1. Emmerdale has been shown in Sweden the 1970s, but is called ‘Hem till Gården (Home to the Farm). Swedish band The Cardigans named their 1994 album 'Emmerdale' after becoming enamoured with the soap's name on a visit to England.
2. The X Factor judge and former Spice girl Mel B has appeared as an extra in Emmerdale three times - once in 1993 and twice in 1994.
3. Emmerdale is the only primetime soap not to have won the Best Soap Award at the British Soap Awards, yet it won a BAFTA in 2001 for Best Soap Opera (now Continuing Drama Award)
4. Even though the programme changed its name to Emmerdale (from Emmerdale Farm) in 1989, the village was still called Beckindale until 1994 - the year of the epic plane crash.
5. The plane crash made one of the first soap crossovers, when Channel 4's Brookside featured newspaper headlines depicting the disaster.
6. Three former Emmerdale actresses - Patsy Kensit, Claire King and Lisa Riley - have taken part in Strictly Come Dancing. Claire and Lisa strangely both finished in fifth place! Poor Patsy came 7th in 2010.
7. Of current characters, Eric Pollard has been on our screens the longest. Little Victoria Sugden (now played by Isabel Hodgins) is somewhat surprisingly the longest running female character, played by three different actresses since 1994.
8. Emmerdale's Batley (Edna's dog) is the only animal to ever scoop a British Soap Award, winning best exit in 2002. Batley caused the nation to sob when he lost his battle with cancer and Paddy had to put him to sleep.
9. Nine current Emmerdale cast members have appeared in other soaps! Samantha Giles (Bernice) has appeared in Doctors, Coronation Street AND Hollyoaks. She gets about a bit!
10. Emmerdale has won Spectacular Scene of the Year seven times at the British Soap Awards, more than any other soap, from Andy Sugden burning down the barn in 2001 to 2014's Woolpack siege.
