ITV Share By Kerry Barrett Jun 20 2025 By Kerry Barrett Jun 20 2025 The original Sarah Sugden in Emmerdale - everything you need to know about her shocking death Robert still blames his brother Andy for his mum's death Andy Sugden Robert Sugden Victoria Sugden Share By Kerry Barrett Jun 20 2025 By Kerry Barrett Jun 20 2025 Sarah Sugden was Victoria’s biological mum, and Andy and Robert’s adoptive mum. She died tragically in a barn fire. In the Classic Emmerdale episodes currently airing on ITV3, Victoria’s trying to get to the bottom of what happened to her mum. She discovers her dad Jack was arrested for Sarah’s murder and she wants to know the truth. So we thought it was time to revisit Sarah’s shocking death. Sarah and Jack had a vicious custody battle over Robert, Andy and Victoria (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) What went wrong for Jack and Sarah Sugden in Emmerdale? Back at the end of the 1990s, Jack and Sarah were married, and living with their kids Robert, Andy and Victoria. But the Sugdens’ marriage was under strain. Jack was focusing on the farm, while Sarah wanted more. Jack’s money troubles were growing and he even started taking Robert and Andy out of school to help on the farm. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers And while he was distracted, Sarah found comfort in the arms of the Sugdens’ lodger – Richie Carter. Their affair was steamy and nearly shattered the family when Jack and Sarah began a vicious custody battle. Jack was furious with Sarah after her affair (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Barn fire killed Sarah Sugden! Andy decided to take matters into his own hands. He thought if he burned down the barn, the insurance money could get the Sugdens out of their financial difficulties. Meanwhile, Sarah had decided to end things with Richie and make a go of her marriage. She arranged to meet him in the barn to tell him the news. Uh-oh. Unaware that Sarah was inside, Andy set light to the barn. Richie escaped but Sarah was trapped in the flames. Jack tried to battle the fire to rescue his wife but he couldn’t reach her. The barn exploded and Sarah was killed. Jack couldn’t reach Sarah in the flames (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Who was to blame? Jack was arrested because in the very public battle over their marriage, he’d threatened to kill Sarah. He was released but there were questions about how Sarah died hanging over the family for a long time. Andy confessed to Jack and the family agreed to cover up the crime. But when Victoria began to ask questions, the truth came out. She forced a confession out of Andy and the family went to the police, realising they couldn’t keep this secret anymore. Andy was charged and he went to prison for manslaughter. While Victoria moved on, Robert always blamed Andy for their mum’s death and it led to a terrible feud between the brothers. Who played Sarah Sugden in Emmerdale? Sarah Sugden was actually played by two different actresses. Madeleine Howard played the role at first, from 1988 until 1994. Madeleine has gone on to appear in The Bill, Holby City, Doctors and other television shows. In 1994, Alyson Spiro took over, staying until 2000, when Sarah was killed. Alyson was another seasoned TV actress who had roles in Brookside, Casualty, The Bill, Doctors and Sapphire and Steel. Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2025? A complete guide to departures, returns and new arrivals in the Dales 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 Jun 20 2025 By Kerry Barrett Jun 20 2025
