Emmerdale Emmerdale Emmerdale (known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989) is a British soap opera set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, "Emmerdale Farm" was first broadcast on 16 October 1972. Produced by ITV Yorkshire, it has been filmed at their Leeds studio since its inception. The programme is broadcast in every ITV region. The series originally aired during the afternoon until 1978, when it was moved to an early-evening prime time slot in most regions; London and Anglia followed during the mid-1980s. Until December 1988, "Emmerdale" took seasonal breaks;
Ivan Jones (Emmerdale) was originally employed for a guest role; then staying for a year-and-a-half had been "great". He added that he was pleased to see Ivan depart the series on a "high note" because he had enjoyed the experience. An "Emmerdale" spokesperson added that the character would become "a pawn in the rivalry" between his former employer King & Sons and Matthew King (Matt Healy) and Sadie King's (Patsy Kensit) new business. In addition they planned a "romantic liaison" for Ivan which would be a "big shock to viewers and villagers alike". Ivan departed the series in August 2006 when he left