What happened to the original cast of Emmerdale?

Characters have come and gone during five decades of the Yorkshire based soap opera, but the village and all the romances, action and laughter has remained the same, and it's popularity continues. But, where are the original Emmerdale cast now?

Jack Sugden, who was played by Andrew Burt, was the estranged son of Annie and her late husband Jacob Sugden. He stayed on screen until 1976, but Jack returned four years later and was recast by actor Clive Hornby who stayed for 28 years.

Following his stint on Emmerdale, Burt appeared in Poirot, Doctor Who, Warship, The Legend of King Arthur, Campion, Oscar Charlie, I'm Alan Partridge and Doctors. He went on to qualify as a counsellor, running his own counselling practice before he sadly died of lung cancer, aged 73, in 2018.

The matriarch of the Sugden family in the 1970s was none other than Annie Sugden, played by actress Sheila Mercier. She continued to play Annie until 1996 but popped up in the soap every now and again until 2009.

Emmerdale was her final acting role before she retired with her husband and fellow actor Peter Mercier who she had two children with. Much-loved Mercier died at the age of 100 in 2019. Before Emmerdale, Mercier featured in Nothing Barred and Laughter from The Whitehall.

The second of Annie's sons, Joe was played by actor Frazier Hines. He remained in Emmerdale until 1994 and has gone on to feature in various other TV shows and films such as Lost at Christmas, Out of Sight, Two Days in the Smoke, and most recently, Doctor Who: The Abominable Snowmen.

The 79-year-old from Leeds began his career as a child actor in A King in New York with Charlie Chaplin.

Marian was the first character to be seen in Emmerdale, riding on horseback in the opening scene