List of ''Emmerdale Farm'' characters (1982)

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera Emmerdale Farm in 1982, by order of first appearance.

Joan MacDonald

Joan MacDonald, (previously Channer) is the niece of Peggy Longthorn who arrives in June 1982. Joan is a journalist and catches the eyes of residents. Joan is troublesome and wrongly writes about the Sugdens in an article. Six months after her arrival in January 1983, Joan is offered a job as a journalist in Portugal and leaves Emmerdale.

Three years later in 1986, Joan returns and starts dating Jock MacDonald (Drew Dawson) and they become engaged in 1987, despite the fact that he is 39 and she is 25. They marry in June 1987. Joan later discovers that she is pregnant, ending her career as a journalist. She gives birth to baby Michael in March 1988. Joan becomes a teacher at Emmerdale primary school. Whilst in school, Joan collapses down the stairs where she is taken to hospital. In 1990, Jock begins an affair with Nurse Patricia who is treating Joan. Patricia threatens to ruin their marriage but Joan finds out and threatens to leave. However, he manages to persuade her to stay but they leave Emmerdale together on 10 October 1990.

Samuel Skilbeck

Samuel David Skilbeck (known as Sam) is the son of Matt and Dolly Skilbeck. He appeared from 1982 to 1991.

Samuel is born in December 1982 and is named after Sam Pearson, the grandfather of Matt's first wife, Peggy. Matt and Peggy had a son of the same name who died young. The original idea was to call the child David Samuel, but after a misunderstanding, the name is altered to Samuel Benjamin. Matt and Dolly separated in 1989, and Dolly and Sam left the village in 1991. The following year, Dolly remarried Matt.