List of storylines in Emmerdale

This page is a chronological list of major storylines in ITV soap opera Emmerdale, including the disasters and exits. For more detail on major Emmerdale storylines, see Major Emmerdale storylines.

General by year

• 1972 - The funeral of Jacob Sugden. Jack's return to Emmerdale Farm and the revelation that he is a bestselling novelist. The setting up of Emmerdale Farm Ltd. Ruth (later Pat) Merrick hints to Jack Sugden that he is the father of her son, Jackie.
• 1973 - The murder of Sharon Crossthwaite. The accidental death of local tramp Trash. Jack is horsewhipped by the squire. The birth of Matt and Peggy Skilbeck's twins. Peggy Skilbeck's sudden death.
• 1974 - Joe Sugden's marriage to Christine Sharp, a dreamer, and the end of the marriage five weeks later.
• 1976 - Matt Skilbeck's twins are killed in a crash on a level crossing. The Woolpack was relocated after suffering from subsidence.
• 1977 - Joe Sugden and Kathy Gimbel scandalise Beckindale by setting up home together, though unmarried. Kathy's father, Jim Gimbel, shoots himself.
• 1978 - Matt Skilbeck marries Dolly Acaster. An armed robbery at The Woolpack (available on ITV.com), and Sam Pearson is also held at gunpoint at Emmerdale Farm. A rare painting is unearthed at Verney's. NY Estates tries to evict Nellie Ratcliffe from her estate cottage.
• 1979 - Wendy Hotson is raped. Joe is involved in a shooting incident. Dolly is pregnant.
• 1980 - Jack Sugden returns home, and so does Pat, Sandie and Jackie Merrick. Dolly suffers a miscarriage. Tom Merrick steals Christmas trees from the NY Estates plantation.
• 1981 - Jack Sugden and Pat Merrick agree to marry. Tom Merrick commits arson to implicate Jack.
• 1982 - Jack Sugden and Pat Merrick marry. Jack finds out he is Jackie's father. Jackie goes off the rails and burns down a caravan. Dolly has a baby.
• 1983 - Sandie Merrick becomes a mother at the age of 18. Joe romances the vicar's married daughter then leaves for France. Annie Sugden is rushed to hospital.
• 1984 - Jack Sugden has an affair with Karen Moore. Sam Pearson dies in his sleep. Caroline Bates arrives as Alan Turner's new secretary.
• 1985 - Jackie Merrick is accidentally knocked off his motorbike by Alan Turner. Harry Mowlam commits armed robbery on a security van of £6000. Kathy and Nick Bates arrive in the village.
• 1986 - Pat Sugden gives birth to Robert - but is killed soon after. Harry Mowlam is murdered by Derek Warner. Eric Pollard becomes manager of Hotten Market.
• 1987 - The villagers gather to protest against a nuclear dump in Beckindale. Jack is arrested and imprisoned for seven days for contempt of court. Jackie Merrick falls down an old mine shaft while trying to rescue a sheep.
• 1988 - Nick Bates is hailed a hero after foiling a raid on the post office. Alan Turner sells his Home Farm shares to crooked businessman Denis Rigg. Dolly Skilbeck has an affair with timber consultant Stephen Fuller who is subsequently killed by a falling tree. Crossgill Farm catches fire with Annie Sugden trapped inside.
• 1989 - Annie Sugden battles with addiction to tranquillisers. Denis Rigg is crushed by a bull while trying to persuade Joe Sugden to sell Emmerdale Farm so that he can turn the land into a quarry. Kathy Glover suffers a miscarriage. Jackie Merrick accidentally shoots himself while hunting a fox for a £10 bet. Rachel Hughes has an affair with married man Pete Whiteley. The Tates take over Home Farm.
• 1990 - Joe Sugden was caught illegally implanting steroids into his beef cattle. Kate Hughes accidentally kills Pete Whiteley while driving her car. A chemical tanker crashed into a wall in Beckindale's main street, trapping Amos Brearly in The Woolpack cellar.
• 1991 - Amos Brearly retires to Spain. Alan Turner takes over The Woolpack. Kate Sugden is released from prison after serving 12 months for manslaughter. Sarah Sugden is kidnapped by Jim Latimer who murdered Sharon Crossthwaite in 1973. Henry Wilks dies of a heart attack.
• 1992 - The Holiday Village is opened by The Lady Mayoress of Hotten. Lorraine Nelson comes clean about sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Kim Tate has an affair with the Rt. Hon. Neil Kincaid.
• 1993 - Neil Kincaid is horsewhipped by Frank Tate on New Year's Day. Emmerdale Farm collapses due to subsidence. Zoe Tate comes out as a lesbian. Annie Sugden marries Leonard Kempinski. A plane crash devastates the village. The Windsors arrive in Beckindale.
• 1994 - In an attempt to give the village a new start after the plane crash, the village's name was changed from Beckindale to Emmerdale in honour of the Sugden family. Shirley Foster marries Alan Turner but is killed shortly afterwards following a raid on the post office.
• 1995 - Rachel Hughes gives birth to Chris Tate's son and they marry in December. Terry Woods and his flash wife Britt arrive in the village.
• 1996 - Zoe Tate "marries" her lover Emma Nightingale. Annie Sugden and Amos Brearly leave the village for the last time. The Sugdens foster Andy Hopwood. Dave Glover dies after saving the life of James Tate in a fire shortly after he marries Kathy Tate. Nick Bates is sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter and hands over his daughter, Alice Bates, to his sister Kathy.
• 1997 - Kelly Windsor has an affair with her teacher. Paddy Kirk arrives in the village as the new vet. Frank Tate is arrested for the "murder" of his wife, Kim. He is later released but dies of a heart attack when Kim turns up from the dead. Linda Fowler dies in a car crash.
• 1998 - Scott Windsor returns to the village after two years and starts an affair with his adopted sister Kelly who is engaged to Roy Glover. In-laws Kathy and Biff who were married to Glovers, start a relationship. Bernice Blackstock and Alan Turner's granddaughter Tricia Stokes arrive in September. Rachel Hughes becomes involved with mad teacher Graham Clark. Vic Windsor is shot by Billy Hopwood during a post office raid on Christmas Day.
• 1999 - Rachel Hughes is murdered by Graham Clark. Kim Tate flees the village. Liam Hammond, a long-lost brother of Chris and Zoe, takes Chris hostage but is later shot dead by Zoe. Diane Blackstock arrives in the village.
• 2000 - Graham Clark dies after his car crashes over a cliff but Kathy Glover is rescued by Eric Pollard and Marlon Dingle. Butch Dingle is injured in a bus/lorry collision and marries his girlfriend Emily Wylie at his hospital bed minutes before dying. Sarah Sugden is killed in a fire started by her adopted son, Andy. Bernice Blackstock marries Ashley Thomas on Christmas Day as her estranged father Rodney Blackstock moves to the village.
• 2001 - Katie Addyman arrives and starts dating Andy Sugden. Bernice Thomas starts an affair with Carlos Diaz who was engaged to her half-sister, Nicola Blackstock. The affair is later revealed and Bernice gives birth on Christmas Day. After 16 years in the village long running character, Kathy Glover moves to Australia.
• 2002 - Zoe Tate develops schizophrenia and burns down the church. Bernice Thomas leaves her husband Ashley and her daughter Gabby to start a new life in Brighton. Angie Reynolds is killed in a car crash. Debbie Jones, the illegitimate child of second cousins Cain Dingle and Charity Tate, is fostered by Emily and Paddy Kirk who married in October. Louise Appleton kills her stalker which turns out to be her boyfriend, Ray Mullan, and enlists the help of old flame Terry Woods to cover up his death. Alan Turner's psychopathic daughter, Steph, arrives.
• 2003 - Bob Hope's daughter Dawn arrives and starts a relationship with his best friend Terry Woods. She gives birth to his son in October. Chris Tate commits suicide and frames his wife Charity for his death. Zoe Tate gives birth to baby Jean Tate and the father is later revealed as Scott Windsor. A huge hurricane hits the village causing major destruction and kills Tricia Dingle.
• 2004 - Katie Addyman marries Andy Sugden but has an affair with his adoptive brother, Robert. Diane Blackstock's sister Val Lambert and her son Paul arrive, and Paul is later revealed to be the son of Rodney Blackstock, Diane's ex-husband. The Kings move to Emmerdale and are set to become the soap's new superfamily. Paul Marsden dies after falling from scaffolding and his death is covered up by the King brothers, who make it look like it happened at his house. Pearl Ladderbanks' son, a former rapist, arrives in the village and is ill-treated by the villagers, causing him to leave. Alan Turner is held "hostage" in the B&B by Steph, but is rescued by Daz Eden - she then tries to kill herself and her father but is unable to bring herself to do so.
• 2005 - Shelley Williams falls overboard a ferry following a confrontation with Steph Stokes. Emmerdale's long-standing resident Seth Armstrong dies. Kathy Glover returns from Australia for Seth's funeral. Daz Eden and Belle Dingle fall down an old mine shaft on Christmas Day.
• 2006 - Kings River Showhome explodes, killing Dawn Woods, Noreen Bell and estate agent David Brown. Tom King is murdered leading to a 21 week investigation.
• 2007 - Tom King's killer turns out to be his own son, Carl. Len Reynolds dies of a heart attack. The Sugdens' cottage is engulfed in flames after Victoria soaks the place in petrol, ignited after a tap is turned on.
• 2008 - Daniel Thomas dies of cot death, having been involved in a baby swap. Shane Doyle is murdered by Jasmine Thomas. Matthew King tries to run his brother Carl over in a van but swerves and is catapulted through the windscreen, killing him.
• 2009 - Jack Sugden dies in Spain of a heart attack. His mother Annie and son Robert return from Spain for the funeral. Charity Tate returns. Aaron Livesy attempts to kiss best friend Adam Barton and Cain Dingle also returns.
• 2010 - Mark Wylde is murdered in a shooting carried out by his second wife, Natasha, after it is revealed that he is a bigamist. This occurred after Mark's son by his first marriage, Ryan Lamb, and his daughter by his second (bigamous) marriage, Maisie Wylde, nearly slept together, unaware that they are in fact half-brother and sister. Also, Ryan gets the blame for the murder and Nathan Wylde (Mark's son) finds out it was his mum blames it on Ryan. Cain Dingle holds Nathen hostage after finding out what he's done. Shadrach Dingle discovers he has liver failure and a perforated ulcer, tries to give up drinking, but to no avail and drowns in the river, trying to retrieve his beer cans. Aaron Livesy deals with his sexuality, and introduces love interest Jackson Walsh. Jackson is left critically injured after a train smashed into his van, with him inside.
• 2011 - Lisa Dingle is raped by her work colleague Derek Benrose. A fire spreads through Emmerdale village, trapping: Genesis Walker, Brenda Walker, Terry Woods, Katie Sugden, Chas Dingle, Betty Eagleton and Viv Hope, although an explosion kills Viv and Terry. Jimmy King goes on a job in Peterborough, only to bump into former girlfriend, Kelly Windsor who hits him over the head with a torch. After missing for a few days, he is found in hospital in Nottingham, suffering amnesia. Aaron Livesy helps Jackson Walsh to die, unable to cope with his suffering any longer. Moira Barton is married to John Barton, but she has an affair with Cain Dingle. Amy Wyatt gives birth to a child - and Cain is the dad. Charity Tate gets engaged to Jai Sharma which annoys Cain. Cain is later attacked and blames it on Jai.
• 2012 - Zak Dingle turns out to be Cain Dingle's attacker. Moira Barton and John Barton reconcile but are involved in a road accident, which results in John's death. Adam Barton sets fire to the garage with Cain trapped inside but returns to rescue him. Aaron Livesy takes the blame before leaving for France with new man Ed Roberts. Ashley Thomas physically abuses his father Sandy, finding his presence too much. Chas Dingle and Cameron Murray start an affair behind Cameron's girlfriend Debbie Dingle's back. Alicia Gallagher is arrested after punching Val Pollard across the face. Carl King begins blackmailing Chas and Cameron over their affair. Chas marries Dan Spencer and Katie Sugden marries Declan Macey. Chas hits Carl over the head with a brick while he attempts to rape her and Carl is later killed when Cameron hits him over the head a second time. Debbie and Andy Sugden's baby Jack Sugden Jr. is born on the same day as Nikhil Sharma and Genesis Walker's baby Molly is born. Katie Sugden falls down a mineshaft and has to undergo surgery which lessens the chances of her being able to conceive. Jimmy King is arrested for Carl's murder but later released but Chas is then arrested and imprisoned but is also later released. Cameron murders Alex Moss after confessing to him that he murdered Carl
• 2013 – Moira Barton begins a relationship with Cain Dingle sparking tension between Cain and Moira's son Adam. Brenda Walker is devastated to learn that she has a brain tumour, and leans on boyfriend Bob Hope for support. Cameron Murray digs up Alex Moss' body and moves it to another spot. Katie Sugden and Declan Macey separate and Declan has a one-night stand with Charity Tate while Katie has a one-night stand with Adam. Cameron Murray murders Genesis Walker. Cameron escapes from prison and holds villagers hostage in The Woolpack, resulting in Alicia Harding accidentally being shot and a final showdown in the flooded Woolpack cellar with Debbie, Chas and Marlon Dingle who are rescued and Cameron is electrocuted to death. Alan Turner dies in his sleep. His daughter Steph Stokes returns for the funeral. Amy Wyatt leaves the village after a custody battle with Joanie Wright ends badly. Declan begins beating his sister Megan and sets fire to Home Farm, trapping himself, Megan and Charity.
• 2014 - Val Pollard is told she is HIV positive after a fling in Portugal and is devastated when she learns that her husband Eric and sister Diane slept together. Belle Dingle kills Gemma Andrews during a fight over Sean Spencer, and is determined to go to the police, but her mother Lisa forbids her. Priya Sharma puts her unborn baby's life in danger after developing an eating disorder and collapsing in the café. Rachel Breckle flees the village after being accused of starting the fire at Home Farm. Jai Sharma is determined to find her as she left with their baby, Archie, but Charity and Declan do everything in their power to ensure that Jai does not track Rachel down. Brenda turns to shoplifting to help her get through her brain tumour and her grief for Gennie. Charity is horrified to discover she is pregnant, but later decides to keep the baby after Declan - the baby's father - proposes to her. Charity has an abortion, but when Declan's sister Megan grabs her arm during an argument, Charity falls over and claims that Megan caused her "miscarriage". Adam Barton is devastated to learn that his uncle, James is actually his biological father, and goes after him with a gun, but is stopped by his stepfather Cain Dingle. Robert Sugden returns to the village with his fiancé, Chrissie White and her father Lawrence White and son Lachlan White, and later goes on to have an affair with Aaron Livesy.
• 2015 - Lachlan White suffers a seizure after taking drugs. Jai Sharma marries Megan Macey. Emma Barton, the wife of James Barton and mother of his sons; Pete, Ross, and Finn, arrives after being contacted by Finn. He is unaware that years ago, Emma almost killed Ross as she began developing a mental illness. Later, in an accident, she crushes James underneath a pile of barn supplies, and he almost dies. She assists in his recovery, yet the truth of what she did (to Ross) comes out and Finn is disgusted. Katie Sugden discovers her brother-in-law Robert's affair with Aaron Livesy, discovering the former's bisexuality in the process and snapping a photograph of the pair kissing at the derelict Wylie's Farm. Desperate to stop Katie, Robert pushes her on to a pile of loose floorboards, which give way and she falls to her death. Unable to cope with her death, Katie's husband (and Robert's brother) Andy Sugden attempts to commit suicide after Katie's funeral, but is stopped by Robert and Aaron as he prepares to drive his pickup into a quarry. Nicola King is locked in a barn by James Barton with Priya Sharma and David Metcalfe's baby daughter, Amba, and is accused of attempting to kidnap her, allegedly deriving from her entrance into early menopause. Lachlan's unhealthy obsession with Alicia Metcalfe takes a volatile turn as he sexually assaults her while she sleeps, having gotten drunk to celebrate her birthday. When Alicia and Lachlan give different stories to the police, it ignites a feud between the once-friendly White and Metcalfe families. Val Pollard collapses as a result of her rapidly developing HIV, and her son Paul makes a return from Australia to be with his mother. Bob Hope's daughter Carly reappears after ten years in an attempt to have her father walk her down the aisle in what will be her fifth wedding. Bob, unsuccessfully, tries to talk Carly out of it, and he ends up walking home as she dumps him in the countryside. Later, Carly turns up at the café Rachel Green-style in a wedding dress, stating she couldn't marry after hearing what Bob had said. She begins lodging with her dad and his partner Brenda Walker. Vanessa Woodfield and Kirin Kotecha's relationship comes to an abrupt end when Vanessa, still grieving over the loss of friend Katie, discovers a lump on her breast and assumes the worst, driving Kirin into making an immature decision to go out with his friends and get Ross to cover for him, though he refuses and convinces Kirin to do the right thing and apologise, even though this results in Vanessa dumping him. Pearl Ladderbanks develops an online gambling addiction and steals money from her employer, vet Paddy Kirk's business. He, along with wife Rhona Goskirk and Vanessa, who works at the veterinarians, are unaware of this, and when she is backed into a corner, Pearl states she thinks she has dementia. Alicia's husband David Metcalfe kidnaps her assaulter Lachlan and holds him in a barn to scare him into confessing the truth. While this is happening, Lachlan's mother Chrissie Sugden discovers 'kissing tutorials' on the youngster's laptop and realises that he has been lying all along about his assault. David's father Eric managed to spot David bundling Lachlan into his van and warns Alicia and Chrissie's father Lawrence of this and what David could potentially do to him. When Eric and Alicia arrive at the barn, David breaks down in tears, realising what he has done, but Chrissie has a change of heart and attempts to have Lachlan sent away for councilling. This results in a breakdown in Chrissie and Lawrence's relationship, as Lawrence believes Chrissie is betraying her son by doing so. The ex-fiancé of Carly Hope shows up, demanding that Carly pay for half of the wedding, which alone is more than she can afford. His lavish car is then stolen by Ross Barton, who previously had a brief relationship with Carly. After Robert attempts to take over his and Adam's scrapyard business, Aaron gives chase to him. Robert then overtly reveals that he killed Katie Sugden the month before, to which Aaron reacts violently to and gives Robert a taste of his own medicine. Pearl realises the nature of her lying when Paddy angrily fires her. Despite the advice of Edna Birch and Ashley Thomas, Pearl makes the decision to leave the village, but is stopped just in time by Paddy and Rhona as they board a bus to talk Pearl out of leaving, which is successful. Pearl gets her job back, but all accept that it will take some time for trust in Pearl herself to return. Adam, amidst girlfriend Victoria's troubled family problems, abruptly proposes to the latter, who accepts. However, when Victoria decides to call the engagement off, Adam assumes it is the end of their relationship entirely and has an illicit one night stand with Vanessa Woodfield, who has just had a health scare. Adam and Vanessa agree to confess to their affair but Adam calls it off, begs Vanessa to hold back telling Kirin the truth, and manages to erase a confessionary voice message from Victoria's phone, by throwing it into a fryer, with the help of Aaron. Darren, the nurse who assisted Val Pollard when she suffered pneumonia, begins dating Finn Barton. Val, however, discovers that Darren is, like her, HIV-positive, so she strives to "protect" Finn by sending Darren a homophobic text message and then smashing up his car, which Darren blames Finn for. The latter, after initially blaming mum Emma and brother Ross, is infuriated when Val, at the insistance of husband Eric, confesses to her misdeed. Afterwards, Val, who is the chairman of a foundation aiming to raise funds for HIV/AIDS research, and also the writer of a popular internet blog detailing her experiences, writes an addition to her blog confessing to what she has done. Laurel Dingle attends Dan Spencer's birthday party and drinks way too much. After being sick all other Dan and Kerry's stairs and falling down them, she is carried home by dad Doug, who urges her to throw away the bottle, but the following day in a bout of rage and frustration, Laurel leaves husband Marlon's son, Leo, who has Down's syndrome, alone in the house, infuriating Marlon.