Damn, this show just broke my heart....the twins are dead.   😭

And once again the MVP was Toke Townley. He's unbeatable in the more quiet, emotional moments. Grandad is often played as loud and irascible, but damn Toke can bring it when the story calls for it. 😭   And the often prickly Amos made me laugh a bit through the tears when he sent snooping reporters looking for a comment from Henry on a wild goose chase to a non-existing establishment.  😈

These last two episodes dealing with the aftermath of the twins' deaths have been phenomenal. Bouquets all around to everyone involved.   💐

Bye old Woolpack, and welcome new Woolpack. The move happened faster than I expected. I'm gonna miss the old one. I've grown quite fond of it. But now we're in familiar surroundings. This new Woolpack is the one I remember from my childhood, not to mention it's the same one that is still in use today. 

I've just finished the first 300 episodes, and it definitely feels like we're entering a new era of the show. The obvious sign is the change of location, from Arncliffe to Esholt, with everything that brings including the new Woolpack. Another thing I've noticed is that we're beginning to lose some of the side characters. During these first few years we've had several prominent semi-regular characters from the village, Frank and Janie, Alison, Mrs. Dawkins, Reverend Ruskin and his wife Liz, George Verney, Norah Norris, Dr. Scott, James Bonfils, Matt's aunt and uncle Beattie and Ben and the Gimbels. During the rest of the 70s there will be a much bigger focus on just the Sugdens, Amos and Henry, and the new vicar, Mr. Hinton, with other characters coming in for shorter stories.

It's such a treat though to be able to see (almost) every episode from the beginning. It's such a different show from what we get now. Not to mention a thousand times better. I love how they incorporate old village traditions into the show. Rituals that have been a part of village life for centuries and have their roots in pagan beliefs. It adds so much atmosphere to everything. It's not about getting the characters from Plot point A to Plot point B. We're watching ordinary people live their lives, dealing with whatever life throws at them. And it's heaven!  

Maybe it's part nostalgia for me, but I honestly think that the 1970s was the absolute golden era for Emmerdale. Yes, it's slow-moving and often quite plotless, there are often long scenes of people walking over fields, driving a tractor or mending fences, yet it's strangely captivating. And the characters are fully rounded, with very human flaws. They can be incredible irritating sometimes, but you can always relate to what they think and feel, because they are written like real people, not character types.

All in all it's been a wonderful experience, and I can't wait to continue. It won't be that long now until a very special favourite of mine makes her first appearance.....  

 

Edited July 27Jul 27 by I Am A Swede

On to 1977....

I wonder why the show had such a long break from airing between May 1976 and January 1977. The first episodes from 1977 have clearly been filmed in the summer, so it's a bit of a mystery why the weren't shown during autumn 1976?

Episode 338

She's here!!    

 

Joe and Kathy (Gimbel) are scandalizing the village by moving in together even though they're not married!   

It took a little bit less to shock the village back in 1977 compared to now, that's all I'll say....  

I've probably said this before () but damn, this show was so good back in the 1970s.   The fallout from Joe and Kathy moving in together is spreading, and it's easily more compelling to watch than all the affairs, murders and scandals Emmerdale is serving up nowadays. And amid all the drama Katharine Barker is already sparkling as Dolly. It's hilarious how fast she has learned how to handle Amos and all his quirks.   

A Swedish connection!   🇸🇪  

Two young Swedish siblings, Asta and Olof, are visiting Beckindale. But their feeble attempts at speaking Swedish are only slightly less unintelligible than the Swedish chef on the Muppet Show (and he was spouting complete gibberish, not actual Swedish)   

Enjoying your rundowns of the show @I Am A Swede

That big gap in 1976 and 1977 does seem odd. Another sign of just how careless ITV was with the Farm years (and has always been with the show). Airing episodes months out of date always confuses me - around 1979 or 1980 they air Christmas panto episodes months late.

^^

Thank you. I was starting to dread that I was cluttering up the thread with my ramblings about the past.   

I could go on and on for hours about these old episodes. There's so much to take in and it's all so good! I've completely immersed myself in Beckindale and I'm loving every second. This is an era I only have very vague memories of, and especially 1977, which has been almost completely inaccessible before. Kathy Gimbel for instance is a character I've only seen very little of before, but now she's becoming a favourite of mine. Her and Joe are so sweet together, and it makes me sad knowing that it won't last. They both (and especially Kathy) deserve some happiness. Amos and Henry have become like a bickering old married couple, and it's glorious. I've spoken before about Toke Townley, and he continues to amaze me. Sometimes you want to shake Grandad because he's so stubborn and rigid, but then he can turn around and break your heart and make you want to give him a big hug. Annie is, of course, perfection. The most perfect example of a soap matriarch if there's ever been one. And then there's Dolly....  Katharine Barker hasn't had much to do yet, but she has brought an energy and liveliness to the Woolpack that is infectious. She has such a natural, easy charisma. Such a shame she left when she did. 

Aww, the first real scenes between Matt and Dolly.....      Frederick Pyne and Katharine Barker had chemistry right from the start. Not that that was difficult, since Katharine has chemistry with everyone. We had some nice scenes with Kathy and Dolly as well. Too bad that Kathy won't be around for much longer. I think those two could have become good friends.  

Edited August 4Aug 4 by I Am A Swede

They're really making Joe very unlikeable right now.   He's treating Kathy abominably, and he will have only himself to blame when she walks out on him.   

Poor Kathy.       She must be one of the most tragic characters in Emmerdale Farm history. I hope that she finds some happiness away from Beckindale now. She deserves it.

And considering how much tragedy the second Kathy had to endure during her time in the village one must wonder if the writers had something against people named Kathy....  

 

If you're in the US, Emmerdale is now available to watch for free on the show's Youtube channel.

This is a day I would have been happy for about 10 years ago. Not now, but given the cost cutting at ITV, they are smart to try to find whatever amounts of spare change they can.