The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Emmerdale Farm ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'' in 1977, by order of first appearance.

Dolly Skilbeck

Dolly Skilbeck (also Acaster) first appears on 22 February 1977, played by Katharine Barker. Barker portrayed the role for two years, until it was recast to Jean Rogers, who appeared as Dolly until 1991. Dolly arrives in Beckindale from

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

to serve as a barmaid in the Woolpack. She begins a relationship with

Matt Skilbeck Matt Skilbeck is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Frederick Pyne. He is one of the series' original characters and made his debut in the first episode broadcast on 16 October 1972. Pyne was in ...

(

Frederick Pyne Frederick Pyne (born 30 December 1936) is an English actor best known for his role as original character Matt Skilbeck on the ITV soap ''Emmerdale Farm'' from 1972 to 1989. Biography Pyne attended Holloway County Grammar School (now Holloway S ...

), and they later get married. She becomes pregnant with his child, but after suffering a stillbirth, Dolly begins working at the village playgroup. The pair later have a son,

Sam Skilbeck Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional ...

(Jamie Bell), who is born on 23 December 1982. After becoming pregnant for a third time, Dolly miscarries. It later emerges that Dolly had a son in the mid-1960s, and gave him up for adoption. Her child, Graham Lodsworth (

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...

), later finds her. When Matt discovers that he has inherited Crossgill Farm from the previous owner, Dolly informs him that she wants to move out of Emmerdale. Matt refuses, and they begin to grow apart, resulting in her affair with timber consultant Stephen Fuller (Gregory Floy). Stephen is killed by a falling tree, and Dolly arranges his funeral. Dolly leaves Matt and begins divorce proceedings, and leaves the village in 1991. Dolly and Sam move to Norfolk to join Matt. It is later confirmed that Dolly and Matt have gotten remarried off-screen in 1992.

Donald Hinton

Donald Hinton, was first seen in October 1977 when he took over as the vicar of Beckindale and moved into the vicarage. His son Clive turned up in early 1978. Hinton married

and Dolly Acaster in 1978 and soon became a good friend of the Sugdens. In 1978 he helped in the investigations into a dead body which was found underneath The Woolpack when the boilerman was doing maintenance. Hinton and Mr Moeketski found the skeleton was of a woman who was the ancestor of

Sam Pearson Sam Pearson may refer to: * Sam Pearson (Emmerdale) * Sam Pearson (footballer) See also * Samuel Pearson, English entrepreneur and founder of Pearson plc {{hndis, Pearson, Sam ...

. Hinton returns as a special guest at

Annie Sugden Annie Sugden (also Pearson, Kempinski and Brearly) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale''. She was played by Sheila Mercier as a regular character between 1972 and 1994, with occasional guest appearances in ...

's wedding to

Leonard Kempinski This list contains former characters and cast members of the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as B ...

. This was his final appearance in the show and final visit to Beckindale. He has not been seen or heard from since.

Liz MacDonald

Liz MacDonald, played by Elizabeth Mickery is the wife of Jock MacDonald and the mother of their daughter, Judy. Liz appears periodically between 1977 and 1990. Liz builds up a friendship with Dolly Skillbeck and often babysits her son, Sam for her. In 1988, Liz divorces Jock and takes Judy to live with her and makes her final appearance in 1990 when she worries about Jock after

Kim Tate Kim Taylor (also Barker, Marchant and Tate) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Claire King. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 12 December 1989. Kim is portrayed in the ser ...

's horse kicks him in the head.

References

{{Reflist

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

*, Emmerdale