The show's early years as Emmerdale Farm centred on the Sugden family and rural farm life. The show was originally broadcast twice a week in the afternoon,[1] and was regarded by critics as a "sleepy soap" where not much happened.[5] The first episode aired on 16 October 1972 at 1.30pm, and began with the serial's characters convening in the fictional village of Beckindale for a funeral.[3] The first episode, along with the others, has been repeated and released on a variety of media.[6] Originally meant to be a three-month serial, Emmerdale Farm was given an extended run, later moving to a late afternoon time slot.[2] By 1977, it was moved to a prime time evening slot in most ITV regions.[4]