Robert Sugden is back in Emmerdale and we’re all completely thrilled about it, but about the rest of the Sugdens?

As well as him bringing ALL the drama, we’re delighted to see more Sugdens back in the village where they belong.

The Sugdens were the original family at the heart of Emmerdale – or Emmerdale Farm as it was known back then. Way back in 1972 the show started with Jacob Sugden’s funeral. The farmer had passed away leaving his widow Annie, son Joe, daughter Peggy, and estranged son Jack to carry on wiithout him.

The drama in that first episode centred on the return of Jack – the black sheep of the family.

Now though there are few Sugdens left. There’s just Victoria, her son Harry, serial killer John, and now Robert, too.

So where are all the Sugdens now and could anyone else follow Robert back to the village?

The Sugdens who won’t return to Emmerdale

Jacob Sugden

Of course, Jacob never appeared on screen because Emmerdale began with his funeral. He’d been an alcoholic who had left the everyday running of the farm to son Joe and son-in-law Matt Skilbeck.

Annie Sugden

Legendary soap matriarch Annie Sugden was a part of Emmerdale for decades. She appeared regularly until 1994, then made occasional guest appearances. Actress Sheila Mercier, who played Annie, died in 2019 so her death was written into the storylines and Annie died in 2020.

Annie had an eventful time in Emmerdale. As well as losing her husband Jacob, and welcoming son Jack to the farm, she out-lived all three of her children, overcame an addiction to tranquilisers, and was in a coma for three months after the dramatic Emmerdale plane crash.

She married Leonard Kempinski in 1993, but he was killed in the plane crash, and Annie was devastated. She eventually married Amos Brearly, who’d been in love with her for years! They lived in Spain where they were visited by many Sugdens. Victoria scattered her grandmother’s ashes on the land that had been part of Emmerdale Farm.

Peggy Sugden

Tragic Peggy was Annie and Jacob’s daughter. She married Matt Skilbeck and gave birth to twins Sally and Sam. But Peggy died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage when she was just 24. In shocking scenes a few years later, Annie was given the heartbreaking news that her  twin grandchildren had been killed in a terrible car accident.

Joe Sugden

Joe Sugden married twice – to Christine Sharp and then later to Kate Hughes. He became stepdad to Kate’s children Rachel and Mark. Rachel was Joe Tate’s mum, and named her son after her beloved stepdad.

Joe was injured in the plane crash and struggled to cope. He moved to Spain to be near his mum and was killed in a car accident.

Jack Sugden

Another soap icon, Jack Sugden was part of Emmerdale’s most dramatic storylines for years. He was married three times to Pat Merrick, Sarah Connolly and Diane Blackstock and he had four biological children, Jackie, Robert, Victoria and John – who he never knew about. Plus he had  an adopted son, Andy.

Jackie Merrick died in a hunting accident in 1988.

Sarah – who was Victoria’s mum and the only mum Robert had known – died in a barn fire. Andy had set the barn alight in the hope the insurance would ease the family’s money troubles. But he didn’t know Sarah was in there with her young lover Richie.

Jack died off-screen in 2009.

And the Sugdens who could return to Emmerdale

Andy Sugden

Young Andy Sugden had a troubled upbringing, and his dad, Billy Hopwood, was in and out of jail. Andy was fostered by the Sugdens and quickly began to consider them his real family – they felt the same about him.

Robert and Andy, though, went from being firm friends to enemies, thanks to Andy being responsible for the death of Sarah – accidentally of course. They became deadly rivals with them almost killing one another several times.

Andy’s very dramatic time in Emmerdale came to an end when he was framed by Chrissie White – Robert’s ex-wife. She planted a gun used to shoot her dad on Andy, and later cut herself with a knife and blamed him. Andy went on the run, using a false passport found for him by Robert.

We are DESPERATE for Andy to return. Chrissie’s dead now too so she can’t drop him in it. And Robert’s dark side is at its best when he’s up against Andy.

Actor Kelvin Fletcher, who played Andy, has won Strictly Come Dancing since he left the show. He and his wife Liz, plus their four children, have turned their hand to farming for real. Their journey into rural life has been filmed for the show Fletchers’ Family Farm and Kelvin recently confirmed the show will be returning.

Will he come back to Emmerdale though? We’re keeping everything crossed!

Daz Eden

Teenage Daz was Andy’s younger half-brother. He was a troublemaker but he had a good heart and he quickly became part of the village. Jack and his then wife, Diane, wanted to adopt Daz but his biological dad Billy showed up and stopped the adoption going ahead. Daz remained part of the family, though, and he was devastated when Jack died. He was one of the pallbearers at Jack’s funeral. But when he and Victoria fell for one another, things got tricky as everyone considered them to be brother and sister.

Daz left the village and hasn’t been mentioned since! He was played by actor Luke Tittensor, who was sacked when he pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm, Since then, Luke’s appeared in Waterloo Road and Casualty. He also starred in House of the Dragon – the Game of Thrones prequel – alongside his twin brother Elliott.

So while we’d love to see Daz back in the village, perhaps Luke is less likely to return. Perhaps a recast is in order?

Jack Sugden Jr

Young Jack is the son of Andy and Debbie Dingle. We recently learned that Debbie had emigrated to Australia with her new husband and with Jack. He was born during the show’s live episode in 2012, meaning he’ll turn 13 this year. Perhaps time for him to shun his new Aussie life and come back to Yorkshire to live with his sister, Sarah?