I used to watch Emmerdale Farm between shifts at the Charlie Chester Casino in Archer Street and loved it. That would be November 1976 and it starred a Scottish lad who used to be in Dr Who. My point is, anyone who watches it now, with Patrick Mower, has to read "Central Casting" by Jimmy McTee (http://stores.lulu.com/aroundthepeak), in which there is a Patrick Mower look-alike competition in Sri Lanka and he is given a chance to explain why he didn't become James Bond... Apparently he nearly made it, but lost out to Roger Moore for reasons not entirely satisfactory. But then in his CV he has Callan, which makes him a star straight away. Target I am not so sure about...

History is continually being rewritten. The accepted myth is that from 1972-93, Kevin Laffan's 'Emmerdale Farm' consisted entirely of Annie Sugden making tea while Matt and Joe ate doorstep sandwiches and discussed how to fix a broken tractor. Even I.T.V.-1 has perpetuated this myth in its 'Emmerdale Family Album' programmes. Had it been like that, it would have been cancelled - and rightly so.'mathewowen' describes 'Emmerdale Farm' as 'having shed its image as a boring drama'. I think he has confused 'boring' with 'believable'. From 1972-93, 'Emmerdale Farm' was a well-written, well-produced and well-acted serial, with interesting characters ( 'Amos Brierly' and 'Mr.Wilkes' spring to mind ) and it did not insult the intelligence of viewers. But something dreadful happened. 'Brookside' maestro Phil Redmond was brought in to fix something that wasn't broken. In one of the most tasteless soap story lines of all time, a plane crashed on Beckendale, mirroring the real-life Lockerbie disaster of a few years earlier. More than just a few minor characters died. So did the show's spirit, its soul, its individuality. These days, 'Emmerdale' rivals 'Eastenders' in terms of sheer stupidity, with shouting in lieu of acting, and formulaic plots about adultery, adultery, and, oh yes, adultery. Don't get me started on the Dingles! There're like something out of 'Viz'! The ridiculous title sequence sets the tone for the show, featuring an over-orchestrated arrangement of Tony Hatch's theme, and pictures of people not in the actual programme, as 'Harry Hill's T.V. Burp' pointed out. I've recently submitted a script to the 'Emmerdale' production office. It begins with a nuclear explosion in 'The Woolpack' and the radiation unleashed causes the beer in the pumps to mutate into a sentient life form. Think they'll use it?Rather than continually sneer at this show's beginnings, I.T.V.-1 should study the episodes held in the archives to see what it was they were once so good at!

I like Emmerdale. Since I live in America, it is hard for me to get shows like East Enders, COronation Street, Emmerdale and other British soaps. Emmerdale has been around as long I have been alive. I have watched it a couple times. But I am an avid American soap watcher, the main difference between British and American soaps is that British soaps look more realistic with people that look like they are your neighbors. The show could use better writing but I can't say much more since I only watched a few episodes. When you go to England, you should watch Emmerdale, East Enders, and Coronation Street which are the main soaps known to me. Emmerdale is set in Northern England around Leeds. The cast especially the Tates and Patsy Kensit playing a vixen is worth watching. The soaps are only 25 minutes. Unlike American soaps, where are actors and actresses looked like they were plucked from modeling catalogs. British actors and actresses look the role. In fact, Sir Ian McKellen appeared in Coronation Street for 10 episodes last year by his choice. Emmerdale is worth watching along with Corrie and East Enders. My big problem with the shows is the lack of attention to the veteran actors and actresses who have been on for years. Except for Patsy Kensit, I wasn't sure about the others in the show but it's worth watching anyway.

Made in the largest studios of Britain, Emmerdale is a soap combining the daily lives of colourful characters of all varieties. Now called Emmerdale, the soap has shed its image of a boring drama set on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales. From the vindictive and orally vicious Viv in the shop to the friendly and funny Bernice in the Woolpack, Emmerdale's bar, you'll become addicted and transfixed on the superb acting and memorable storylines.