Emmerdale (1972)

This British TV soap has gradually become an institution, almost as big as Coronation Street and EastEnders. Launched in 1972 on ITV, it was originally known as Emmerdale Farm and focused on the farming business run by the Sugden family.

Gradually the focus shifted to the inhabitants of Beckindale, the nearby village.

In November 1989, that change was reflected when the show was rebranded as Emmerdale, and the Tate family became more prominent, overshadowing the Sugdens. In time, the Dingle and King families took more of the spotlight.

The tone of the soap has changed dramatically over the years. There's still plenty of muck-spreading, but it's not of the agricultural variety - more the gossip down at the Woolpack. The soap features a wide character base of different social classes, along with strong storylines, including sex, power, careers, crime and murder. And to keep audiences hooked, there have been numerous disasters along the way, such as a major plane crash, fires, arson, car crashes and explosions.