Emmerdale new production team headed by executive producer Keith Richardson was brought in and the show's focus moved to the nearby village of Beckindale, with more dramatic storylines such as Pat Sugden's 1986 car crash and the 1988 Crossgill fire. By 1988, the show had been moved to an evening time slot in all ITV regions. "Emmerdale Farm" also began broadcasting episodes year-round that year. Reflecting its change in focus, the title was changed to "Emmerdale" on 14 November 1989. Coinciding with the title change was the introduction of the wealthy Tate family, bringing with them racier storylines. Under Richardson, the
Scheduling of Emmerdale Scheduling of Emmerdale The scheduling of ITV soap opera "Emmerdale" has varied since it was first shown in 1972. For the first 25 years, there were only 2 episodes per week. Between 1997 and 2004 the number of episodes per week increased in stages, and since 2004 there have been 6 episodes a week. Until December 1988, "Emmerdale Farm" took seasonal breaks; since then, it has been broadcast year-round. This was a change which occurred around the same time as the show was renamed from Emmerdale Farm to Emmerdale. From 1977 the series moved out of Daytime, with the majority