‘Bring them back’ demand Emmerdale fans as they call for bosses to resurrect forgotten soap families
Emmerdale fans have sent a desperate plea to soap bosses asking them to resurrect characters that are no longer on screen.
The begging comes as the ITV soap has revealed plans for a new member of the Sugden family to join the Emmerdale cast.
John Sugden is the son of Jack Sugden, making him Victoria, Andy and Robert’s half brother – and Sarah’s uncle
Played by Oliver Farnworth, who has appeared in Coronation Street, he’s set to make his appearance this month.
However the new addition has seen fans wishing the ITV soap would bring back the Skilbeck and Merrick families, who haven’t been on the soap for several decades.
One soap fan wrote in an online forum: “Interesting news that Emmerdale is introducing another branch to the Sugden family via Jack.
“However, I always wonder why the show never re-establishes members of the Skilbeck or Merrick families who were both central to Emmerdale in the 70s and 80s?
Seems like an easy win — simple connections to the show’s past with lots of opportunity for new characters?”
Another responded: “Matt and Dollys Skilbecks son would be about 35-38 now? With a family? He could easily come back….”
Yet another joked: “They could try getting Dolly Skilbecks illegitimate son Graham Lodsworth played by Ross Kemp to return. Yeah, good luck with that.”
“Tommy Merrick dates back to the early Emmerdale Farm days, so would be in his mid 50s now ; another one who could come back; again, with family sons/ daughters , grown up,” said another.
Others have offered theories and speculated that the new Sugden on the scene might end up with a romantic link to another of Emmerdale’s longstanding families, the Dingles.
They wrote in the forum: “The simple answer is, they aren’t Dingles. If brought in they would be brought into have a link with the Dingles.
The new Sugden will be with one in less than 3 months.”
Another reasoned: “I think the issue with the Merricks, and even more the Skillbecks, is that they aren’t blood relations of anybody still in the show.
“Now that needn’t matter if there is a bond, most obviously from being so closely associated with a family for a lengthy period via marriage that a character becomes part of it.
“Mark and Rachel Hughes became Sugdens due to Joe’s short marriage to Kate.
“Vinny is now effectively a Dingle because Mandy brought him up.
“Matt and Dolly were Sugdens because of Matt remaining part of the family after Peggy and the twins death due to shared experience and affection.”
Forgotten soap storylines
The nation's soaps have had many gripping storylines play out over the years. However, some plots proved to be far less memorable. Here are some forgotten stories from Weatherfield, Walford and more...
- Ken and Audrey’s romance (2015): After the death of wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), Coronation Street original Ken Barlow (William Roache) started to move on in his life. He started to develop a spark with old friend Audrey (Sue Nicholls), with then-Corrie boss saying it would be like “Ross and Rachel”. In the end, nothing ever came of it and the two remained platonic pals.
- Beth’s bigamy (2016): Despite being happily married to Kirk (Andrew Whyment), a troubling secret came to light about Beth Tinker (Lisa George). It transpired that she had never divorced from her first husband, Darryl (Paul Loughran), father of her son Craig (Colson Smith). Although Craig and Kirk were shocked – and Beth was arrested – the storyline didn’t didn’t go much further.
- Kat Slater’s secret son (2017): Capitalising on the popularity of Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie (Shane Richie), the two received a spin-off back in 2017. Titled ‘Redwater’, it saw the two travel to Ireland where they met long-lost son Luke, now called Dermott Dolan, played by Oisín Stack. Despite the high-tension events during Redwater, Kat seems to have put the experience behind her as Dermott’s not been mentioned since.
- Alfie’s brain tumour (2015): Having learned in 2015 that he had a brain tumour, Alfie kept the news from Kat until their trip to Ireland. At the time, actor Shane Ritchie revealed fans would see a change in Alfie as he battled the illness. It would appear that at some point after leaving the Square, was told the tumour was non-malignant. By the time Alfie returned in 2022, fans were left confused over what had happened to the storyline.
- Kathy and Buster’s affair (2016): In 2016, Walford legend Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) fell into the arms of convict Buster Briggs, played by Karl Howman. Buster was the long-time lover of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and fathered both her sons – Mick (Danny Dyer) and Dean (Matt Di Angelo). When Buster left, he begged Kathy to join him, but she refused for the sake of her family. Meanwhile Buster didn’t even stop to say goodbye to Shirley before exiting with a broken heart. Fans expected a showdown between the two women, but this never came to pass.
- Jacob’s OCD (2016): After his dad, David (Matthew Wolfenden), was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This manifested in the form of cleaning. Jacob’s OCD made a brief return one year on, after David had another scare after finding a lump. Jacob frantically searched the bins for a “lucky coin” that had accidentally been thrown away. Despite stressful situations – such as being groomed by his teacher Maya, losing his fiancee Leanna to a serial killer, dealing with mum Leyla’s drug addiction, and surviving a stabbing – the condition doesn’t appear to have returned.
- Marlon and Charity’s fling (2003): Few fans would likely remember few will remember the one-night stand between Charity (Emma Atkins) and Marlon (Mark Charnock) in 2003. The pair slept together when Charity was staying with Marlon while still under suspicion for husband Chris’s supposed “murder”.
- Alex Browning’s revenge plot (2014): Fans expected a confrontation when Dr Browning’s son Alex (Ojan Genc) mer stepmum Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). After all, Mercedes, with Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) and Lindsey Butterfield (Sophie Austin) had murdered Alex’s dad, double-murderer Dr Paul Browning, after he kidnapped and attacked his new wife. In fact, the soap teased Alex would seek revenge for his father’s death upon arriving. However, he instead gave Cindy’s son Hilton (his half-brother) a life-saving transplant, became his godfather, and leaving the village soon after.
Oliver Farnworth, who joins as John Sugden this month, is no stranger to ITV screens.
Oliver played Andy Carver in Corrie from 2014 to 2017, as well as roles in Mr Selfridge (2013), The Girl on the Train (2018) and Beautiful Thing (2013).
Ahead of his first appearance in the village, viewers have been sharing theories on what could be in store for John.
As of now, the newcomer’s exact relation to the Sugdens isn’t known.
Although fans have been putting forward their best guesses in the build-up to the character’s debut.
At present, Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) and her son Harry (Adam Pryor) are the only Sugdens in the show – however, John is reportedly poised to introduce significant changes for Victoria.