Chris Chittell on Emmerdale’s sensationalist storylines

He’s played Eric Pollard in Emmerdale Farm and Emmerdale since 1986 and has never been one to hold back on his views – good and bad – about the show and the changes to ITV. In 2009 when the Leeds Studios of ITV Yorkshire were downscaled he hit out at the decision, and this week as the big 50th anniversary of the soap comes he’s spoken out about the ‘Brookside-style‘ sensational plots.

Emmerdale, now airing five episodes a week – four half hours and a one-hour episode – may have gone down the route of event-driven storylines rather than character-driven plots, however, viewers seem to currently enjoy the ‘over-kill’ – in both output and action – with the series this week winning ‘Best Soap‘ at The National Television Awards.

Chris, 74, spoke to the Soap From The Box podcast about the serial once set in Beckindale Village that launched as a ‘sleepy rural’ twice-weekly saga of everyday country folk that occasionally had to deal with big dramas – both happy and sad – from weddings and funerals to subsidence, nuclear waste, a maze blaze and pubic lice.

Emmerdale Farm, YTV

“The biggest change is the topic of storylines, they’re all sensationalist, which is a shame. We have to look at life and be able to reflect it to do our jobs. And life as we see it now, hells bells, you daren’t cough, walk in the street because there’s a death. But life is not like that.”

“I saw a wonderful [classic] episode of Coronation Street with Sarah Lancashire and Julie Goodyear in the pub. They’d closed up for the night and it was just magical. It was perfect. That’s what’s missing.”

John Middleton, who played the Rev Ashley Thomas in the saga from 1996 until 2017 also spoke with the Soap From The Box podcast echoing Chris’ sentiments.

“You have to be very careful, and I think it’s the big mistake that Brookside went down, they went for stunt after stunt after stunt. Eventually, your audience is tuning in to watch a stunt, and then that’s it, then they go away.”

The series was launched as Emmerdale Farm by Yorkshire Television in 1972 as part of ITV’s new daytime offering. The theme tune devised by Tony Hatch of Crossroads and Neighbours fame introduced viewers to the Sudgen family of the farm and those they interacted with around the village.

Eric Pollard in Emmerdale Farm, 1986, YTV

For the first 20 years, the show rarely hit the ITV Top 10, nor was much noticed by the newspapers. However, by the early 1990s production company, Yorkshire Television, was keen to make the show a ‘must-see’ serial. Regular interest in the show was finally brought about when Brookside creator Phil Redmond was drafted in to drop a plane on the village and shake up its press-created ‘sleepy image’ – since then the show has been a powerhouse of primetime drama and a ratings winner for ITV.

Executive Producer on the show Jane Hudson:

“Emmerdale celebrating 50 years is a huge achievement and to be the executive producer at such an exciting time is an honour. For five decades, Emmerdale has kept its audience entertained with incredible storylines and memorable characters. We want to make sure our 50th birthday month is a treat for all our loyal viewers and has them gripped to the edge of their seats as the stories unfold.”