Seasons & episodes

As Matt and Lucy prepare to spend their final day living together it is clear that they have grown fond of one another. There's a suspicious character in the area and it comes in the form of Syd Harker who has been released from jail. He's the last person Joe wants to see again but it isn't long before he's hanging around Emmerdale Farm. At The Woolpack, Amos announces that he's been given an assignment by the Courier but he can't talk about it on the grounds that its secret and dangerous.

Syd is ruffling a few feathers since returning from prison, not least Joe's and their inevitable meeting is a heated exchange of words but this is only a taster of things to come! Meanwhile, at Emmerdale, Lucy has returned after an unsuccessful spell as a lodger to Mrs Lumley. She has also given up her job so her and Annie set about deciding what she is going to do in the future.

Joe informs Annie that Syd has been sleeping at Demdyke Row and speculation mounts that it is more than just a coincidence that Syd has arrived back in Beckindale at the same time as the sheep have been stolen.

Syd casually admits to William that he is responsible for the sheep thefts. He is calm because he knows that until evidence is found to prove that he did it then he is in the clear. Joe is determined to find that evidence but first he has to convince Annie and the rest of Emmerdale Farm that his obsession isn't just an act of revenge.

Annie speaks to Syd and is now convinced that he is trying to be a good lad after he tells her that he has got a job as a sheep loader and has moved back in with his mum. Henry visits the butchers in Manton but his reaction to his entrance makes him even more suspicious about the sheep stealing. Sam goes to The Woolpack for the darts and dominoes evening, but the pub is so full there is no room to play the games.

As Lucy prepares to leave Beckindale for the final time, Annie tells her that everyone notices the way William has been looking at her but she denies any type of romance. Joe and Matt take up a vantage point above where they expect the latest sheep theft to take place. They get what they came to see but it seems that the police have already beaten them to it.

Clearing up after the storm, Annie also faces the problem of repairing Ray and Sarah's lives.

Henry and Joe are hatching a surprise for Annie, but her attention is focused on the imminent arrival of Sarah's baby.

Annie feels a mother's concern at Joe's thoughts of a move, but she decides she won't hold on if he wants to leave Beckindale.

Drama in the night as everyone waits for the birth of Sarah's baby, but the one person who should be there is missing.

Amos is up in arms over Ray's refusal to co-operate with the Hotten Courier, but that's all forgotten when the baby comes back to Emmerdale.

Amos has problems with The Woolpack clock, but that is soon forgotten when he gets an odd invitation which leads to an even stranger meeting.

There's a surprise phone call from Jack in Rome. He wants to write Sam's biography - to the astonishment of Amos and Henry. Amos goes for a tour around Ephriam's and is stunned to discover that his host for the duration will be Dolly. He is even more stunned when she asks for her job back at The Woolpack.

Sam prepares to embark on his trip to Rome so that Jack can write his biography. Henry and Amos are in conflict once again over whether or not to employ Dolly who has smoothed her path back into Beckindale by apologising to Annie for the events that occurred at the concert.

There is a new vicar in Beckindale to replace the departed Reverend Hockley and he goes by the name of David Cowper but his entrance is not noticed because the rest of Beckindale is celebrating the Jubilee. Matt and Dolly enjoy a romantic afternoon picnic during which Dolly tells Matt that she's sick of working at The Woolpack but she doesn't want to leave Beckindale. There's a surprise call from Sam but he wants to speak to the vicar for a reason that is unknown to everyone else.

Henry is keen on having a barbecue as part of the Jubilee celebrations but he is stopped in his tracks by Amos and Mrs Bullock. Amos reaches boiling point with Henry over Dolly and the final straw comes when he finds her smalls hanging out in the yard! Up at Emmerdale Farm, Joe and Matt discover Basil Ackroyd's car in the farmyard and it's piled high with luggage.

Annie receives an odd phone call which may have something to do with the new vicar. Joe and Matt are determined to establish the real reason for Basil's arrival in Beckindale.

It emerges that the malicious phone calls that Annie has received are about David and his activities outside church. Annie tells Henry that the caller mentioned a girl called Julie and they speculate about who the caller could be. They also discuss why the landlord of The Malt Shovel received an identical phone call. Matt and Dolly enjoy some time alone by the river but as they begin to head back it emerges that they have not been alone at all. A woman has been spying on them all the time.

Jubilee day has arrived and Basil is keen to make sure that he is celebrating at Henry's expense by inviting Annie to dinner the following evening. Later on in the day, Joe receives a phone call from David who tells him that Dolly has fallen off her scooter. Joe tells Matt who immediately departs to see her. The doctor tells Dolly not to use her leg for a bit so work at the pub is out. At this point, Matt departs from the Vicarage to collect the damaged scooter and tell Henry. Leaving David and Dolly alone, David offers a spare room to Dolly.

The controversies surrounding David continue with Mrs Bullock demanding a reprimand for him following his 'antics' at the dance in Hotten. Joe assures Annie that nothing untoward happened at the dance but she points out that Vicars have to set an example. In the meantime, Dolly has decided to accept David's offer of a room at the Vicarage. David also speaks to Amos about a room at The Woolpack. The phone calls are continuing as well, and it is only through strong persuasion from David that Annie and Henry agree not to phone the police. They agree to a delay of two days. David thinks he knows who are behind the calls. Suddenly, things come to a head as Amos receives a call at The Woolpack that horrifies him.

Allegations are being made by the caller that David has done a girl wrong. He explains to Joe that it was a girl that he was supposed to marry but he changed his mind and someone is still holding a grudge.

Joe and Matt are still deliberating over why Basil has really come to Beckindale with Joe overhearing Basil talking about his home life only fuelling their intrigue. Dolly packs away her things at The Woolpack as she prepares to move to the Vicarage. The explanation for the malicious phone calls is now beginning to work its way around the village. Henry informs Amos that the phone calls came from a girl that David once nearly married but she is now mentally ill and has just been released from a mental home. Meanwhile, Basil is doing everything he can to avoid his daughter Renee Barstow, who is searching for him. According to her, he left home after the rest of the family tried to put him on a diet!

A fire brakes out at Emmerdale Farm in a stack of straw and the Beckindale Volunteer Fire Service is manfully fighting the blaze. During the fire fighting one of the members of the team is burned.

David is becoming frustrated at the length of time it is taking the people of Beckindale to accept him. Frank Armitage causes a stir in Beckindale when he announces to Amos, in his reporter role, that he plans to build a caravan site on his land in order to fund his passion for stock car racing. Despite the problems that it could cause Joe is convinced that Frank won't budge and Annie is worried that the whole issue is going to split the close knit village.