Viv Hope is at the centre of the drama in the episodes of Classic Emmerdale currently airing on ITV3.
She’s just found out she’s expecting a baby. The timing isn’t great, because her stepdaughter Dawn just died in the King’s River explosion. Bob had announced he didn’t want a baby after all, just as Viv discovered she was pregnant – awks.
Viv thought her only option was to terminate, despite her longing for another child.
Thankfully on screen now Bob’s found out about the pregnancy and together he and Viv have decided to go ahead and have the baby.
But watching the scenes where Bob and Viv, along with Viv’s kids Scott and Donna, Donna’s husband Marlon, and Bob’s ex-wife Jean, all gathered together at the clinic, got me thinking.
Viv was in the middle of the action in Classic Emmerdale
Back in the noughties, the Hopes and their various children were right at the heart of Emmerdale. And at the centre of it all was Viv.
Brash and gobby she may have been, but she had a good heart. She was devoted to her family and weathered their (many!) storms. Actress Deena Payne, who played Viv, was brilliant at bringing humour to the show, but also handled tragedy deftly.
Whether Viv was getting stuck in a wheelie bin, booking a rabbit to be her wedding planner, or grieving for husband Vic, she always stole the show.
Viv died in a fire in 2011 – alongside Dawn’s ex-husband, Terry Woods.
A real asset to Emmerdale
She was such an asset to Emmerdale and every time I see her on screen in Classic episodes I am reminded all over again that it was a mistake to kill her off.
Even actress Deena agrees! She’s pointed out that no one ever saw Viv’s body, so perhaps she’s still out there somewhere!
Bob needs more family!
With Viv gone, the Hopes fell apart. Bob’s son Jamie left the village. Viv’s daughter Donna returned with her daughter April, then died. Bob’s daughter Carly came to the village for a while, then moved on. Son Heath was killed a year ago, and now there’s only Bob, daughter Cathy, and granddaughter April left.
“It was quite a dynasty,” says Tony Audenshaw, who plays Bob. “That has been eroded a bit and I’ve got a much smaller family.”
I can’t help thinking that the lack of Hopes in the village is another mistake. There are so many of Bob and Viv’s families who could add some interest to Emmerdale. I’d love to see his American daughter Roxy return. Or could Scott Windsor come back to the village? Recast if necessary.
What about his grandson TJ, who’d be 21 by now? What a fab addition he’d be.
The hope for more Hopes
Tony Audenshaw is a great actor and giving him a family again would help keep him in the middle of the action, where he belongs.
Of course we love the Dingles, but there are a lot of them, and they just keep coming. And that means Emmerdale feels a bit unbalanced in my view. I’ve long argued for more Sugdens – the family that once held Emmerdale together is down to Victoria and newcomer John. And more Hopes would be the icing on the cake!
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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