I Am A Swede

Another death this year. Colin Vearncombe (stage name Black) 1962-2016. I've always loved this song.

This was actually really hard. But after some soul-searching and a few walks down memory lane I think I'm pleased with my list. 1. Kathy Bates-Merrick-Tate-Glover 2. Annie Sugden-Kempinski-Brearly 3. Dolly Acaster-Skilbeck (she would be #1 if I only counted the Katharine Barker years) 4. Betty Eagleton 5. Viv Windsor-Hope 6. Sam Pearson 7. Edna Birch 8. Val Lambert-Pollard 9. Amos Brearly 10. Kim Tate-Marchant 11. Laurel Potts-Thomas-Dingle 12. Matthew King 13. Joe Sugden 14. Henry Wilks 15. Jessie Renfrew 16. Matt Skilbeck 17. Caroline Bates 18. Zoe Tate 19. Ashley Thomas 20. Alison Gibbons (Honourable mentions: Diane Sugden, Bernice Blackstock, Jackie Merrick, Elizabeth Pollard, Frank Tate, Steph Stokes) I know varying levels of things about the rest of your list, but who is Jessie Renfrew? Yes, it's Aunt Jessie. I did hesitate a bit about putting her on the list, since she only appeared in a handful of episodes, but she made such a lasting impression that she deserved to be up there.

This was actually really hard. But after some soul-searching and a few walks down memory lane I think I'm pleased with my list. 1. Kathy Bates-Merrick-Tate-Glover 2. Annie Sugden-Kempinski-Brearly 3. Dolly Acaster-Skilbeck (she would be #1 if I only counted the Katharine Barker years) 4. Betty Eagleton 5. Viv Windsor-Hope 6. Sam Pearson 7. Edna Birch 8. Val Lambert-Pollard 9. Amos Brearly 10. Kim Tate-Marchant 11. Laurel Potts-Thomas-Dingle 12. Matthew King 13. Joe Sugden 14. Henry Wilks 15. Jessie Renfrew 16. Matt Skilbeck 17. Caroline Bates 18. Zoe Tate 19. Ashley Thomas 20. Alison Gibbons (Honourable mentions: Diane Sugden, Bernice Blackstock, Jackie Merrick, Elizabeth Pollard, Frank Tate, Steph Stokes)

I'm quite happy with less Dingles. That family has infected the show for far too long. I know it's probably completely unrealistic, but I would rather have them bring back Sam Skilbeck, with the added bonus of visits from Matt and/or Dolly. Another alternative would be to bring in a younger character (mid 20s) and make him/her the child of Sandie Merrick (Robert's half-sister).

Yes! Nadal is out, out, out!! (Can you tell I'm not a fan? )

I'm so happy to see that a lot of older episodes are back on Youtube again, after several channels were taken down recently. Including this one, the episode (1410, original airdate 7th December 1989) when Matt Skilbeck leaves Beckindale...

Her voice is amazing....simply amazing.

Here's a look at a former Emmerdale star. She has hardly changed at all from when she left.

What else....

Pure pop perfection

I completely agree with every word.

1. I think it was the actor's choice to leave at the time. 2. Yes, Diane had an "affair", it never became physical though. The man she had the "affair" with was Billy Hopwood, Andy's biological father. 3. Yes, Diane knew Robert. She came to the village in 1999 and Robert left in 2005. Jack and Diane was even married when Robert left Emmerdale. She has always had a close relationship with Andy, but if I remember correctly her relationship with Victoria became a little strained when her "affair" with Billy became known. 4. Yes, Annie Sugden is still alive and lives in Spain. I think Annie is supposed to be similar in age to Sheila Mercier who plays her, and she is 96. 5. As far as we know Joe Sugden didn't have any biological children. He had two step-children, Mark and Rachel, from his second marriage to Kate, but they're both dead. Mark was killed in the plane crash New Year's Eve 1993, and Rachel was murdered by her boyfriend Graham in 1999. Joe did spend a few years in France in the mid 1980s though, so there is an opening, should they want to, to introduce a previously unknown child. The Sugdens have been very bad at procreating, but very good at dying..... 6. I don't think anyone but Andy and Robert knows the truth about what happened when Max King died. Jack knew too of course, but he's gone.

It really is amazing how they've decimated the Sugden family over the years, and it's hard to understand why. As for Amos, I don't think anything has been explicitly stated about him, but I think we can assume that he has passed away, just like his portrayer Ronald Magill.

I agree that it's a mistake. This show needs characters like Ashley. The way things are going soon everyone will be some sort of criminal or psychopath. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it's not believable in a show like Emmerdale which takes place in a small Yorkshire-village. Coronation Street or EastEnders perhaps, but not Emmerdale.

Let's forget about the horrible Dingles and look back to a time when this show was great. Does anyone recognize this former Emmerdale star?

That was a sad, sad day in Emmerdale history.... The only one worse was the day when the very first Dingle turned up, and that family started polluting the show.