Alan Turner

A boozer and womaniser in his younger years, Alan Turner (Richard Thorp) has mellowed with age and become a stalwart of the community.

Marriages Jill (divorced), Shirley Foster (deceased)

Children Terence, Steph

1982 Takes over as Home Farm's estate manager but bullies colleague Joe Sugden.

1984 Nearly loses his job because of his gambling and drinking but cleans up his act and attempts reconciliation with estranged wife, Jill.

1985 Becomes Parish councillor. Jill demands a divorce. Oxford undergraduate son Terence comes to stay. Accidentally knocks Jackie Merrick off his motorbike, hospitalising him for five months.

1988 Buys the Home Farm estate with Joe Sugden. Banned for drink driving. Joins a dating agency in search of love.

1989 Finds romance with secretary Caroline Bates and they become engaged but Caroline moves to Scarborough to look after her ill mum.

1991 Takes over the Woolpack when landlord Amos Brearly retires and opens a restaurant in the old taproom.

1993 Caroline returns and Alan proposes but she turns him down. Starts seeing drop-in centre worker Shirley Foster but shocked to discover she was once a prostitute.

1994 Marries Shirley on 10 February at Hotten Registry Office but just four months after their wedding Shirley is shot dead by Viv Windsor's criminal ex-husband Reg Dawson.

1998 Has a fling with biker Jo Steadman. Granddaughter Tricia Stokes arrives and he employs her as a barmaid.

1999 Has a minor heart attack and sells the pub to Bernice Blackstock to pay off his debts. Proposes to lottery winner Stella Jones, but she thinks he's after her money and turns him down.

2000 Bernice's mum Diane buys into the Woolpack and gets Turner into bed but he collapses with chest pains - although it's heartburn, not a heart attack.

2002 Daughter Steph Stokes turns up for Tricia's wedding and some family skeletons come out of the closet.

2003 Steph steals his credit card and max-es it out. Turner buys the B&B but is hospitalised after a collapse. Proud when Tricia marries chef Marlon Dingle. Steph discovers she's not named in his will and is furious.

2004 Tricia is fatally injured in a New Year storm. Dates Steph's best mate Shelly but a jealous Steph splits them up. Steph plots to take Turner's money and murder him. Disowns Steph when she's arrested for the murder of the missing Shelly.

2005 A disturbed Steph owns up to the murder but Shelly turns up at her own memorial service. Reunites with Shelly but she leaves him when he reconciles with Steph. Refuses to believe Steph's claims that her brother Terence sexually abused her.

2006 Terence turns up and attempts to con Turner out of £20,000 and Turner learns that Steph's abuse claims were true. Terence is murdered by Steph's fiancé Adam. Steph admits to murdering Shelly the previous year and is jailed. Goes to Australia to visit former Emmerdale resident Kathy Brookman.

2008 Shares a kiss with Pearl Ladderbanks.

2009 Biker friend Eddie Fox fills his head with notions of travelling the world on a Hog, but he resists the temptation to take off... for a while.

2010 Returns from his travels, but isn't keen on Pearl's excessive attention.

Played by Richard Thorp

Richard was born on January 2 1932 in Purley, Surrey. His first job was at his father's shoe-making factory, but he was keen to be an actor and joined the local amateur dramatics society then applied to study at the Guildhall School of Music and... Read More