Seasons & episodes

Amos interviews Ted for the courier. Matt and Joe discuss Frank's planned caravan site. Just as Joe is about to have dinner, but he receives a call about another fire in the village. Amos is also called out to the fire. Joe gets a hands-on lesson from Ted as he puts out a potentially dangerous barn fire.

Joe reveals his idea for stopping Frank's caravan site. He proposes that Emmerdale Farm should also apply for a licence for a caravan site, reckoning that they've got a field that's more suited and that if there is to be a site, it might as well be run properly. Henry is impressed but Matt is sceptical. Matt is also unhappy about Dolly's advancing relationship with David, especially when he finds out that he is taking her to Leeds on a night out.

Frank has an inkling that Joe is up to something but has no idea to what extent his secretive antics will effect his caravan plans. It's the Robblesfield Gala and Amos is there in his roving reporter role to cover the procession of vintage fire engines which Joe is part of. Amos then proceeds to ruin Joe's afternoon by telling him who may be his new next door neighbour - Henry.

Annie puts a dampener on Henry's plans to buy the cottage next door to Joe's, her reason being that she doesn't believe that the rich should corner the market for cottages and suggests he thinks again. Ted Barker launches a scathing attack on Amos in The Woolpack after the Courier publishes an article, written by Amos, quoting Ted as saying the recent spate of fires have all been caused by the tourists. Meanwhile, Frank's plans for a caravan site have collapsed following a fire at his farm leaving Emmerdale as the only applicant for planning permission. A caravan site is theirs - if they want it.

David's scheme for bringing children to the Dales for holidays has come unstuck with one of the families and a girl called Angela has been left homeless. Somewhere else has to be found for her, which won't be easy as she's a difficult child from a broken home. Dolly suggests Emmerdale and, though doubtful, agrees to ask. Annie says yes, as always, much to the delight of Joe, especially after he sees what the girl called Angela looks like.

Sam is back from Rome. He descends the long hill behind the farm and spots a girl in his vegetable garden. When he reaches her perplexed as to who she may be, he speaks brusquely to her, but all she will say is that she's staying at the farm. Sam decides to go investigate.

Amos is horrified when Sam says that he might write a piece for the Courier about his experiences in Italy instead of letting Amos interview him for his piece. Angela appears to be finally coming out of her shell after Henry takes her out birdwatching and rewards her for her good behaviour with a shandy in The Woolpack.

There's a change of vicar in the village and it puts Dolly's living arrangements in jeopardy once again. Angela and Sam go for walk up on the fell. All is going well until Angela continually plays with her radio and this prompts Sam to get cross. Angela responds by running away from him. She then walks through a field and leaves the gate open, frightened by the cows, which start to escape.

There's plenty of cows roaming about after she left the gate open, but Angela hasn't been seen since she ran away from Sam. It emerges that a pregnant cow has fallen so the Fell Rescue Team has to be called out. Amos immediately smells a story.

The post induction-party gives the new vicar, Donald, a chance to introduce himself to Beckindale. One person that is missing though is Angela. She has decided that following the previous nights dramas on the fell, it would be best if she returns home which she did that afternoon. On her way back to The Woolpack, Dolly bumps into Matt who is on his way to the party. They exchange pleasantries and it isn't long before Matt realises that The Woolpack is a more appealing evening than the post-induction party.

It is night time, and Matt has just dropped Dolly at the Vicarage after a night out. As he drives past The Woolpack, a shadowy figure passes in front of his headlight, going away from the pub. Meanwhile in The Woolpack, Henry discovers that the front door is open. He accuses Amos of having neglected his duties but Amos fervently denies this. He wants to call the police but as nothing seems to have been stolen or damaged, Henry tells him not to be so silly. Amos' fears are proved justified the next day though when Sam, in The Woolpack, spots a vacant niche where the Butterworth Ball should be and realises someone has taken it.

Joe and Matt come to the conclusion that the Butterworth Ball is in the hands of someone in Robblesfield. Then all of a sudden a girl appears and turns out to be Lesley. She is staying at Hawthorn Cottage with her grandparents. Dolly is not getting on with Donald. So much so that she tells Matt she is thinking of leaving Beckindale altogether to work somewhere else.

Annie receives a mysterious phone call at Emmerdale Farm but whoever the caller wanted is out. Meanwhile at The Woolpack, Amos is in big trouble when Fred Teaker enters the pub to examine the Butterworth Ball. When Amos prevaricates, Fred leaves, with threats that if it isn't the real ball, Amos is in big trouble!

In the middle of the night, there is a disturbance in the Vicarage garden which brings out Donald and Dolly. Getting no answer, Donald goes inside and phones the police while the intruder slinks away. Lesley is given a helping hand by Annie when she goes to the vicar's to start preparations for her grandparents' re-marriage. Meanwhile, Sam thinks Little Teaker knows where the Butterworth Ball is.

Amos is fighting a rearguard action against the Hotten Courier who are demanding that he produces an article about the Butterworth Ball. In the evening, Annie approaches Sam with a proposition. Mr and Mrs Gibson are getting married again and Annie wants Sam to be the best man.

Lesley informs Joe that she's got a secret to tell him but Amos is in earshot. After Sam's refusal to be best man at the wedding, Annie turns to Henry who readily accepts. The only problem is that the football team will be left without a trainer. Henry quickly solves the problem though by suggesting that Amos could do it instead and Sam agrees. Amos gets the wrong end of the stick when he sees Annie and Henry setting off in their finery for the church. He decides to stick around and see what develops, totally forgetting about the football match.

Amos complains to Dolly about how the whole village seems to be obsessed with the play. Up at Emmerdale Farm, Joe is repairing the drive when a young man, Richard Roper, drives past in a car, stops a bit down the road, then comes up. He tells Joe that he's merely looking around then drives off again as Henry arrives. Joe tells him that Richard has been driving past the farm several times and Henry replies that he's seen him in the village too.

Amos continues with his negative attitude towards the play but it turns out that his real grouse is that no one asked him to be in the play in the first place. Rumours persist about the man called Richard. Amos emerges with the theory that he is Dolly's fiance and thinks that she's led Matt a bit of a dance but Henry points out that Richard may be only an ex-fiance

Dolly continues to fend off Richard's attempts for a reconciliation. He comes up against some stern opposition though in the form of Annie. When he tells her that he wants to marry Dolly, Annie turns on him and tells him that she knows about the baby and that he was never much of a father and that he can't own people, like he wants to own his son and Dolly. Later on that evening at the farm, Dolly drops her bombshell on Matt, telling him that she won't be staying for Christmas after all and that she has a child.

Richard is all set to meet up with Matt to inform him of his plans to marry Dolly but Dolly intervenes and strikes a deal with him. Dolly promises Richard that if he doesn't meet up with Matt, then she will meet him in the New Year to discuss the future. Richard agrees and a date is set for the two of them to meet in January at Brassington. That evening the play takes place and Matt is one of the stars of the proceedings, but despite this Dolly can't bear to watch despite Annie's pleas. She needs time to go away and think about what she wants. At the end of the play, Henry comes out to take Dolly down to Hotten for her bus.