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Sugden family
The Sugdens are a fictional family in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Introduced during the show's conception in 1972, they were the main family for storylines between the 1970s and 1980s and remained as such for many years. The families original unit consisted of widowed farmer Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier), alongside her children Peggy Skilbeck (Jo Kendall), Jack Sugden (Andrew Burt and Clive Hornby) and Joe Sugden (Frazer Hines). Subsequently, these characters went on to produce more generations of Sugdens.
The Sugden family are characterized as a hardworking bunch, but the family has struggled with various types of dramatic moments such as Peggy's death and the deaths of the Skilbecks, Jack's affair with Rachel Hughes, Sarah Sugden's death, rivalry between Robert and Jack's adopted son Andy, Andy's abuse on his wife Jo Stiles, a house fire, Robert murdering Andy's ex-wife Katie Addyman as well as his homosexual affair with Aaron Dingle, Andy being framed for murder and going on the run, Jack's daughter Victoria's rape and Robert being sent to prison for murdering her rapist Lee Posner.
As of 2026, Robert, Victoria and her son Harry Sugden, remain the only Sugdens by blood on the show. Additionally, Andy's daughter Sarah Sugden remains on the show but she is not a Sugden by blood. On 7 August 2024, a relative named John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), revealed to be another son of Jack and Victoria's half brother, joined the series. On 10 June 2026, another relative named Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) was announced to be joining the soap.
The Sugden family were created in 1972 by Kevin Laffan as one of the show's original family. The Sugden family were the owners of Emmerdale Farm from the programme's early days. Jacob Sugden worked as a local farmer in Emmerdale. With his wife Annie he had two sons, Jack in 1947, Joe in 1949 and a daughter Peggy in 1948. Jacob always neglected his family and was an alcoholic, whereas Annie was left to manage the farm and look after their children. Eventually their daughter Peggy married Matt Skilbeck (Frederick Pyne) and had two children Sam and Sally. Jack left the village in the spring of 1964 after an argument with father Jacob over intensive farming, wanting to see more of the world than Beckindale, and went to London. He had unknowingly got his childhood sweetheart Ruth Harker (also known as Pat) pregnant. She married local thug Tom Merrick (David Hill) that year and tricked him into thinking the baby was his, by telling him the baby was premature. Sometime in the mid-to-late 1960s Jack met and married Lynn Wallace. Shortly afterwards he wrote and published his best seller The Field Of Tares.
Kevin Laffan created the character of Annie Sugden as he was said to be "keen on dominant women" and it has been said that he created a "memorable heroine" in Annie Sugden, "the wife of the ne'er-do-well…who drank himself to an early grave" (the first episode opened with his funeral). Actress (Sheila Mercier) — whose career had been mainly theatrical — was chosen to play the role and went on to be the serial's longest running original actor. Mercier has commented "I had done a lot of television from the stage of the Whitehall, but very little else before joining Emmerdale Farm…I remember, at first, playing to the Gods! Tristan de Vere Cole, one of the first directors on the programme, told me to take [my performance] down until it was so low I was almost muttering. Then, Gordon Flemyng – another of the directors – played back to me a scene I did so that I could see what I had done wrong."" In her 1994 autobiography, Mercier recalls how on so many occasions she wanted Annie to cry but the director, David Green, said "Annie does not cry. She cries all her tears into the pillow at night."
Peggy and her family were killed off in 1973, and Jack married Pat Merrick (Helen Weir). Robert Sugden was introduced as their child played by Richard Smith. In 1989, Christopher Smith took on the role. He remained in the show until 2001, when the character was recast to Karl Davies and he remained until 2005. After a brief return in 2009, the character was recast to Ryan Hawley in 2014. Mercier retired in 1994 appearing in only a handful of Emmerdale episodes, making guest appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2009, whilst Joe Sugden was killed off off-screen in 1995. Jack remarried Sarah Connolly (Madeleine Howard/Alyson Spiro). Their daughter Victoria Sugden (Jessica Heywood/Hannah Midgley/Isabel Hodgins) was born on-screen in 1994. Jack lastly remarried to Diane Blackstock (Elizabeth Estensen) who remains the Sugden matriarch.
Apart from the blood related Sugden's there were many others who were related to the Sugden's and were treated like other members of the family, these were;
Matt Skilbeck whose first wife was Peggy, long after she died Matt lived at Emmerdale Farm, he even brought his second wife; Dolly Skilbeck to live at Emmerdale Farm in 1978 where Dolly herself was treated by Annie, Joe & Jack like a daughter and sister, Matt & Dolly had a son of their own in 1982; Sam Skilbeck who was treated by Annie like a grandson, even after Matt left Beckindale in December 1989, Dolly & Sam were always welcome at the Farm.
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Sugden family
The Sugdens are a fictional family in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Introduced during the show's conception in 1972, they were the main family for storylines between the 1970s and 1980s and remained as such for many years. The families original unit consisted of widowed farmer Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier), alongside her children Peggy Skilbeck (Jo Kendall), Jack Sugden (Andrew Burt and Clive Hornby) and Joe Sugden (Frazer Hines). Subsequently, these characters went on to produce more generations of Sugdens.
The Sugden family are characterized as a hardworking bunch, but the family has struggled with various types of dramatic moments such as Peggy's death and the deaths of the Skilbecks, Jack's affair with Rachel Hughes, Sarah Sugden's death, rivalry between Robert and Jack's adopted son Andy, Andy's abuse on his wife Jo Stiles, a house fire, Robert murdering Andy's ex-wife Katie Addyman as well as his homosexual affair with Aaron Dingle, Andy being framed for murder and going on the run, Jack's daughter Victoria's rape and Robert being sent to prison for murdering her rapist Lee Posner.
As of 2026, Robert, Victoria and her son Harry Sugden, remain the only Sugdens by blood on the show. Additionally, Andy's daughter Sarah Sugden remains on the show but she is not a Sugden by blood. On 7 August 2024, a relative named John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), revealed to be another son of Jack and Victoria's half brother, joined the series. On 10 June 2026, another relative named Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) was announced to be joining the soap.
The Sugden family were created in 1972 by Kevin Laffan as one of the show's original family. The Sugden family were the owners of Emmerdale Farm from the programme's early days. Jacob Sugden worked as a local farmer in Emmerdale. With his wife Annie he had two sons, Jack in 1947, Joe in 1949 and a daughter Peggy in 1948. Jacob always neglected his family and was an alcoholic, whereas Annie was left to manage the farm and look after their children. Eventually their daughter Peggy married Matt Skilbeck (Frederick Pyne) and had two children Sam and Sally. Jack left the village in the spring of 1964 after an argument with father Jacob over intensive farming, wanting to see more of the world than Beckindale, and went to London. He had unknowingly got his childhood sweetheart Ruth Harker (also known as Pat) pregnant. She married local thug Tom Merrick (David Hill) that year and tricked him into thinking the baby was his, by telling him the baby was premature. Sometime in the mid-to-late 1960s Jack met and married Lynn Wallace. Shortly afterwards he wrote and published his best seller The Field Of Tares.
Kevin Laffan created the character of Annie Sugden as he was said to be "keen on dominant women" and it has been said that he created a "memorable heroine" in Annie Sugden, "the wife of the ne'er-do-well…who drank himself to an early grave" (the first episode opened with his funeral). Actress (Sheila Mercier) — whose career had been mainly theatrical — was chosen to play the role and went on to be the serial's longest running original actor. Mercier has commented "I had done a lot of television from the stage of the Whitehall, but very little else before joining Emmerdale Farm…I remember, at first, playing to the Gods! Tristan de Vere Cole, one of the first directors on the programme, told me to take [my performance] down until it was so low I was almost muttering. Then, Gordon Flemyng – another of the directors – played back to me a scene I did so that I could see what I had done wrong."" In her 1994 autobiography, Mercier recalls how on so many occasions she wanted Annie to cry but the director, David Green, said "Annie does not cry. She cries all her tears into the pillow at night."
Peggy and her family were killed off in 1973, and Jack married Pat Merrick (Helen Weir). Robert Sugden was introduced as their child played by Richard Smith. In 1989, Christopher Smith took on the role. He remained in the show until 2001, when the character was recast to Karl Davies and he remained until 2005. After a brief return in 2009, the character was recast to Ryan Hawley in 2014. Mercier retired in 1994 appearing in only a handful of Emmerdale episodes, making guest appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2009, whilst Joe Sugden was killed off off-screen in 1995. Jack remarried Sarah Connolly (Madeleine Howard/Alyson Spiro). Their daughter Victoria Sugden (Jessica Heywood/Hannah Midgley/Isabel Hodgins) was born on-screen in 1994. Jack lastly remarried to Diane Blackstock (Elizabeth Estensen) who remains the Sugden matriarch.
Apart from the blood related Sugden's there were many others who were related to the Sugden's and were treated like other members of the family, these were;
Matt Skilbeck whose first wife was Peggy, long after she died Matt lived at Emmerdale Farm, he even brought his second wife; Dolly Skilbeck to live at Emmerdale Farm in 1978 where Dolly herself was treated by Annie, Joe & Jack like a daughter and sister, Matt & Dolly had a son of their own in 1982; Sam Skilbeck who was treated by Annie like a grandson, even after Matt left Beckindale in December 1989, Dolly & Sam were always welcome at the Farm.