The series' highest ever audience figure is 18 million, for Episodio #1.1829 (1993) in which a plane crashed onto the village. The storyline also made an early soap crossover, when Channel 4's Brookside (1982) had newspaper headlines reporting on the disaster. (UK television supremo Phil Redmond worked on both shows.)
Swedish band The Cardigans named their 1994 album 'Emmerdale' after becoming enamoured with the soap's name on a visit to the UK.
To celebrate the series' 40th anniversary, Emmerdale Live (2012) an hour-long edition was transmitted live on Wednesday 17th October 2012. Promising to "present viewers with every aspect of life in one big night of drama", it featured two weddings, two births, and the death of a popular long-running character. It was watched by an average of 9.2 million, with the audience rising to 9.7 for the final five minutes.
The show is recorded six weeks ahead of transmission.