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
Emmerdale plane crash White in October 2015. Previously seen as "quaint and slow" compared to other British soap operas, the plane crash was a turning point for "Emmerdale" and marked its "graduation" into a major prime time soap opera. The episode gave "Emmerdale" its highest-ever audience of 18 million. ITV received many complaints as the timing of the storyline was close to the fifth anniversary of the Lockerbie Disaster. According to "The Independent", the episode proved to be "brilliant television", as it "allowed the writers to get rid of much dead wood, and reinvent the soap virtually from scratch." In the 5 January