Beckindale bids farewell to a village regular.

The funeral of Beckindale regular Henry Wilkes (Arthur Pentelow) casts a sombre shadow over this episode of the ITV television soap Emmerdale. Following the sudden death of actor Arthur Pentelow in August 1991, viewers said goodbye to Henry Wilkes on screen two months later. In an episode paying tribute to both actor and character, we see the return of Amos Brearly (Ronald Magill), with whom Wilkes formed a double act as shared owners of the Woolpack village pub. As the characters reminisce about Henry, audiences are offered reminders with clips from previous episodes, including the very first episode in 1972. The reading given by Amos at the funeral is moving as both audience and cast reflect on the loss of a beloved character.

Following TV soap's typical mix of narrative light and shade, other storylines in this episode include the growing romance between Chris and Kathy and the troubles between young couple Nick and Elsa.

Created in 1972 by playwright Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale is a long-running rural soap opera broadcast on ITV. Originally named Emmerdale Farm, it began as a lunchtime drama concerned with the lives of the Sugden family who lived and worked on Emmerdale Farm. The programme became Emmerdale in 1989, expanding to include the nearby village and its large cast of varied characters. The fictional village at the centre of the soap was previously known as Beckindale until a dramatic plane crash in 1993, after which it was renamed Emmerdale. The drama continues to be broadcast on weekday evenings on ITV.

Amos reads the lesson at Wilk's funeral service while Nick discovers the truth about Elsa's night away from home.