General by year

• 1972 - The funeral of Jacob Sugden. Jack's return to Emmerdale Farm and the revelation that he is a best selling 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. 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 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 and Pat agree to marry. Tom Merrick commits arson to implicate Jack.
• 1982 - Jack and Pat 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 is rushed to hospital.
• 1984 - Jack has an affair with Karen Moore. Sam Pearson dies in his sleep. Caroline Bates arrives as Alan Turner's new secretary.
• 1985 - Jackie is accidentally knocked off his motorbike by Alan Turner. Harry Mowlam commits armed robbery on a security van of £6000. Kathy & 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 has an affair with timber consultant Stephen Fuller who is subsequently killed by a falling tree. Crossgill Farm catches fire with Annie trapped inside.
• 1989 - Annie 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 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 in the Woolpack cellar.
• 1991 - Amos retires to Spain. Alan Turner takes over the Woolpack. Kate Sugden is released from prison after serving 12 months for manslaughter. Sarah 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 comes out as a lesbian. Annie marries Leonard Kempinski. A plane crash devastates the village.
• 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 "marries" her lover Emma Nightingale. Annie and Amos 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 Glover 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 grand-daughter Tricia Stokes arrive in September. Rachel becomes involved with mad teacher Graham Clarke. Vic Windsor is shot by Billy Hopwood during a post office raid on Christmas Day.
• 1999 - Rachel is murdered by Graham. Kim 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 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 marries Ashley on Christmas Day as her estranged father Rodney Blackstock moves to the village.
• 2001 - Katie Addyman arrives and starts dating Andy. Bernice 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 Xmas Day. After 16 years in the village long running character Kathy moves to Australia.
• 2002 - Zoe develops schizophrenia and burns down the church. Bernice leaves 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 and Charity is fostered by Emily and Paddy Kirk who married in October. Louise Appleton kills her stalker which turns out to be her boyfriend, Ray Mullens, and enlists the help of old flame Terry Woods to cover up his death.
• 2003 - Bob Hope's daughter Dawn arrives and starts a relationship with his best friend Terry. She gives birth to his son in October. Chris Tate commits suicide and frames his wife Charity for his death. Zoe gives birth to baby Jean Tate and the father is later revealed as Scott. A huge hurricane hits the village causing major destruction and kills Tricia Dingle.
• 2004 - Katie marries Andy but has an affair with his adopted brother Robert. Diane's sister Val and her son Paul arrive, and Paul is later revealed to be the son of Rodney. 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. Alan Turner is held 'hostage' in the B&B by his daughter Stephanie, 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 - Shelly Williams falls overboard a ferry following a confrontation with Stephanie Turner. Emmerdale long standing resident Seth Armstrong dies. Kathy returns from Australia for Seth's funeral. Daz Eden and Belle Dingle fall down an old mine shaft on Christmas Day.
• 2006 - Kings River Show Home 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. PC Shane Doyle is murdered by Jasmine Thomas. Matthew King tries to run brother Carl down in a van but swerves and is catapulted through the windscreen, killing him.
• 2009 - Jack Sugden dies in Spain. His mother Annie Sugden returns from Spain for the funeral. Charity Tate returns. Aaron Livesy
  Aaron Livesy
  Aaron Livesy is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Danny Miller, who took over the role from Danny Webb in 2008. He made his first on-screen appearance on 24 December 2003. Aaron is the son of Chastity Dingle and Gordon Livesy...
  
   attempts to kiss best friend Adam Barton
  Adam Barton (Emmerdale)
  For the English footballer see Adam BartonAdam Barton is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Adam Thomas. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 July 2009...
  
  .
• 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. 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 Walsh
  Jackson Walsh is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Marc Silcock. He made his first on-screen appearance on 22 March 2010. The character was introduced as a love interest for the established Aaron Livesy and Jackson became central to Aaron's coming out storyline...
  
  . Jackson Walsh is left critically injured after a train smashed into his van, with him inside.
• 2011 - Lisa Dingle
  Lisa Dingle
  Lisa May Dingle is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Jane Cox.-Casting:Lisa Clegg was first introduced by producer Mervyn Watson in 1996 who cast Jane Cox for the role...
  
   is raped by her work colleague Derek Benrose. A fire spreads through Emmerdale village, trapping: Genesis Walker
  Genesis Walker
  Genesis "Gennie" Walker is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Sian Reese-Williams. She made her first appearance on 1 April 2008.-Character creation and development:...
  
  , Brenda Walker
  Brenda Walker
  Brenda Walker is an Australian writer. She studied at the University of New England in Armidale and, after gaining a PhD in English at the Australian National University, she moved to Perth in 1984. She is now Winthrop Professor of English and Cultural Studies at the University of Western Australia...
  
  , Terry Woods
  Terry Woods (Emmerdale)
  Terence "Terry" Woods is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Billy Hartman. He was one of the longest-serving characters in the show when he was killed off in early 2011, after 16 years.-1995–2003:...
  
  , Katie Sugden
  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:...
  
  , Chas Dingle
  Chas Dingle
  Chastity "Chas" Dingle is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Lucy Pargeter.-Storylines:...
  
  , Betty Eagleton
  Betty Eagleton
  Elizabeth "Betty" Eagleton is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Paula Tilbrook. She made her first on-screen appearance on 12 April 1994 and, in 2011, following the death of Viv Hope, she is the longest-serving female character.-Backstory:Betty Pendergrast and...
  
   and Viv Hope
  Viv Hope
  Vivienne "Viv" Hope was a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Emmerdale. Portrayed by Deena Payne, the character first appeared on 10 August 1993, and remained until 13 January 2011, becoming one of the longest serving characters, after nearly 18 years in the show.In November...
  
  and kills Viv Hope and Terry Woods. 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 helps Jackson to die, unable to cope with his suffering any longer.