one episode, airing on 10 February 2009, when he returned for the funeral of his father and Emmerdale's longest running character, Jack Sugden. The character returned on 23 October 2014, with actor Ryan Hawley taking over the role.
Clive William Hornby was an English actor, best known for his role as Jack Sugden in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He first appeared in the programme in 1980, and remained in the role for 28 years.
Diane Sugden is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Elizabeth Estensen. Since her first appearance in 1999, she has been involved in several high-profile storylines, including her marriage to Jack Sugden and his subsequent death, a battle with colon cancer, the revelation that her ex-husband Rodney Blackstock fathered her sister Val Lambert's son, being held hostage in a siege at the Woolpack, sleeping with Val's husband Eric Pollard, being involved in a helicopter crash which kills Val, being stabbed by Chas Dingle, and a feud with Chrissie White. In September 2021, it was announced that Estensen had made the decision to take a break from acting and her initial final appearance as Diane aired on 29 October 2021. However, the following year, Estensen returned to the role of Diane for a guest stint from 12 to 20 October 2022 to celebrate Emmerdale's 50th anniversary.
Jo Stiles is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Roxanne Pallett. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 August 2005 and her last appearance on 22 December 2008.
Victoria Sugden is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played since 12 October 2006 by Isabel Hodgins. As a young child, Victoria was played by Jessica Heywood until 1997, followed by Hannah Midgley from 1997 to 2006. Victoria is currently the longest serving female character on the soap. Her storylines have included surviving an explosion which she caused, being put in psychiatric care, being bullied at school, romancing Daz Eden, marrying Adam Barton, accidentally running over Ashley Thomas, coping when Adam goes on the run, falling in love with Adam's brother Matty and being the victim of rape during her night out in April 2019, leading to her pregnancy as a result, giving birth to a son named Harry. And Finding out she has a Long Lost Half Brother called John John.
William "Billy" Hopwood is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by David Crellin. The character made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 July 1997. He was introduced as one of several new characters producers created for the show in 1997. He is the father of Andy Sugden, and his main storyline results in him murdering Vic Windsor. Crellin made a guest appearance as Billy during a 2003 storyline. Billy was reintroduced into the series in 2006 and writers created a redemption story arc for Billy. He then has an affair with Diane Sugden. Crellin made his final appearance as Billy during the episode broadcast on 19 October 2007.
Annie Sugden is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Sheila Mercier as a regular character between 1972 and 1994, with occasional guest appearances in the show after her original departure. Mercier cut back on location filming during the late 1980s and eventually left the serial in 1994 due to the gruelling schedule. Annie was one of Emmerdale's original characters, appearing in its first episode on 16 October 1972 and became the longest serving female character in the series' history. She was the soap's "first matriarch", the maternal force behind the Sugden family, who were collectively one of Emmerdale's main focal points.
Patricia Ruth "Pat" Sugden is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by actresses Lynn Dalby in 1972 and 1974. Helen Weir took over the role when Pat was reintroduced as a regular character in 1980. Pat's main stories are her marriages to violent drunk, Tom Merrick and later Jack Sugden. One of Pat's most prominent storylines involved the reveal of her son, Jackie Merrick being Jack's biological son. Weir and Hornby began a relationship off-screen and later married. Weir became pregnant and writers decided to also make Pat pregnant and she gives birth to Robert Sugden. Producers offered Weir an additional two year contract to remain in Emmerdale but she declined their offer. Weir later revealed that her decision came from a dispute with producers over the inclusion of her and Hornby's son playing the role of Robert. Producers decided to kill Pat off in a car accident story and she made her final appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 August 1986.
Sarah Connolly is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale. She was first played by Madeleine Howard from 1988 until 1994 then by Alyson Spiro from 1994 until 2000.
Joseph "Joe" Sugden is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Frazer Hines. He first appeared on-screen during the soap's first episode broadcast 16 October 1972 and remained in the programme until 1983. After a brief return in the following year, Hines reprised his role on a permanent basis in 1986, a landmark year for the show under Richard Handford. He made his last appearance in August 1994, and subsequently died off-screen the following year. In 2019, Hines confirmed that he would like to return to the soap despite his off-screen death.
Darren "Daz" Eden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Luke Tittensor. He made his first appearance in the show on 9 October 2003. Six years into his tenure on the soap, it was announced that Tittensor had been released from Emmerdale due to a conviction of grievous bodily harm. Following a meeting with the show's bosses, the decision was taken to terminate Tittensor's contract due to the serious nature of the charge and to allow him to focus on the court case.
Matt Skilbeck is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Frederick Pyne. He is one of the series' original characters and made his debut in the first episode broadcast on 16 October 1972. Pyne was interviewed for the role in 1971 and cast the following year. He came into the show with farming knowledge and an expectation that he would only be in it for five years. Matt is a sheep farmer and married to Peggy Skilbeck at the beginning of the serial. Matt is characterised as mild-mannered, honest, and stubborn, although Pyne thought his character was too nice. Following Peggy's death and those of his children, Matt marries barmaid Dolly Acaster. A change in Matt's personality occurs when quarry owner Harry Mowlem makes advances towards Dolly and Matt attacks him, leading to his arrest for Mowlem's murder. Pyne decided to leave Emmerdale in 1989 to pursue work in the theatre. He was unhappy that the writers chose to split Matt and Dolly up, as they had been one of the few remaining happy families in soap at the time.
Sarah Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Katie Hill since January 2017. She is the daughter of Andy Sugden and Debbie Dingle and has appeared since June 2005. Her storylines in the series have included her diagnosis of Fanconi anaemia, her subsequent health struggles following her diagnosis and being involved with drug dealer Danny Harrington.
Kathy Brookman is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Malandra Burrows. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 November 1985. In 2001, new series producer Steve Frost decided to write the character out. Burrows briefly reprised the role in 2005, as Kathy returns for the funeral of Seth Armstrong. She was one of the show's central characters throughout that time.
The Sugdens are a fictional family in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Introduced during the show's conception in 1972, they were the main family for storylines between the 1970s and 1980s and remained as such for many years. The families original unit consisted of widowed farmer Annie Sugden, alongside her children Peggy Skilbeck, Jack Sugden and Joe Sugden. Subsequently these characters went on to produce more generations of Sugdens.
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