Jack Sugden
Encyclopedia
John Jacob "Jack" Sugden is a fictional character
in the British
television soap opera
Emmerdale
. The character was originally played by Andrew Burt
from 1972 to 1974 with a brief return in 1976, when he left for Italy to write a book. On his return in 1980 he was played by Clive Hornby
. Hornby stayed in the role until 2008 when he was forced to take a break from Emmerdale due to illness. His last on-screen appearance was on 21 February 2008, and his absence was explained by the character visiting his mother, Annie Brearly
in Spain. Hornby died of the illness without returning to the series.
’s son Jack is one of the original characters in Emmerdale. The Sugden family were the owners of Emmerdale Farm from the programme's early days. Jack and his younger brother Joe
worked on the farm.
From the early days, Jack seems to be a very rebellious and self-righteous character, who cares little for others views. He also has numerous flings with different women and failed marriages, sometimes due to his infidelity. Jack is also an intelligent and articulate man but shown to be secretive from his family too. As time passed and Jack became a father, he has matured much more. He has firmly secured his roots in farming, which he originally tried so hard to escape from. Jack is still a man of principles and of pride, which can sometimes be his biggest weaknesses.
served him. Jack looked over the dales and the farm while his family were at Jacob's funeral. His mother, Annie, was slightly bitter with Jack at first but let him stay. When the will was read, the family discovered Jacob had left the farm to Jack. Jack's sister, Peggy Skilbeck was annoyed as she felt the family had done all the work while Jack was in London, and for a while, Peggy was bitter towards Jack.
Jack, Joe and Peggy's husband Matt Skilbeck
ran the farm. Peggy, however, was suspicious about Jack's time in London. Joe followed him to The Feathers Hotel where there was a reservation for a Mrs. Sugden.
At the same time, Jack and Joe were interested in Marian Wilks, daughter of local business man, Henry Wilks
. Henry took an instant dislike to Jack but looked more kindly on Joe as he taught Marian how to fish. Annie accused Marian of playing them off against each other. Jack told Marian to put Joe straight as he was trying to learn more to try and impress her. Eventually Jack and Marian got together but Marian demanded to know who was the woman he had met at the hotel, as her father had seen them. Jack explained that she was his wife, Lynn, who he married in London and they were discussing their divorce.
Trouble for the young couple came in the form of Ruth and Tom Merrick. Jack hired Tom as a farmhand but Matt complained Tom was lazy and hardly did any work, Jack confronted Tom and fired him. Tom, however, had some information that threatened Jack and Marian's relationship. Merrick blackmailed Jack and said if he insisted on firing him, he would tell Marian the truth about his and Ruth's son, Jackie. Tom had become suspicious about who Jackie's father was after looking at photos of Jackie who looked very like Jack. Tom's suspicions weren't helped by the fact that he was named John Jacob, after Jack. He knew Ruth and Jack had had a relationship which ended just before Jackie was born and when Jack went to London, she married Tom. Jack, however, refused to be blackmailed and did not know if Jackie was his son so Jack fired Tom from his job. Marian later found out and a strain was put on their relationship. Ruth and Tom left Beckindale.
The Sugden family were curious about Jack's newfound wealth. They later discovered Jack had written a book which had been successful. Marian was curious about Jack's novel and borrowed a copy from his school friend, Frank Blakey. Marian found it a good book but wasn't impressed with the sexist views shown in it. With his money, Jack battled with Henry Wilks over a piece of land Harry Jameson, an old friend of Jacob Sugden, was selling. Harry was trying to get them to boost their offers but Jack knew he needed the money quickly and Harry accepted Jack's offer. Jack planned to move into the old mill, which was situated on the land, and do it up. He consulted a solicitor and arranged for the Farm to be given to Annie, Joe, Peggy and their grandfather, Annie's father, Sam Pearson
but Sam did not want the responsibility and sold his share to Henry.
In 1982, Jack married his childhood sweetheart Pat Merrick
, previously known as Ruth, now a single mother. Unknown to Jack, Jackie was indeed his son and when the truth came out, it put a lot of strain on their marriage. Further pressure was added when Jack began an affair with local newspaper reporter Karen Moore. When she found out, Pat demanded that he choose between her and Karen. Jack decided to try and make his marriage work and chose Pat. Pat was killed in a car crash in August 1986, leaving Jack to bring up their four month old baby son, Robert
alone.
After being single for a while, Jack met mobile librarian Sarah Connolly
in 1988. They moved in together in 1990 although not before Sarah boarded up the connecting door to the farm house to stop Annie from wondering in. Jack made many attempts to make his relationship with Sarah more official by proposing to her every year which she always turned down. 1993 was a big year for Jack the Emmerdale farm house was found to be collapsing from subsidence resulting in the Sugdens having to vacate he building after 140 years upsetting Annie who insisting the new farm be renamed Emmerdale. Jack was upset when Annie became engaged to Leonard Kempinski
whom she had met on holiday but they reconciled before their marriage in October. In December Jack became a hero during the plane crash on the village by replacing the collapsed bridge with Frank Tate
so the emergency services could cross. Jack's mother Annie and brother Joe were both injured in the accident and Annie was in a coma. 1994 became just as eventful Sarah gave birth to a daughter, Victoria
and Victoria's crying brought Annie out of her coma. Sarah and Jack married in May 1994 and Beckindale was renamed Emmerdale in honour of the Sugdens.
In June 1995, Jack was devastated by his brother Joe's death in a car crash in Spain shortly after the family had visited him and Annie on holiday. Jack travelled to Spain and brought Joe's body back to the village for burial. As Joe lay in wake at the farm, Jack broke down in tears by his brother's coffin and was unable to attend the funeral as he was ill with a bad back.
In late 1996 the Sugdens were under pressure by Frank Tate to sell the farm to make access to a quarry. Annie returned to the village to persuade Jack to sell it but Jack refused. However in early 1997 the family were evicted and moved to a new farm. The pressure of trying to keep the farm afloat put considerable strain on the marriage and Jack had a brief affair with Sarah’s friend, Rachel Tate.
Although it looked like their marriage was starting to work, following the adoption of troubled schoolboy Andy Hopwood
, Sarah and Jack were at loggerheads again in 1999 following the death of Rachel who Jack still had feeling for and had found the body of during a search for her as she had been missing. Sarah was determined not to end up a traditional farmers wife and she and Jack disagreeing over the running of the farm particularly Jack stopping Andy and Robert going to school to work on the farm as well as financial disagreements. After an affair with their lodger Richie Carter in 2000, Sarah left Jack. Incensed by Sarah's actions, Jack refused Sarah access to the children and she considered returning. Richie took Sarah into the barn to try and convince her not to return to Jack and to leave with him.
Whilst they were in there, Andy, thinking the barn was empty, started a fire so Jack could claim on the insurance, and Sarah was killed. Jack was arrested for Sarah's murder. Andy confessed to Richie who was the prosecution's major witness and begged him to change his statement in order to clear Jack's name. Richie, unable to face sending a young boy to jail, agreed and the case collapsed. This left the Sugdens to try and rebuild their lives. Standing by Jack, throughout the ordeal, was Woolpack landlady Diane Blackstock
. The couple started dating but their relationship was hesitant.
In 2004, when Andy discovered Robert's affair with his new wife Katie
, he armed himself with a shotgun and waited in Robert's caravan intending to shoot him but he ended up shooting Jack instead. Having almost died, Jack initially disowned Andy but they eventually repaired their relationship.
Jack was planning to marry Diane, but she revealed that she had colon cancer and underwent chemotherapy
. The couple married and enjoyed a honeymoon in Las Vegas
while Diane was on the mend.
Jack was shocked to discover that Andy had fathered a baby daughter, Sarah, with teenager Debbie Dingle
, but supported Andy’s decision to be a hands-on father and was impressed with how responsible his adopted son had become.
In October 2005, Robert and Andy's feuding led to a road accident in which Max King
was killed after Robert had run Andy's landrover in which Max was a passenger, off the road. Jack arrived at the scene seconds after the accident and was relieved to see that his sons were both alive. He was horrified when Robert and Andy told him the truth about the cause of the accident and in order for Robert to not be prosecuted, Jack told him to leave the village. Robert drove away and Jack never saw his son again.
More trauma was to follow when Debbie gave Sarah to Emily Kirk
, who left the village. Andy and Jack were devastated and their attempts to get the child back failed.
Meanwhile, Jack was becoming infuriated by the Kings' business practices. Although a fragile truce was made after Max’s death, when Jack convinced Tom King
, Max's father, to not evict Andy from Butler's Farm in revenge, he continued to oppose them.
Jack was also forced to take in Andy’s half-brother Daz Eden
. Daz and Jack disapproved of Andy getting back together with his estranged wife, Katie. Jack had no idea how massive the impact of having a traumatized teenager in the house would be on Diane. Still recovering from her cancer, Diane insisted Jack had to get Andy to take Daz back.
In the end, Daz, having realised what was going on, agreed to leave. Jack was saddened to see Daz leave Emmerdale to live with his mother. Daz returned a couple of months later after being hit by his mum's boyfriend. After this, Jack and Diane decided to adopt him, just as he and Sarah had previously adopted Andy.
In 2007, Billy Hopwood
, Andy and Daz's real father, was released from prison and returned to Emmerdale. He insisted on seeing Daz, much to Jack's anger. He felt Billy would be a bad influence as he had let down both of his sons due to his previous criminality, and told him to stay away from his family but Billy was determined. After Diane comforted him, they embarked on an affair but Diane, feeling guilty, confessed to Jack. Jack was unable to forgive Diane and they separated.
Back at the house, Jack told his children about Diane and Billy's affair. Victoria was distraught and blamed herself, visiting Billy and told him she blamed him for destroying her family. Angrily, he implied Jack was no saint and suggested he was responsible for her mother Sarah's death. Wanting more information, Victoria tracked down Sarah's lover Richie Carter who told her Jack was not responsible for starting the fire but she did not believe him. Victoria returned to the village and stole some petrol from the garage and took it home with her. When Jack and Andy returned, they could smell the petrol fumes and discovered Victoria threatening to set it alight until she was told the truth about Sarah's death.
Andy confessed to starting the fire and killing Sarah and in shock, Victoria ran upstairs, tripped over and banged her head. She was lying on her bed bleeding, when Jack and Andy got to her. Jack went to get a flannel to clean her up but accidentally lit the petrol fumes when he turned on the hot tap. A massive explosion ripped through the house and it caught fire. Billy entered the building and rescued Andy and Jack, with help from Matthew King. Jack was on crutches for several weeks whilst he recovered from his injuries.
After Andy was arrested and imprisoned for Sarah's manslaughter, Jack attended his wedding to Jo Stiles in the prison chapel. He also reconciled with Diane.
On 21 February 2008, Jack flew out to Spain when his mother Annie became ill. This was to cover actor Clive Hornby taking sick leave. Whilst Jack was in Spain, Diane received a text message suggesting that they patch things up on his return. Andy visited Jack and Annie in the summer. Following Hornby's death in July 2008 the decision was made to kill the character off. Jack died off-screen on 5 February 2009. Victoria and Daz were planning on visiting Jack during half term when Annie phoned The Woolpack
to inform the family that Jack had died of a heart attack, leaving his loved ones devastated. Diane flew out to Spain to bring Jack's body home whilst Val
and Eric Pollard
arranged his funeral.
Jack was buried in the village churchyard on 10 February 2009 next to his father Jacob, his brother Joe, his sister Peggy, his second wife Pat, his third wife Sarah, his son Jackie, and his twin nephew and niece Sam and Sally. Andy, Daz, Sam
and Zak Dingle
were pallbearers.
Just before the service a reference was made by Alan Turner
to when Jack had told him how he had returned to the village in 1972 for his own father's funeral. Diane read a letter Jack had written for Andy, Victoria, Daz and Robert during the service. In it, he told them he loved them and wanted them to stick together as a family. In this letter it was also revealed he knew in his last weeks that he would not live to see the village or his family again as he realized he was suffering from very badly declining health. Andy broke down in tears and fled the church. Rodney Blackstock
acted as a pallbearer in his place. As Jack's coffin was lowered into the ground, Diane placed his chequered cap onto the coffin. Andy met Robert who was watching the burial from a distance and drove away. Robert later visited the grave to say goodbye to his dad and laid some flowers. That afternoon, Val put a framed photo of Jack up next to the pictures of Amos Brearly
and Henry Wilks in The Woolpack
.
After Annie had talked to Andy, he decided to live up to his responsibility and become head of the family as Jack wanted. Annie also gave Diane a letter that Jack had written in which he said he knew they would never see each other again and he wished that they had had the chance to get back together. Andy, Diane, Daz and Victoria then went to the grave that night to say a last goodbye. As they walked away, Diane looked back and saw a vision of Jack next to the grave. He smiled at her and she smiled back and realised that Jack would always be with her and the children and would be looking down on them. Throughout the episode Diane, Andy and Robert all recalled their memories of Jack in flashback. The hour long episode was dedicated to the memory of Clive Hornby.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. The character was originally played by Andrew Burt
Andrew Burt
Andrew Burt is an English actor, who has appeared in many British TV drama series from the 1970s to the present day...
from 1972 to 1974 with a brief return in 1976, when he left for Italy to write a book. On his return in 1980 he was played by Clive Hornby
Clive Hornby
Clive Hornby was an English actor, known for his part in ITV's Emmerdale as farmer Jack Sugden.-Television:...
. Hornby stayed in the role until 2008 when he was forced to take a break from Emmerdale due to illness. His last on-screen appearance was on 21 February 2008, and his absence was explained by the character visiting his mother, Annie Brearly
Annie Brearly
Anne "Annie" Brearly is a fictional character in the popular soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Sheila Mercier as a regular character between 1972 and 1994, making guest appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2009. Annie was one of Emmerdale Farm's original characters, appearing in its first episode...
in Spain. Hornby died of the illness without returning to the series.
Creation
Jacob and Annie SugdenAnnie Brearly
Anne "Annie" Brearly is a fictional character in the popular soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Sheila Mercier as a regular character between 1972 and 1994, making guest appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2009. Annie was one of Emmerdale Farm's original characters, appearing in its first episode...
’s son Jack is one of the original characters in Emmerdale. The Sugden family were the owners of Emmerdale Farm from the programme's early days. Jack and his younger brother Joe
Joe Sugden
Joseph "Joe" Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Frazer Hines.Joe was one of the main characters in the Yorkshire-set soap for a 22-year period between 1972–1994 with a brief intermittancy of three years in the 1980s...
worked on the farm.
From the early days, Jack seems to be a very rebellious and self-righteous character, who cares little for others views. He also has numerous flings with different women and failed marriages, sometimes due to his infidelity. Jack is also an intelligent and articulate man but shown to be secretive from his family too. As time passed and Jack became a father, he has matured much more. He has firmly secured his roots in farming, which he originally tried so hard to escape from. Jack is still a man of principles and of pride, which can sometimes be his biggest weaknesses.
Backstory
Jack Sugden was born in 1947 at Emmerdale Farm in Beckindale. He left the village in the spring of 1964 after a row with father Jacob over intensive farming, wanting to see more of the world than Beckindale, and went to London. He had unknowingly got his childhood sweetheart Ruth Harker pregnant. She married local thug Tom Merrick that year and tricked him into think the baby was his. In October 1972, Jack heard his father had died and this paved the way for his return to Beckindale for the show's opening episode.1972–1979
After Jack heard about his father's death, he returned to Beckindale and went to the Woolpack where a surprised Amos BrearlyAmos Brearly
Amos Brearly is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Ronald Magill.He ran the Woolpack, along with Henry Wilks for 19 years.-Character backstory:...
served him. Jack looked over the dales and the farm while his family were at Jacob's funeral. His mother, Annie, was slightly bitter with Jack at first but let him stay. When the will was read, the family discovered Jacob had left the farm to Jack. Jack's sister, Peggy Skilbeck was annoyed as she felt the family had done all the work while Jack was in London, and for a while, Peggy was bitter towards Jack.
Jack, Joe and Peggy's husband Matt Skilbeck
Matt Skilbeck
Matthew "Matt" Skilbeck is a fictional character from ITV's Emmerdale from 1972-1989. One of the series' original characters, he was played by Frederick Pyne.- Character history :Matt married Peggy, Jacob and Annie Sugden's daughter in 1968...
ran the farm. Peggy, however, was suspicious about Jack's time in London. Joe followed him to The Feathers Hotel where there was a reservation for a Mrs. Sugden.
At the same time, Jack and Joe were interested in Marian Wilks, daughter of local business man, Henry Wilks
Henry Wilks
Henry Wilks is a fictional character from the popular soap opera Emmerdale played by Arthur Pentelow. He ran the Woolpack Inn, along with Amos Brearly for nearly 20 years....
. Henry took an instant dislike to Jack but looked more kindly on Joe as he taught Marian how to fish. Annie accused Marian of playing them off against each other. Jack told Marian to put Joe straight as he was trying to learn more to try and impress her. Eventually Jack and Marian got together but Marian demanded to know who was the woman he had met at the hotel, as her father had seen them. Jack explained that she was his wife, Lynn, who he married in London and they were discussing their divorce.
Trouble for the young couple came in the form of Ruth and Tom Merrick. Jack hired Tom as a farmhand but Matt complained Tom was lazy and hardly did any work, Jack confronted Tom and fired him. Tom, however, had some information that threatened Jack and Marian's relationship. Merrick blackmailed Jack and said if he insisted on firing him, he would tell Marian the truth about his and Ruth's son, Jackie. Tom had become suspicious about who Jackie's father was after looking at photos of Jackie who looked very like Jack. Tom's suspicions weren't helped by the fact that he was named John Jacob, after Jack. He knew Ruth and Jack had had a relationship which ended just before Jackie was born and when Jack went to London, she married Tom. Jack, however, refused to be blackmailed and did not know if Jackie was his son so Jack fired Tom from his job. Marian later found out and a strain was put on their relationship. Ruth and Tom left Beckindale.
The Sugden family were curious about Jack's newfound wealth. They later discovered Jack had written a book which had been successful. Marian was curious about Jack's novel and borrowed a copy from his school friend, Frank Blakey. Marian found it a good book but wasn't impressed with the sexist views shown in it. With his money, Jack battled with Henry Wilks over a piece of land Harry Jameson, an old friend of Jacob Sugden, was selling. Harry was trying to get them to boost their offers but Jack knew he needed the money quickly and Harry accepted Jack's offer. Jack planned to move into the old mill, which was situated on the land, and do it up. He consulted a solicitor and arranged for the Farm to be given to Annie, Joe, Peggy and their grandfather, Annie's father, Sam Pearson
Sam Pearson
Samuel Kitchener "Sam" Pearson is a fictional character in the popular ITV soap opera Emmerdale played by Toke Townley, for 12 years from the serial's opening episode in 1972 until Townley's death in September 1984, almost two months prior to the character's death. Sam was the father of Annie...
but Sam did not want the responsibility and sold his share to Henry.
1980–2009
After his sister, Peggy, died and wanting to explore the world, Jack went to Italy in January 1974. He returned in May 1976 after he suffered from writer's block and after some words of wisdom from Annie, he left the dales once again. He returned in February 1980 and vowed to stay for good this time as he wanted to settle down.Pat Sugden
Patricia Ruth "Pat" Sugden is a fictional character in the popular soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Lynn Dalby and Helen Weir.-Early days:...
, previously known as Ruth, now a single mother. Unknown to Jack, Jackie was indeed his son and when the truth came out, it put a lot of strain on their marriage. Further pressure was added when Jack began an affair with local newspaper reporter Karen Moore. When she found out, Pat demanded that he choose between her and Karen. Jack decided to try and make his marriage work and chose Pat. Pat was killed in a car crash in August 1986, leaving Jack to bring up their four month old baby son, Robert
Robert Sugden
Robert Jacob Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by three different actors: Richard Smith , Christopher Smith and Karl Davies .-Storylines:A character that was born on the show, Robert was notorious for the number of romantic relationships in...
alone.
After being single for a while, Jack met mobile librarian Sarah Connolly
Sarah Sugden
Sarah Sugden is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale. She was first played by Madeleine Howard from 1988 until 1994 then by Alyson Spiro from 1994 until 2000.-1988–1997:...
in 1988. They moved in together in 1990 although not before Sarah boarded up the connecting door to the farm house to stop Annie from wondering in. Jack made many attempts to make his relationship with Sarah more official by proposing to her every year which she always turned down. 1993 was a big year for Jack the Emmerdale farm house was found to be collapsing from subsidence resulting in the Sugdens having to vacate he building after 140 years upsetting Annie who insisting the new farm be renamed Emmerdale. Jack was upset when Annie became engaged to Leonard Kempinski
Leonard Kempinski
Leonard Kempinski is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Bernard Archard.Leonard came to the village in 1992 as a friend of Amos Brearly that Annie Sugden met while out visiting Amos in Spain. She invited him back with her and stayed with the Sugden family for...
whom she had met on holiday but they reconciled before their marriage in October. In December Jack became a hero during the plane crash on the village by replacing the collapsed bridge with Frank Tate
Frank Tate (Emmerdale)
Francis Ronald "Frank" Tate is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Norman Bowler.Frank arrived in Beckindale in 1989 with his second wife Kim, son Chris and daughter Zoe...
so the emergency services could cross. Jack's mother Annie and brother Joe were both injured in the accident and Annie was in a coma. 1994 became just as eventful Sarah gave birth to a daughter, Victoria
Victoria Sugden
Victoria Anne Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale originally played by Jessica Heywood, then Hannah Midgley and currently Isabel Hodgins.-1994–:...
and Victoria's crying brought Annie out of her coma. Sarah and Jack married in May 1994 and Beckindale was renamed Emmerdale in honour of the Sugdens.
In June 1995, Jack was devastated by his brother Joe's death in a car crash in Spain shortly after the family had visited him and Annie on holiday. Jack travelled to Spain and brought Joe's body back to the village for burial. As Joe lay in wake at the farm, Jack broke down in tears by his brother's coffin and was unable to attend the funeral as he was ill with a bad back.
In late 1996 the Sugdens were under pressure by Frank Tate to sell the farm to make access to a quarry. Annie returned to the village to persuade Jack to sell it but Jack refused. However in early 1997 the family were evicted and moved to a new farm. The pressure of trying to keep the farm afloat put considerable strain on the marriage and Jack had a brief affair with Sarah’s friend, Rachel Tate.
Although it looked like their marriage was starting to work, following the adoption of troubled schoolboy Andy Hopwood
Andy Sugden
Andrew "Andy" Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Kelvin Fletcher.-1996–2007:...
, Sarah and Jack were at loggerheads again in 1999 following the death of Rachel who Jack still had feeling for and had found the body of during a search for her as she had been missing. Sarah was determined not to end up a traditional farmers wife and she and Jack disagreeing over the running of the farm particularly Jack stopping Andy and Robert going to school to work on the farm as well as financial disagreements. After an affair with their lodger Richie Carter in 2000, Sarah left Jack. Incensed by Sarah's actions, Jack refused Sarah access to the children and she considered returning. Richie took Sarah into the barn to try and convince her not to return to Jack and to leave with him.
Whilst they were in there, Andy, thinking the barn was empty, started a fire so Jack could claim on the insurance, and Sarah was killed. Jack was arrested for Sarah's murder. Andy confessed to Richie who was the prosecution's major witness and begged him to change his statement in order to clear Jack's name. Richie, unable to face sending a young boy to jail, agreed and the case collapsed. This left the Sugdens to try and rebuild their lives. Standing by Jack, throughout the ordeal, was Woolpack landlady Diane Blackstock
Diane Sugden
Diane Sugden is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is portrayed by Elizabeth Estensen.-Backstory:...
. The couple started dating but their relationship was hesitant.
In 2004, when Andy discovered Robert's affair with his new wife Katie
Katie Sugden
Katherine "Katie" Sugden is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, and is played by Sammy Winward. She originally appeared between 2001 and 2005 and returned in 2006 and has remained in the show since.-Casting:...
, he armed himself with a shotgun and waited in Robert's caravan intending to shoot him but he ended up shooting Jack instead. Having almost died, Jack initially disowned Andy but they eventually repaired their relationship.
Jack was planning to marry Diane, but she revealed that she had colon cancer and underwent chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
. The couple married and enjoyed a honeymoon in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
while Diane was on the mend.
Jack was shocked to discover that Andy had fathered a baby daughter, Sarah, with teenager Debbie Dingle
Debbie Dingle
Deborah "Debbie" Dingle is a fictional character in the British ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale. She is portrayed by Charley Webb...
, but supported Andy’s decision to be a hands-on father and was impressed with how responsible his adopted son had become.
In October 2005, Robert and Andy's feuding led to a road accident in which Max King
Max King (Emmerdale)
Maxwell Harold "Max" King is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was portrayed by Charlie Kemp.-Storylines:Max arrived in Emmerdale in early 2005, nearly a year after the introduction of the rest of his family...
was killed after Robert had run Andy's landrover in which Max was a passenger, off the road. Jack arrived at the scene seconds after the accident and was relieved to see that his sons were both alive. He was horrified when Robert and Andy told him the truth about the cause of the accident and in order for Robert to not be prosecuted, Jack told him to leave the village. Robert drove away and Jack never saw his son again.
More trauma was to follow when Debbie gave Sarah to Emily Kirk
Emily Kirk
Emily Kirk was a fictional character in ITV Soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Kate McGregor....
, who left the village. Andy and Jack were devastated and their attempts to get the child back failed.
Meanwhile, Jack was becoming infuriated by the Kings' business practices. Although a fragile truce was made after Max’s death, when Jack convinced Tom King
Tom King (Emmerdale)
Thomas "Tom" Albert King was a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He appeared in the show from February 2004 to December 2006. Ken Farrington played him during the character's run.Tom grew up in Emmerdale and was keen to return...
, Max's father, to not evict Andy from Butler's Farm in revenge, he continued to oppose them.
Jack was also forced to take in Andy’s half-brother Daz Eden
Daz Eden
Darren "Daz" Eden is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, portrayed by Luke Tittensor until April 2009. He made his first appearance in the show on 9 October 2003....
. Daz and Jack disapproved of Andy getting back together with his estranged wife, Katie. Jack had no idea how massive the impact of having a traumatized teenager in the house would be on Diane. Still recovering from her cancer, Diane insisted Jack had to get Andy to take Daz back.
In the end, Daz, having realised what was going on, agreed to leave. Jack was saddened to see Daz leave Emmerdale to live with his mother. Daz returned a couple of months later after being hit by his mum's boyfriend. After this, Jack and Diane decided to adopt him, just as he and Sarah had previously adopted Andy.
In 2007, Billy Hopwood
Billy Hopwood
William "Billy" Hopwood is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale and was played by David Crellin. Billy is the biological father of half-brothers Andy Sugden and Daz Eden.-Storylines:...
, Andy and Daz's real father, was released from prison and returned to Emmerdale. He insisted on seeing Daz, much to Jack's anger. He felt Billy would be a bad influence as he had let down both of his sons due to his previous criminality, and told him to stay away from his family but Billy was determined. After Diane comforted him, they embarked on an affair but Diane, feeling guilty, confessed to Jack. Jack was unable to forgive Diane and they separated.
Back at the house, Jack told his children about Diane and Billy's affair. Victoria was distraught and blamed herself, visiting Billy and told him she blamed him for destroying her family. Angrily, he implied Jack was no saint and suggested he was responsible for her mother Sarah's death. Wanting more information, Victoria tracked down Sarah's lover Richie Carter who told her Jack was not responsible for starting the fire but she did not believe him. Victoria returned to the village and stole some petrol from the garage and took it home with her. When Jack and Andy returned, they could smell the petrol fumes and discovered Victoria threatening to set it alight until she was told the truth about Sarah's death.
Andy confessed to starting the fire and killing Sarah and in shock, Victoria ran upstairs, tripped over and banged her head. She was lying on her bed bleeding, when Jack and Andy got to her. Jack went to get a flannel to clean her up but accidentally lit the petrol fumes when he turned on the hot tap. A massive explosion ripped through the house and it caught fire. Billy entered the building and rescued Andy and Jack, with help from Matthew King. Jack was on crutches for several weeks whilst he recovered from his injuries.
After Andy was arrested and imprisoned for Sarah's manslaughter, Jack attended his wedding to Jo Stiles in the prison chapel. He also reconciled with Diane.
On 21 February 2008, Jack flew out to Spain when his mother Annie became ill. This was to cover actor Clive Hornby taking sick leave. Whilst Jack was in Spain, Diane received a text message suggesting that they patch things up on his return. Andy visited Jack and Annie in the summer. Following Hornby's death in July 2008 the decision was made to kill the character off. Jack died off-screen on 5 February 2009. Victoria and Daz were planning on visiting Jack during half term when Annie phoned The Woolpack
The Woolpack
This article is about the soap opera. Click the link for the Cumulus cloud formation synonym.The Woolpack is a fictional public house on the popular ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Its sign is a wool bale, a popular symbol in sheep-rearing country. It has played host to many of the soap's storylines and...
to inform the family that Jack had died of a heart attack, leaving his loved ones devastated. Diane flew out to Spain to bring Jack's body home whilst Val
Val Pollard
Valerie "Val" Pollard is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Charlie Hardwick...
and Eric Pollard
Eric Pollard
Eric Charles Pollard is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Chris Chittell.Pollard has appeared on the show since 1986, making him the second longest running current character after Alan Turner who has appeared since 1982. He has lied to, cheated and swindled...
arranged his funeral.
Jack was buried in the village churchyard on 10 February 2009 next to his father Jacob, his brother Joe, his sister Peggy, his second wife Pat, his third wife Sarah, his son Jackie, and his twin nephew and niece Sam and Sally. Andy, Daz, Sam
Sam Dingle
Samuel Jonah "Sam" Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by James Hooton.-Storylines:Sam first appears in 1995 and he demands ransom money from the Sugden family. After his release from prison, he worked as a dogsbody for Eric Pollard and was constantly conned...
and Zak Dingle
Zak Dingle
Zachariah Bartholomew "Zak" Dingle is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Steve Halliwell. He first appeared on 20 October 1994 and has remained since except for a brief break from 2002-2003. On his time in the show he has been involved in a testicular cancer...
were pallbearers.
Just before the service a reference was made by Alan Turner
Alan Turner (Emmerdale)
Alan Jonathan Turner is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Richard Thorp. He first appeared on 18 March 1982, and is the longest running character in the soap. Originally portrayed as an inept, boozing and bullying manager for NY Estates at Home Farm, he has...
to when Jack had told him how he had returned to the village in 1972 for his own father's funeral. Diane read a letter Jack had written for Andy, Victoria, Daz and Robert during the service. In it, he told them he loved them and wanted them to stick together as a family. In this letter it was also revealed he knew in his last weeks that he would not live to see the village or his family again as he realized he was suffering from very badly declining health. Andy broke down in tears and fled the church. Rodney Blackstock
Rodney Blackstock
Rodney Blackstock is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He is played by Patrick Mower.-2000–:When Rodney Blackstock turned up in Emmerdale, no one was more surprised to see him than his ex-wife Diane...
acted as a pallbearer in his place. As Jack's coffin was lowered into the ground, Diane placed his chequered cap onto the coffin. Andy met Robert who was watching the burial from a distance and drove away. Robert later visited the grave to say goodbye to his dad and laid some flowers. That afternoon, Val put a framed photo of Jack up next to the pictures of Amos Brearly
Amos Brearly
Amos Brearly is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Ronald Magill.He ran the Woolpack, along with Henry Wilks for 19 years.-Character backstory:...
and Henry Wilks in The Woolpack
The Woolpack
This article is about the soap opera. Click the link for the Cumulus cloud formation synonym.The Woolpack is a fictional public house on the popular ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Its sign is a wool bale, a popular symbol in sheep-rearing country. It has played host to many of the soap's storylines and...
.
After Annie had talked to Andy, he decided to live up to his responsibility and become head of the family as Jack wanted. Annie also gave Diane a letter that Jack had written in which he said he knew they would never see each other again and he wished that they had had the chance to get back together. Andy, Diane, Daz and Victoria then went to the grave that night to say a last goodbye. As they walked away, Diane looked back and saw a vision of Jack next to the grave. He smiled at her and she smiled back and realised that Jack would always be with her and the children and would be looking down on them. Throughout the episode Diane, Andy and Robert all recalled their memories of Jack in flashback. The hour long episode was dedicated to the memory of Clive Hornby.
External links
- Jack Sugden at itv.comItv.comitv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 11 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV1 brand. The website offers on-line streaming, ITV archive, news, sport, entertainment, games, soaps, lifestyle, drama and an interactive TV...
- Official Emmerdale ITV site
- ITV's tribute to Clive Hornby
- ITV Local Yorkshire video tribute
- Emmerdale Official News
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7489418.stm.