Emmerdale will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year after long being a cultural mainstay in this country.
We can expect a huge month of celebrations.
And here’s everything we know about the Emmerdale‘s big birthday…
Emmerdale 50th’s anniversary: When is it?
The ITV soap made its debut on October 16 in 1972.
That means the soap, which was originally an afternoon show, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on October 16 this year.
Emmerdale 50th anniversary: What do bosses have planned?
Emmerdale boss Jane Hudson teased the 50th back in January on a call to Entertainment Daily! and other press.
She revealed a host of spoilers including a shock birth for the 50th and possible a wedding.
“Our focus at the moment is to really build those stories so when we get to our Golden Month of Celebration, we’ve got secrets that the viewers are desperate to be revealed,” she said.
“There’s probably going to be a birth in there perhaps.
“Babies in soaps are either born on programme celebrations or Christmas so there’s going to be one of those happening.”
And she revealed that a huge stunt would happen too.
She said: “And we’ll do something epic – there will be an epic stunt because we’re well-known for that.”
Later it was revealed that the stunt will be in the form of a storm.
Speaking at an Emmerdale press event, soap bosses said: “Some of our best-loved villagers will be in peril and it’s safe to say that literally the village won’t be the same after this.”
“It’ll never be the same again.”
Will legends return?
The soap will absolutely be bringing back some huge characters from its past.
Three characters who have been confirmed to be returning for the anniversary are Aaron Dingle, played by Danny Miller, Diane Sugden, played by Elizabeth Estensen, and Tracy Metcalfe, played by Amy Walsh.
What storylines will happen in the anniversary?
Faith’s cancer
As well as a deadly storm ripping through the village, there will be other storylines playing out.
This includes Faith‘s cancer storyline.
At a recent press event for the show’s 50th anniversary, Jane Hudson spoke about Faith’s exit from the show.
“As we start our brilliant month, we’ll be focusing on our Faith storyline, which is a huge storyline for us at the moment and then we will work our way into our storm.”
Speaking of Faith’s tragic death, Jane said: “It is such an emotional, heartbreaking story and is going to be huge across our 50th.”
Al and Chas’s affair
In an interview with Digital Spy, show boss Kate Brooks revealed Aaron return to the Dales mostly to see Liv and tie up loose ends with sister Liv.
However it looks like he will be involved in Chas and Al’s affair storyline.
Kate said: “Throw into the equation that his [Aaron’s] mum is having an affair with Al, who is massively despised by the Dingle clan, there’s a lot of meaty drama for Aaron to get involved in.”
Will Aaron find out about the affair?
Amelia’s birth
Pregnant teenager Amelia Spencer is also set to play a big part in the storm.
It has not been revealed if she has the baby during the celebrations or not, but she will get stuck in the storm!
Will she and the baby be okay?
Harriet tries to win Will back?
Will Taylor and Kim Tate are due to marry soon, but it seems like his ex Harriet will try to stop the wedding.
Is Harriet putting herself in danger?
As reported in Metro.co.uk, Emmerdale boss Kate Brooks said: “I think it’s completely safe to say Kim’s dark side is never far away.
“Kim is such an iconic character and she is capable of many dastardly things, so when she finds out that Harriet has been making a play for her man, there will be consequences.
“How Kim will deal with things remain to be seen but it’s going to be a really complex love triangle that will have explosive consequences.”
Will Meena be coming back for the Emmerdale 50th?
Emmerdale serial killer Meena Jutla was sentenced to life in prison.
She murdered five people in total including three villagers.
As the odds of her getting out of prison are slim to none, it seems we won’t see her again.
However fans have wondered, will she be back for the 50th?
There has been no confirmation of Meena returning, and Jane Hudson hinted that we won’t see her again anytime soon.
In a recent interview with Metro.co.uk, Jane stated: “Once you’ve done a story as big as Meena’s story, you have to know when to bring it to a close.
“I think we played it to its fullest and it was absolutely brilliant, and Paige was absolutely brilliant – and Meena is now behind bars.”
Will there be a live episode for Emmerdale’s 50th?
In short – no.
Bosses have ruled out airing a specially recorded live episode for the big anniversary.
Instead there will be a full month of celebrations with soap bosses promising the biggest and best month packed full of drama, intrigue and entertainment.
Read more: Who is in the cast of Emmerdale 2022? Meet the full line-up
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
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