Scheduling of Emmerdale and Central Television chose to move the programme to 19:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays in February 1989, This was the first time Anglia had screened "Emmerdale Farm" in the 19:00 slot, Central were simply returning to the slots they used until December 1987, for a period Anglia and Central saw episodes one week later than other regions. From January 1990 all other regions followed the Central and Anglia schedule in the familiar Tuesday and Thursday 19:00 slot. Most companies continued to broadcast the series at 7 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, repeats was shown in the daytime slot of the
Emmerdale largely outdoors, and Yorkshire Television sent people to its set in County Meath to see the programme's production firsthand. The show's early years as "Emmerdale Farm" centred on the Sugden family and rural farm life. The show was originally broadcast twice a week in the afternoon, and was regarded by critics as a "sleepy soap" where not much happened. The first episode aired on 16 October 1972 at 1.30pm, and began with the serial's characters convening in the fictional village of Beckindale for Jacob Sugden's funeral. Jacob upset the family when he left Emmerdale Farm to his eldest son, Jack,