List of Emmerdale Farm characters (1977)

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The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera Emmerdale Farm in 1977, by order of first appearance.

Contents

Dolly Skilbeck

Dolly Skilbeck (also Acaster) first appears on 22 February 1977, played by Katharine Barker. Barker portrayed the role for two years, until it was recast to Jean Rogers, who appeared as Dolly until 1991.

Dolly arrives in Beckindale from Darlington to serve as a barmaid in the Woolpack. She begins a relationship with Matt Skilbeck (Frederick Pyne), and they later get married. She becomes pregnant with his child, but after suffering a stillbirth, Dolly begins working at the village playgroup. The pair later have a son, Sam Skilbeck (Jamie Bell), who is born on 23 December 1982. After becoming pregnant for a third time, Dolly miscarries. It later emerges that Dolly had a son in the mid-1960s, and gave him up for adoption. Her child, Graham Lodsworth (Ross Kemp), later finds her. [1] When Matt discovers that he has inherited Crossgill Farm from the previous owner, Dolly informs him that she wants to move out of Emmerdale. Matt refuses, and they begin to grow apart, resulting in her affair with timber consultant Stephen Fuller (Gregory Floy). Stephen is killed by a falling tree, and Dolly arranges his funeral. [2] Dolly leaves Matt and begins divorce proceedings, and leaves the village in 1991. Dolly and Sam move to Norfolk to join Matt. It is later confirmed that Dolly and Matt have gotten remarried off-screen in 1992.

Donald Hinton

Donald Hinton
Emmerdale character
Portrayed by Hugh Manning
Duration1977–1989, 1993
First appearance25 October 1977
Last appearance28 October 1993
Classification Former; regular
Introduced byDavid Cunliffe (1977)
Keith Richardson (1993)
In-universe information
OccupationVicar
BrothersGavin Hinton
WifeMary Hinton
SonsClive Hinton
DaughtersBarbara Hinton

Donald Hinton, was first seen in October 1977 when he took over as the vicar of Beckindale and moved into the vicarage. His son Clive turned up in early 1978. Hinton married Matt Skilbeck and Dolly Acaster in 1978 and soon became a good friend of the Sugdens. In 1978 he helped in the investigations into a dead body which was found underneath The Woolpack when the boilerman was doing maintenance. Hinton and Mr Moeketski found the skeleton was of a woman who was the ancestor of Sam Pearson.

Hinton returns as a special guest at Annie Sugden's wedding to Leonard Kempinski. This was his final appearance in the show and final visit to Beckindale. He has not been seen or heard from since.

Liz MacDonald

Liz MacDonald
Emmerdale character
Portrayed by Elizabeth Mickery
Duration1977, 1984–1986, 1988, 1990
First appearance24 November 1977
Last appearance3 May 1990
Classification Former; recurring
Introduced byDavid Cunliffe (1977)
Michael Glynn (1984)
Keith Richardson (1986, 1988, 1990)
In-universe information
HusbandJock MacDonald (until 1988)
Daughters Judy MacDonald

Liz MacDonald, played by Elizabeth Mickery is the wife of Jock MacDonald and the mother of their daughter, Judy. Liz appears periodically between 1977 and 1990. Liz builds up a friendship with Dolly Skillbeck and often babysits her son, Sam for her. In 1988, Liz divorces Jock and takes Judy to live with her and makes her final appearance in 1990 when she worries about Jock after Kim Tate's horse kicks him in the head.

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<i>Emmerdale</i> British soap opera

Emmerdale is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale, a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale Farm was first broadcast on 16 October 1972. Interior scenes have been filmed at the Leeds Studios since its inception. Exterior scenes were first filmed in Arncliffe in Littondale, and the series may have taken its name from Amerdale, an ancient name of Littondale. Exterior scenes were later shot at Esholt, but are now shot at a purpose-built set on the Harewood estate.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Turner</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Armstrong</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Archibald Seth Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, played by Stan Richards from 1978 until 2004. The role of Seth began as a temporary "bit part" and he due to appear for just a few episodes, but proved so popular that further appearances were made until Seth became a full-time regular character in the summer of 1980. Seth continuously annoyed the landlord Amos Brearly and later Alan Turner who took over in 1991, who memorably often shouted "Get out Seth!".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Sugden</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amos Brearly</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Amos Brearly is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Ronald Magill. He made his first appearance during the serial's debut episode on 16 October 1972. Amos ran The Woolpack pub and was the village gossip. A double act was later formed between Amos and Henry Wilks, which lasted for 19 years. Amos became known for his bushy sideburns and catchphrase "Nay, Mr Wilks". Magill left the show in January 1991, but reprised the role for several brief appearances until July 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Sugden</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Patricia Ruth "Pat" Sugden is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by actresses Lynn Dalby and Helen Weir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Wilks</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Henry Wilks is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Arthur Pentelow. He ran the Woolpack public house alongside Amos Brearly for nearly 20 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolly Skilbeck</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Dolly Skilbeck is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale. Dolly made her first on-screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 22 February 1977. The character was initially played by Katharine Barker, before Jean Rogers took over the role in 1980. She remained in the role until her departure from Emmerdale in 1991. Dolly is characterised as kind, generous and a homemaker. She is a "townie" from Darlington who arrives in Beckindale to work at the local pub, The Woolpack. Writers quickly developed a romance with Matt Skilbeck. He was a widower and had previously has two children that had died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Skilbeck</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Glover</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Katherine "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.

References

  1. "EastEnders legend Ross Kemp's forgotten soap debut on Emmerdale when he had a full head of hair". MyLondon. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  2. "Violent deaths in the top three soaps: Emmerdale @ Unreality Primetime". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2010.