Emmerdale Brings Back Alumni Cast Members to Celebrate 50 Years of Award Winning Drama

Emmerdale, one of the UK’s most popular soaps, is celebrating a very special anniversary – 50 years! Originally premiering in 1972, it’s remarkable that the series has remained successful and deeply loved by fans who religiously tune in week after week, after all these years.

The series will mark the anniversary with a special hour long episode that airs October 16 in the UK, as well as a week of anniversary episodes. ONETV viewers can celebrate when the episodes air November 11 through November 17.

It’s a special time for fans and the cast alike, some of whom were able to return for the anniversary to reprise their roles as old favourite characters. Here’s what the stars had to say about the monumental event and the storylines ahead.

“It’s been really lovely seeing everyone again,” said Amy Walsh, who is returning as fan favourite Tracy Metcalf. “It’s a brief return for now but a lot happens for Tracy in a small amount of time. She has some news for Nate but when she sees him it’s not as easy to tell him as she may have thought. Her and Vanessa get to spend some quality time together too which has been a long time coming.”

“I was really pleased to be asked to come back to Emmerdale to celebrate its 50th,” said Elizabeth Estensen, reprising her role as Diane Sugen. “It’s sort of the same but not the same. There’s a lot of people that I still know that I was really pleased to see again. I can’t say I have enjoyed having to rush for a train again though! Diane has a great time catching up with people in the village but she has come back especially to see Faith whom she was great friends with. Who knows she may return again one day!”

Danny Miller, who played Aaron Dingle, was also pleased to get an invite to the party. “It was an honour that they wanted me to come and say, ‘happy birthday’ to the show. It’s been really nice getting back and seeing everyone. There’s a lot of new faces and lots of old faces, and it’s been nice to get to know them and catch up with people that I’ve not seen for over a year.”

What can the audience expect in these special 50th anniversary episodes? In true Emmerdale fashion, a dangerous storm threatens the village, disrupting Will and Kim’s wedding plans, putting Harriet’s life in danger, and forcing Amelia to go through labour all alone. The repercussions from the storm will last throughout the week’s episodes, and even spark storylines that will continue throughout the month.

It’s not the first time the characters of Emmerdale have faced disastrous events, and for Creative Director John Whiston, that’s just part of what makes the series special.

“Emmerdale shows us how other people deal with such troubles, how they courageously meet those troubles head on, together. Emmerdale’s not a road map for how we should lead our lives. But it is a sympathetic companion as we all make our individual journeys through life’s inevitable issues and complications. And sometimes it’s just the raucous, rude, in your face, funny companion that we need to help us not take ourselves, or life, quite so seriously.

Catch Emmerdale on ONETV, Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm ET and catch up on the full week’s episodes Sundays from 4PM to 7PM ET.