ITV Share By Kerry Barrett Mar 30 2025 By Kerry Barrett Mar 30 2025 As fans complain about too much 'doom and gloom' here's what Emmerdale is missing: the golden oldies Edna, Seth, Pearl and Len, they're all missed Limo lake crash Share By Kerry Barrett Mar 30 2025 By Kerry Barrett Mar 30 2025 Emmerdale’s not been full of joy and laughter recently, has it? There’s been the limo crash and the tragic deaths of three beloved young women – Amy, Suzy and Leyla. We’re in the thick of Joe’s weird determination to get a kidney from an unsuspecting family member. Before all this, we had Belle’s torment at the hands of her abusive husband Tom, and Moira’s brain tumour. And let’s not forget the grimmest story of all – Ruby’s abuse by her dad Anthony and the fact that Steph’s dad is also her grandad. We’re upset too, Steph (Credit: ITV/Composite: EI) Too much doom and gloom? It’s hard going, there’s no mistake. And the fans have been vocal about sharing their discontent with the relentless sadness. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers “Let’s have good news, this is getting boring,” one weary viewer begged. Another agreed, saying: “Wish Emmerdale would have some happier story lines for a change.” “Nothing but doom and gloom in Emmerdale nowadays,” said another, while one fed-up fan pointed out: “We don’t want more doom and gloom.” The Emmerdale oldies had drama – but it was a different kind of drama (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Bring back the Emmerdale golden oldies! So what’s to be done? Well, we’ve got an idea! Bring back the golden oldies to Emmerdale! We’ve been watching Classic Emmerdale which is currently up to episodes from 2006. There’s a love triangle between Edna, Tom and Rosemary. Edna herself has also just reconnected with her long-lost sister Lily. Val and Diane are bashing heads over running the Woolpack, and Pearl, Len and Betty are sticking their noses in all over the place. It’s brilliant. The older characters in Emmerdale have lots of drama going on, but they also bring a bit of much-needed light. Plus because of their age and experience their storylines are different. Like Edna’s guilt over keeping her son’s true parents a secret, Pearl’s gambling habit. Or Tom trying to control his adult sons. Then there’s Sandy’s complicated relationship with son Ashley, and the romances too – Len and Pearl, and Seth and Betty, and the older characters’ strong friendships with one another. Sandy and Edna had a good friendship (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Where are the Emmerdale golden oldies? Of course, we don’t want to be rude, but some of our fave characters are getting on a bit. Paddy, Marlon, Rhona, Cain, Moira, Laurel and Nicola are all in their 50s now – some of them are older than Annie Sugden was back in the first episode of Emmerdale! Older characters don’t get much screentime now (Credit: ITV) We want older characters! But we’re talking proper pensioners. By our reckoning we’ve got Pollard and Brenda, though Brenda’s leaving, Bear, Mary and Claudette. But Bear hasn’t had his own storyline for years, Mary’s great but her unrequited love for Suzy all happened off-screen, and Claudette only seems good for a sharp comment or two. There’s no friendship group or interaction between the older characters and the show’s much poorer for it. Diversity is so important in soap, and we mustn’t forget that means age, too. It would be great to have more Emmerdale golden oldies like Seth Armstrong, Alan Turner or Annie Sugden on our screens. Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am. Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm. Visit our Facebook page @emmerdaleinsider for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers and let us know what you think! Or find us on Twitter@emmerdaleinside Share this:Click to share on X (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) Good to Know Share By Kerry Barrett Mar 30 2025 By Kerry Barrett Mar 30 2025
