4. Emmerdale The Plane Crash
In 1993 before it became full of murders, affairs, and so many explosions and fires that the producers may as well bring in a fire crew in as permanent characters, rural soap Emmerdale was doing so poorly that ITV were on the verge of cancelling it. Instead, Brookside creator Phil Redmond was hired to revitalise the programme and he decided on the idea of a passenger plane crashing into the pub. The storyline resulted in the deaths of four main characters, the temporary blinding of one who was hit in the eyes by a stream of jet fuel, and the paralysis of another as well as most of the village being destroyed and the area being strewn with burning wreckage and the bodies of the planes passengers. It was an incredibly transparent ratings grab and was completely over the top as well as conflicting with the tone of the programme which was more low key than other soaps. But, despite that, the storyline worked and brought in 18 million viewers, a record high for Emmerdale despite criticism of it being broadcast so close to the 5th anniversary of the Lockerbie Bombing. It also paved the way for a new era for the programme where it relied more on shock storylines. Which obviously worked since its still on the air with no signs of stopping.