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Emmerdale
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<p><i>Emmerdale</i> (known as <i>Emmerdale Farm</i> until 1989) is a British television <a href="/facts/Soap_opera/oddx9g1n">soap opera</a> that is broadcast on <a href="/facts/ITV_(TV_network)/pIlD3oza">ITV</a>. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a <a href="/facts/List_of_fictional_towns_and_villages/MgdhB95m">fictional village</a> in the <a href="/facts/Yorkshire_Dales/KrXWttF9">Yorkshire Dales</a>. Created by <a href="/facts/Kevin_Laffan/4A7Raa6j">Kevin Laffan</a>, <i>Emmerdale Farm</i> was first broadcast on 16 October 1972. Interior scenes have been filmed at <a href="/facts/The_Leeds_Studios/LaJqkbQH">the Leeds Studios</a> since its inception. Exterior scenes were first filmed in <a href="/facts/Arncliffe%2c_North_Yorkshire/dolF0dc1">Arncliffe</a> in <a href="/facts/Littondale/DsGR0kAa">Littondale</a>, and the series may have taken its name from Amerdale, an ancient name of Littondale. Exterior scenes were later shot at <a href="/facts/Esholt/pvc0Srh5">Esholt</a>, but are now shot at a purpose-built set on the <a href="/facts/Harewood_House/Vu9B4u8F">Harewood estate</a>. </p><p>The series originally aired during the afternoon and was intended to be a three-month television series. However, more episodes were ordered and transmitted during the daytime until 1978, when it was moved to an early-evening <a href="/facts/Prime_time/6NYMrYPL">prime time</a> slot in most regions. In the late 1980s, a new production team oversaw the name change and introduced more dramatic storylines, as well as increasing the frequency of episodes. As a result of the changes, viewers and popularity surrounding the soap increased and <i>Emmerdale</i> began to be considered as a major British soap opera. The programme began broadcasting in <a href="/facts/High-definition_television/AuE6FRFI">high definition</a> on 10 October 2011, and in 2016, <i>Emmerdale</i> won the award for <a href="/facts/Best_British_Soap/MVlpnMLT">Best British Soap</a> at the <a href="/facts/British_Soap_Awards/BdyM08gW">British Soap Awards</a> for the first time. Since January 2019, "classic episodes" of <i>Emmerdale</i> have been broadcast twice daily on <a href="/facts/ITV3/hHYCoxJx">ITV3</a>. </p>