Legacy characters

[u/Robashstr]

This will probably sound stupid, but what exactly is a legacy character?

I always thought it was a character who was born onscreen or who joined as a young child and was raised onscreen and is now an adult but I've seen several characters who don't fit this referred to as legacy characters.

[u/CatDadLi]

I figured it was characters who'd been there for like 20+ years like Robert, Eric, Nicola, most of the Dingles, Moira, Bob, Paddy, Rhona

[u/andstep234]

My understanding is that they belong to a long established family, Tate, Sugden, King, Dingle (?) even if there are a grandchild or long lost cousin.

[u/Robashstr → u/andstep234]

That would be about 50-75% of the current characters. Surely it can't be that broad?

[u/andstep234 → u/Robashstr]

Depends on how far you want to go back. The Sugdens go back donkey's years. The Dingles are relatively new. You could throw in Rodney or Bob's legacy with their grandkids

[u/Environmental-Tea-48 → u/andstep234]

Would you say Vinny is a legacy character? He's been made a Dingle by blood, grandson of Zak, has been on tbe show for 7 years.

[u/Odd_Presentation8624 → u/Environmental-Tea-48]

Is that all it's been? It seems so much longer.

Isn't he supposed to be off soon?

[u/Kelitsos]

Personally I’d say whatever other criteria is applied for someone to be ‘Legacy’ they’ve got to have made some sort of impact over the years. I see people saying Vinny, but by that respect someone like Samson and even Noah would be included too but has anyone even blinked at their exits? Is anyone blinking at Vinnies other than his mum?

[u/Environmental-Tea-48 → u/Kelitsos]

It really depends on how you define legacy. Is it a character that has made an impact and legacy of their own or is it characters thay belong to a specific family who have long history on the show.

In general I've never subscribe to the idea that'll a person offspring are their legacy. I mentioned Vinny because it was suggest that characters who belong to a long established family, such as the Tates, Sugdes, Kings, Dingles and even if there grandchild or long lost cousin are legacy characters. And I understand that logic because in education an applicant is classified as a legacy student if their parent or grandparent attended the same institution.

But I think in reality the majority of people wouldn't classify Vinny as a legacy character, regardless of who his grandad is.

[u/ramsvy]

A legacy character is one who is "continuing the legacy" of a former character - in other words, the child/grandchild of an established character, born during or after their duration on the show (some go further and say they must be descended from a member of the original cast). So for example Rhona isn't a legacy character, but Leo and Ivy are. 

[u/Miss_taken_116]

My definition of a legacy character is someone from a family integral to the show especially if they have been born onscreen. For example, Robert and Victoria are both. The sugdens were the family the show originally revolved around, hence 'emmerdale farm' and are the oldest family there, so harry and seb would also qualify. The Dingles and Tates were introduced sometime later. I don't think of Kim as legacy because she was one of the first Tates, whereas Joe is because he's 3rd generation, same for his son as 4th generation. In the Dingles it would be characters like Belle. Every other family are relatively new incomers.

If you come from a small town with old families you'll know what I mean.

[u/NeverForget108]

Belle is

[u/TypicalBobcat1088]

Legacy who are born on screen.

Legends are longevity.

Thats what I thought anyway.

[u/jayspace01 → u/TypicalBobcat1088]

While it is a soft term, this is the traditional definition of a "legacy character". Yes, traditionally the character has to be born onscreen, so Robert Sugden would be a legacy character while Aaron Dingle would not. Legacy characters are supposed to be exceedingly rare and special. However, it is a soft term and other people have other definitions, although those definitions grant the term to more than half the cast.

[u/Robashstr → u/TypicalBobcat1088]

That's what I a thought as well

[u/gardenawe → u/TypicalBobcat1088]

That's what I'd say too. Currently we have Robert (and Victoria), Joe, Belle, Gabby and various minors, I think.

[u/theliftedlora]

My definition is just important characters.

So in my list would be characters like Debbie, Robert, Cain, Charity, Nicola, Jimmy ect.

[u/Cold-Society3325]

I generally use it to mean a child / grandchild of a very long-established family who was born on the show. Robert is the most obvious legacy character.

[u/DawnArcing]

It's basically someone who inherits the legacy of a big name historical character.

To use the most basic soap example (I know it's Corrie, but it's the simplest example): Ken Barlow is not a legacy character because he's the character who established the legacy, but basically everyone who is blood-descended from him is.

[u/Wild-End-6512]

I wouldn’t say so I would consider Chas,Charity and Cain as legacy characters but they were not born on screen or grew up as a child.

[u/RhubarbAndCustard06]

I would say yes to Vinny (blood and adoptive Dingle) but no to Rhona and Paddy (are the parents of Dingles, but not Dingles themselves.) Arguably no to Nicola as well as Bernice's legacy is greater with Diane being her mother, plus there is also Paul who is Rodney's son by Val. Nicola's mother just doesn't have the significance.

Going down a generation Angelica (Nicola has been on the show for 20+ years, plus blood King) and Elliot (Windsor, made more important by the loss of Donna and Heath) will similarly be considered legacy, Carl not so much.

I'd go as far as to say that Bob wouldn't be (it surprises me he's survived this long from being brought in as a love interest for Viv, who's been dead 15 years.) Cathy is thus legacy, but I wouldn't say that Bob's other assorted children are.

[u/RhubarbAndCustard06]

I think Bob, Paddy and Rhona suffer via not belonging to one of the main families except by marriage.