Post by tomsgirl on Dec 5, 2007 20:54:43 GMT 1
We celebrate 35 years of farming, fighting and with Emmerdale stars Lucy Pargeter, Linda Lusardi & Sammy Winward.
Britain's rural soap opera reaches its 35th anniversary on Tuesday night with an hour-long special, and it promises to be as explosive as ever.
Victoria Sugden, convinced that her father Jack was behind the fire that killed her mother Sarah seven years ago, decides to seek her revenge. Dousing the family home in petrol and holding up a lighter, she demands he own up or she'll set the place on fire. However, she's accusing the wrong relative. As Jack and Andy Sugden tackle the flames, will history repeat itself with another fire fatality?
As well as a staggering 69 deaths in its 35-year history, Emmerdale has also celebrated 21 births & 43 weddings. One man who has seen all of Emmerdale's most powerful episodes is Keith Richardson. Having worked on the soap since the very first episode in 1972, he is now the Controller of Drama for ITV Yorkshire and is still involved in the show.
I remember everyone was very c Emmerdale Farm, as it was then knowit was a daytime soa there wasn't a lot of drama around in 1972"We were supposed to be TV's answer to The Archers so
it had very gentle storylines that focused on farming.We thought it was just going for 13 weeks long at first but then it just took off.
Emmerdale's longevity is down to its ability tc with the times. To compete with their rivals Coronation Street and EastEnders, Emmerdale went through a radical makeover, Keith explains.
"It clawed its way up the sched daytime to its current 7pm prime! Then, in 1989, we dropped 'Farm' title and made it more about the community than farming and the animals. We swiftly in to more dramatic stories like the plane crash in 1993 was certainaly a landmark in our history and a turning point for the soap."
''I certainly didn't think I would still be involved 35 years on!" he adds. "I'm glad we are and it's thanks to our great storylines."
Here, three of Emmerdale's most glamorous girls talk about their favourite episodes and Keith Richardson gives us his personal top 10.
Lucy Pargeter-
Chastily Dingle since 2002 -
''My first scene in Emmerdale was vile. Such is Dingle's life, Chas was actually hired by her dad to strip for her cousin Marlon on his stag do! It was a great initiation in to the soap. I had go into the Woolpack and take my clothes off! I think I said, 'Hi, I'm Lucy the new girl and I am in my underwear!' It was embarrassing to do it & everyone was very supportive about it."
Sammy Winward
Katie Sugden since 2001-
''One of my biggest storylines was the love triangle between my character Katie, her husband Andy Sugden and his step-brother Robert in 2004. The affair had been building up
for a good while and she even got married to Andy while conducting the affair. It was good fun playing someone who had two brothers on the go! The episode where it was all revealed
was very tense. There was also a scene a few weeks later where Andy finally exploded and decided to shoot his brother, but hit his dad Jack instead."
Linda Lusardi
Carrie Nicholls since 2007-
''It's been great working in a soap that I've been watching for a very long time. I particularly enjoyed my first scenes in the show when Carrie appeared at the funeral of Tom King, but none of the King boys knew who this mystery mourner was. And then it turned out she was the mother of his secret teenage daughter, Scarlett, and was after her share of his money! She's out for number one but she does have a heart beneath it all, I think."
''For my first
scene I had to go
into the Woolpack
and take my
clothes off''
Lucy Pargeter
From The daily Express magazine dated 13th October 2007.
Emmerdale's top tales
We asked ITV Yorkshire's Controller of Drama, Keith Richardson to name his favourite episodes.
Jacob Sugden's funeral
(1972)
"I was on set for the very first episode of Emmerdale as the first assistant director. I remember having to lie on the floor of the hearse that was carrying Jacob Sugden's [Jack's dad] coffin and instructing the driver to go slower or faster. The Sugdens were our main family from the very start and they're still going strong today with Jack, Diane, Andy and Victoria."
The plane crash (1993)
"This episode is my personal highlight. We spent about £1 million filming this storyline, but it was spectacular as you saw flaming wings and whole farmland going up in smoke. It drew in an audience that is still with us today. However, the cast went I through absolute hell in the two weeks we filmed it as all the drama happened at night time. It was freezing cold and, in some instances, I they were up to their waists in icy water helping to drag I the wreckage out of rivers."
Frank Tate dies of a heart attack (1997)
"This was as much about giving Frank Tate a dramatic exit as it was about making Kim Tate the bitch of the century! She left him floundering on the floor after an argument, which made particulary nasty.''
Billy Hopwood shoots Vic Windsor (Christimas 1998)
"Everyone was across the road in the Woolpack when Vic Windsor was closing up the post office and then shot by Billy in a raid. It was half accidental. We try to avoid showing people being unpleasant!"
Butch Dingle marries Emily on his deathbed (2000)
"This story really worked for me because I think the audience like the sentimental stories, especially with comedic characters like Butch having such a tragic end. They were two people who were destined to be together, but the lorry accident only gave them an hour to make something of their relationship."
Louise kills her stalker (2002)
"Ray was Louise's boyfriend, but he started to stalk her so she would turn to him for support. I liked how Ray's controlling character was built up and everyone was just rooting for Louise to find out the truth. When she did, she acted in self-defence as she smashed the vase on his head to get away from him, but he ended up falling down the stairs and dying."
Trisha Dingle dies in a storm (2003)
"We created a lot of pathos around Tricia before the chimney fell on her in the storm. She was on the phone trying to get a taxi to get her out of the village after her husband, Marion, had cheated on her while at the same time reading a love letter from him, detailing 101 reasons why he loves her. She was terrific doing these scenes and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when she died."
Zoe Tate blows up Home Farm (2005)
"That was a fairly standard explosion compared to everything else we had done! Zoe had just sold Home Farm to the Kings who conned her into selling it, so she wired the whole place up. When they first entered the house and turned on the light, it blew up and they had to spend quite a bit of money fixing it up again. If you have to sell your house and you don't like the buyer, why not?"
Sadie and Cain's exit (2006)
"Sadie thought she was double-crossing Cain, when it was the other way round. They plotted to kidnap Tom King to get some ransom money and planned to fake Sadie's death to make Tom co-operate. However, after 'shooting' Sadie and securing the ransom, Cain makes a run for it and leaves Sadie standing at the airport."
Tom and Rosemary's wedding (2006}
"We had to make this wedding stand out, as one of the most despised characters in Emmerdale was getting married. So we had him murdered! It was like a mystery for the next six months and we were still working on who we wanted the killer to be when Tom was hit on the head with an ornament and pushed out of a window. Eventually, Carl King confessed all, claiming it had been an accident."
Britain's rural soap opera reaches its 35th anniversary on Tuesday night with an hour-long special, and it promises to be as explosive as ever.
Victoria Sugden, convinced that her father Jack was behind the fire that killed her mother Sarah seven years ago, decides to seek her revenge. Dousing the family home in petrol and holding up a lighter, she demands he own up or she'll set the place on fire. However, she's accusing the wrong relative. As Jack and Andy Sugden tackle the flames, will history repeat itself with another fire fatality?
As well as a staggering 69 deaths in its 35-year history, Emmerdale has also celebrated 21 births & 43 weddings. One man who has seen all of Emmerdale's most powerful episodes is Keith Richardson. Having worked on the soap since the very first episode in 1972, he is now the Controller of Drama for ITV Yorkshire and is still involved in the show.
I remember everyone was very c Emmerdale Farm, as it was then knowit was a daytime soa there wasn't a lot of drama around in 1972"We were supposed to be TV's answer to The Archers so
it had very gentle storylines that focused on farming.We thought it was just going for 13 weeks long at first but then it just took off.
Emmerdale's longevity is down to its ability tc with the times. To compete with their rivals Coronation Street and EastEnders, Emmerdale went through a radical makeover, Keith explains.
"It clawed its way up the sched daytime to its current 7pm prime! Then, in 1989, we dropped 'Farm' title and made it more about the community than farming and the animals. We swiftly in to more dramatic stories like the plane crash in 1993 was certainaly a landmark in our history and a turning point for the soap."
''I certainly didn't think I would still be involved 35 years on!" he adds. "I'm glad we are and it's thanks to our great storylines."
Here, three of Emmerdale's most glamorous girls talk about their favourite episodes and Keith Richardson gives us his personal top 10.
Lucy Pargeter-
Chastily Dingle since 2002 -
''My first scene in Emmerdale was vile. Such is Dingle's life, Chas was actually hired by her dad to strip for her cousin Marlon on his stag do! It was a great initiation in to the soap. I had go into the Woolpack and take my clothes off! I think I said, 'Hi, I'm Lucy the new girl and I am in my underwear!' It was embarrassing to do it & everyone was very supportive about it."
Sammy Winward
Katie Sugden since 2001-
''One of my biggest storylines was the love triangle between my character Katie, her husband Andy Sugden and his step-brother Robert in 2004. The affair had been building up
for a good while and she even got married to Andy while conducting the affair. It was good fun playing someone who had two brothers on the go! The episode where it was all revealed
was very tense. There was also a scene a few weeks later where Andy finally exploded and decided to shoot his brother, but hit his dad Jack instead."
Linda Lusardi
Carrie Nicholls since 2007-
''It's been great working in a soap that I've been watching for a very long time. I particularly enjoyed my first scenes in the show when Carrie appeared at the funeral of Tom King, but none of the King boys knew who this mystery mourner was. And then it turned out she was the mother of his secret teenage daughter, Scarlett, and was after her share of his money! She's out for number one but she does have a heart beneath it all, I think."
''For my first
scene I had to go
into the Woolpack
and take my
clothes off''
Lucy Pargeter
From The daily Express magazine dated 13th October 2007.
Emmerdale's top tales
We asked ITV Yorkshire's Controller of Drama, Keith Richardson to name his favourite episodes.
Jacob Sugden's funeral
(1972)
"I was on set for the very first episode of Emmerdale as the first assistant director. I remember having to lie on the floor of the hearse that was carrying Jacob Sugden's [Jack's dad] coffin and instructing the driver to go slower or faster. The Sugdens were our main family from the very start and they're still going strong today with Jack, Diane, Andy and Victoria."
The plane crash (1993)
"This episode is my personal highlight. We spent about £1 million filming this storyline, but it was spectacular as you saw flaming wings and whole farmland going up in smoke. It drew in an audience that is still with us today. However, the cast went I through absolute hell in the two weeks we filmed it as all the drama happened at night time. It was freezing cold and, in some instances, I they were up to their waists in icy water helping to drag I the wreckage out of rivers."
Frank Tate dies of a heart attack (1997)
"This was as much about giving Frank Tate a dramatic exit as it was about making Kim Tate the bitch of the century! She left him floundering on the floor after an argument, which made particulary nasty.''
Billy Hopwood shoots Vic Windsor (Christimas 1998)
"Everyone was across the road in the Woolpack when Vic Windsor was closing up the post office and then shot by Billy in a raid. It was half accidental. We try to avoid showing people being unpleasant!"
Butch Dingle marries Emily on his deathbed (2000)
"This story really worked for me because I think the audience like the sentimental stories, especially with comedic characters like Butch having such a tragic end. They were two people who were destined to be together, but the lorry accident only gave them an hour to make something of their relationship."
Louise kills her stalker (2002)
"Ray was Louise's boyfriend, but he started to stalk her so she would turn to him for support. I liked how Ray's controlling character was built up and everyone was just rooting for Louise to find out the truth. When she did, she acted in self-defence as she smashed the vase on his head to get away from him, but he ended up falling down the stairs and dying."
Trisha Dingle dies in a storm (2003)
"We created a lot of pathos around Tricia before the chimney fell on her in the storm. She was on the phone trying to get a taxi to get her out of the village after her husband, Marion, had cheated on her while at the same time reading a love letter from him, detailing 101 reasons why he loves her. She was terrific doing these scenes and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when she died."
Zoe Tate blows up Home Farm (2005)
"That was a fairly standard explosion compared to everything else we had done! Zoe had just sold Home Farm to the Kings who conned her into selling it, so she wired the whole place up. When they first entered the house and turned on the light, it blew up and they had to spend quite a bit of money fixing it up again. If you have to sell your house and you don't like the buyer, why not?"
Sadie and Cain's exit (2006)
"Sadie thought she was double-crossing Cain, when it was the other way round. They plotted to kidnap Tom King to get some ransom money and planned to fake Sadie's death to make Tom co-operate. However, after 'shooting' Sadie and securing the ransom, Cain makes a run for it and leaves Sadie standing at the airport."
Tom and Rosemary's wedding (2006}
"We had to make this wedding stand out, as one of the most despised characters in Emmerdale was getting married. So we had him murdered! It was like a mystery for the next six months and we were still working on who we wanted the killer to be when Tom was hit on the head with an ornament and pushed out of a window. Eventually, Carl King confessed all, claiming it had been an accident."
