Emmerdale

[Si-Co]

I couldn’t find an Emmerdale thread - apologies if there is one and I’ve overlooked it.

Watching the 1999 episodes on ITV3, I notice that Elsa has returned played by a different actress, Natasha Gray. Very well cast, in my opinion - she looks quite a bit like Naomi Lewis, the original actress, and her voice and manner of speaking sounds very much like Naomi’s Elsa. A slightly different accent, but that could be put down to Elsa having been living overseas!

This was around the time I started to lose interest in Emmerdale the first time around - I think I stopped watching altogether around 2001. It’s a very different show than it was a decade earlier where ITV3 picked it up, but we do still have longstanding characters like Jack, Alan and Kathy.

[James Martin]

Think this was to write Rachel Tolboys out wasn't it? She's 31 now but still acting. Wonder if she might come back with Malandra if they decide to give Betty an offscreen death/onscreen funeral?

[James2001]

Impossible to watch the current ITV3 episodes without thinking of Call The Midwife all the time.

[Si-Co]

Looks like Nick’s been enjoying the prison food! Apart from gaining weight, in the four years or so he’s been inside he really seems to have aged.

[Si-Co]

I’m a few episodes behind and have just watched Tuesday’s second classic episode. Something of a spoiler on the end credits as Chris’s abductor was credited by name despite only appearing in a balaclava/mask and not speaking. I’m not sure if this was picked up at the time of the original broadcast, as internet forums and the like weren’t really around then.

[James2001]

Eric mentioning his past with antiques on one of this weeks' modern episodes, I'm sure the writers must be watching the ITV3 episodes!

Filming back at the outdoor location used for Home Farm as well. Covid filming restrictions clearly winding down.

[JAS84]

I’m a few episodes behind and have just watched Tuesday’s second classic episode. Something of a spoiler on the end credits as Chris’s abductor was credited by name despite only appearing in a balaclava/mask and not speaking. I’m not sure if this was picked up at the time of the original broadcast, as internet forums and the like weren’t really around then.

No lines? They probably could've got away with not crediting them for that episode then.

[James2001]

Storylines involving a minibus and lorries going through the village- looks like they're setting up Butch Dingle's death

Also a change of font for the end credits in recent episodes. Not that it lasts long, we're onto the ITV smoky heart generic credits in only a few months time.

[Brekkie]

Storylines involving a minibus and lorries going through the village- looks like they're setting up Butch Dingle's death

Also a change of font for the end credits in recent episodes. Not that it lasts long, we're onto the ITV smoky heart generic credits in only a few months time.

Is this the first time those will be repeated. Did they have a non-generic version for international sales which might make an appearance?

[James2001]

Granada Plus ran episodes from through until the start of 2001, and their repeats had the generic credits, so I assume those versions were the only ones made. Clips I've seen of international screenings of Corrie and Emmerdale only ever seem to have generic credits too.

One thing I do remember though is 2001 Crossroads Mk1 had "proper" credits on the ITV2 repeats, when the ITV screenings had generic credits, though it's the only show I remember that being the case for, pretty much every post-2000 ITV show has had the generic credits no matter what channel they've been repeated on or released on DVD.

[DE88]

We're now in 2000 - so not long before it'll take ITV3 six months to get through a calendar year (if you get what I mean).

And not long either till the change to the smoky generic end credits, as James says. Of course, the sequence we're seeing now returned in October 2002 - albeit (very obviously) cropped to fit the 16:9 frame, as these "before" and "after" screen grabs illustrate:

[James2001]

There's the rather unusual fact they were used for longer cropped to 16:9 than they were in the original 4:3.

It's a shame that after allowing the option of custom backgrounds in 2002 (even though they were stuck with the same font and text placement), they stopped again after a few years and now everything's on a black background.

[IndigoTucker]

Surely when they made the titles in 1998 they knew widescreen was coming, within the lifetime of the titles?

[James2001]

Interesting to see Reece Dinsdale's name on the director credit on this weeks' episodes. Must be unusual for a recently departed cast member to return on the other side of the camera.

The nearest I can think of is Susan Tully directing some EastEnders episodes in 98/99, but that was several years after she left.

[DJ Dave]

Interesting to see Reece Dinsdale's name on the director credit on this weeks' episodes. Must be unusual for a recently departed cast member to return on the other side of the camera.

The nearest I can think of is Susan Tully directing some EastEnders episodes in 98/99, but that was several years after she left.

I know Amanda Mealing aka Connie Beauchamp has done it on Casualty before.