I Am A Swede

Gemma Atkinson (ex-Carly) will participate in this year's Strictly Come Dancing http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40874025 After watching more old episodes recently (there's been some fantastic 1980s videos posted on Youtube) my level of tolerance for all things Dingle has sunk to a new low. I just watched the episode with Joe's funeral, and it was tough to watch for several reasons. First and foremost of course because it meant saying goodbye to Joe (), but also because the Dingles turned up and almost ruined the episode for me. How is it possible that they could become popular? It's a complete and utter mystery to me. All I know is they make me sick every time I see them. Hate is a strong word to use and it shouldn't be used lightly but frankly it's the only word that is strong enough to describe my feelings for that revolting bunch.

This date 23 years ago, August 9th 1994, was a sad, sad day in Emmerdale history. The very first Dingle, Ben, made his first appearance on the show. Thus it began....The disease soon caught on and infected the whole show, and there seems to be no cure in sight.

It's fantastic to get to see these old episodes. There has been so few 1980s episodes available before.

Lovely old episodes.

Without implying any other similarities this is frighteningly reminiscent of how Germans behaved towards Hitler and nazism in the 1930s.

Yes, it wasn't until 1988 that the show started airing all year, and at the same time all over the country. Before that it took seasonal breaks, and was aired in different time-slots in different regions. I guess you could say that Jack had very little to be cheerful about during the 90s. The farm was struggling and he was fighting a losing battle against the likes of Frank Tate who had a completely different view on things than Jack did. But it didn't exactly make Jack an endearing character during that time. It did make it more understandable why Sarah would have an affair with Richie though, but at the same time it made it even more mysterious why Rachel would have an affair with Jack.

I can't believe that either.

Love that! I can't imagine an episode like that in today's Emmerdale. But back then it was perfectly natural. This was also the last episode before the show became fully networked, starting with episode 1212, January 6th the following year.

Thank you! It's the first time (that I remember) seeing Debbi Blythe as Marian. I have to say that I prefer Gail Harrison. These 1988 episodes must also be after Dolly's affair with Stephen Fuller. Even though I do love Matt, I can see how she would be tempted, and they did lay the groundwork for a story like that for a long time. He was content staying at Emmerdale for ever, and she wanted a place of her own. Even though she had been gone for a long time by 1988 I can see how maybe the shadow of Peggy also played a part. It can't have been easy for Dolly living with the family of Matt's former wife.

Mine too. I think in many ways Matt was more of a son to Annie than either Jack or Joe.

^^ Two milestone episodes, with two milestone characters. One (Matt), the embodiement of the Emmerdale Farm era, and the other (Kim), the symbol of the 1990s. Two complex, multi-faceted characters of the kind that today's show is sorely lacking.

I do love that era (late 1970s) most, but I really love all things Emmerdale pre-plane crash. Katharine Barker's Dolly is my all-time favourite Emmerdale character, but all the characters were written so well back then. I have developed a special fondness for Sam Pearson as well. Such a marvelous performance by Toke Townley. Jackie Merrick is also a character that has grown on me. It's such a realistic portrayal of a young man trying to find his place in the world. Watching his wedding to Kathy was both wonderful and bittersweet because you knew that he would be dead a year and a half later. I loved him and Kathy together and can't help but wonder how things would have turned out if he hadn't died. He and Kathy were so much more suited for each other than Kathy and Chris. Not everything was perfect back then of course. I do find the comedy scenes with Seth winding up Alan and/or Amos a bit annoying sometimes. But Seth worked great as a mentor of sorts for Jackie. Love Deena! Still miss Viv! And she's so damn right! Viv (and Deena) deserved so much more than she got! Not even a funeral. It was a total disgrace!

They managed to get Pete away from the clutches of Debbie, so maybe there's hope for Ross too.

I've had a fabulous day so far watching old episodes of Emmerdale Farm that our very own DRW50 has posted on YouTube. It's such a treat to be able to visit Beckindale in the 1970s and see old friends again; Annie, Sam, Matt, Joe, Amos, Henry, Dolly, and Mr. Hinton. If you haven't seen these episodes before I highly recommend that you do. But be warned, they have very little in common with today's version of Emmerdale. For one thing, they're actually very good!

Too bad it's wasted on the black hole otherwise known as Debbie Dingle....

Of course Priya thinks she's pregnant now that Pete and Leyla have reconciled and become engaged.... How very inventive! Why can't the writers be a little more creative? Let's have some happy stories for a while instead of all this doom and gloom. It's becoming quite tedious. I just got to watch the wedding of Kathy and Jackie back in 1988. (Thank you DRW50!) There were no surprise pregnancies or infidelity revelations back then, and the only disaster was that Kathy's wedding dress was ruined when a pipe burst in the Bates' home. No crashing helicopters back then....