The average viewing figure for the year was 10.69 million viewers, which was down 590,000 on 1999. It should be noted that, until the addition of the Monday and Friday episodes in October, some episodes (usually the Tuesday edition) were repeated the day after their original broadcast and BARB combined the viewing figures for both showings of these episodes, which inflated their viewing figures slightly. The most-watched episode of the year was Episode 2669 (22nd March 2000), with 13.25 million viewers, while the least-watched episode was Episode 2692 (12th May 2000), with 8.25 million viewers (combined). 78 episodes ranked within the weekly top 10 for all UK TV, which was 16 more than the year before.
Health visitor Jane Clough calls at Wishing Well Cottage to check-up on Belle. The visit doesn't get off to the best start when Zak takes his eye off Belle and she crawls out of the house is nearly ran over by Jane's car. Things don't get any better when Zak refuses to allow Jane to examine Belle so she is forced to return the following week but a furious Zak throws her out again. Jane returns for a third time the week after and is finally able to examine Belle after Lisa ensures Zak is out of the way for the visit.
Alan offers to take over Gavin Ferris' loan for The Woolpack to free Bernice of her cheating ex-fiancé but Bernice turns his offer down. Later, Diane decides stay in Emmerdale and take over the loan herself.
Frankie turns up at Home Farm in the middle of the night to have it out with Zoe. The pair stay up all night talking but Frankie disappears the next morning. The following week, Zoe tracks Frankie down to a haulage firm in Manchester and tries persuades her to return to Emmerdale but Frankie refuses. Frankie later changes her mind and moves into Home Farm.
Sarah is furious to learn Jack has sold her car behind her back and declares their marriage is over. The Sugdens' constant disagreements soon begin to affect the children - Andy worries he won't be able to be adopted if Jack and Sarah split whilst Robert feels forgotten amongst the arguments, so despite no longer loving each other, Jack and Sarah decide to stay together for the sake of their children.
Zoe realises Ashley is in love with Bernice and urges him to tell the landlady how he feels but Ashley is reluctant, especially after Diane warns him to stay away. After further encouragement from Zoe, Ashley works up the courage to ask Bernice out but there's a misunderstanding and Bernice assumes he's asking her to help out at the church jumble sale.
Kelly confides in Mandy about sleeping with Scott whilst Roy was in prison. Mandy is disgusted by Kelly's actions and walks away before a struggling Kelly can reveal she's now pregnant. Things get worse for Kelly when Paddy discovers she's not being doing her job the past few weeks and sacks her. Feeling helpless and alone, Kelly writes letters to her loved ones then attempts suicide by overdosing on pills. Viv and Scott find Kelly in time, and with Zak's help, they rush her to hospital. Roy is distraught that his wife felt unable to tell him how low she was feeling, even more so when he learns Kelly was pregnant but she lost the baby. As Roy cries at Kelly's bedside, Kelly suffers a cardiac arrest although the doctors are able to resuscitate her. Once Kelly is out of danger, she is transferred to a psychiatric ward.
The villagers reel from Kelly's suicide attempt. Many analyse their last interactions with Kelly and blame themselves for not seeing something was wrong.
Betty is unsettled by Reggie Wilkie's continued presence in the village, especially when Seth invites him to stay at Keepers Cottage. Betty begs Reggie to leave as him being around has brought back many bad memories. Reggie assumes Betty is referring to her finding him in bed with another woman fifty-years ago and thinks she should be past it by now. He is left shocked when Betty reveals the day she caught him cheating, she had come around to tell him she was pregnant. Reggie soon realises Seth doesn't know about Betty's past as a Windmill girl or her abortion so he blackmails her into letting him stay at Keepers Cottage in return for keeping schtum.
Eric is concerned by Graham and Kathy's growing relationship as he is convinced Graham murdered Rachel and fears Kathy will end up dead too. Marlon thinks Eric is crazy but soon realises Eric might be right after he witnesses Graham threatening Eric after Eric posted a note reading "Murderer" through Graham's door.
The inquest into Liam's death takes place. After both Chris and Zoe lie on the stand, the jury returns a verdict that Zoe lawfully killed Liam.
Sarah is shocked when Richie kisses her after she moans to him about her troubles.
Eric and Marlon begin plotting to expose Graham's true colours before Kathy becomes his next victim. After learning Graham's wife also died in suspicious circumstances, Eric sends Graham another letter, this one reading "We know about your first wife too". When the letter doesn't get a the desired rise out of Graham, Eric heads down to Graham's former hometown, St. Albans, to do some digging into his past. Although Eric doesn't find anything in St. Albans, Graham is rattled when he hears of Eric's visit and Eric is certain Graham will slip up soon. Marlon refuses to stand back and allow Kathy to spend time with a man who's killed two woman so decides to confront Graham and warns him his days are numbered. Eric and Marlon continue to put pressure Graham and issue him with an ultimatum - finish with Kathy and turn himself in, otherwise they'll expose him. Instead of finishing with Kathy, Graham books them a getaway to a secluded cottage. Marlon and Eric panic when they learn Kathy has gone away with Graham and desperately try to figure out where they are. Meanwhile at the cottage, Graham attempts to persuade Kathy to leave the village with him but Kathy refuses. Kathy tries to leave the cottage but an increasingly erratic Graham locks them in and continues to try to persuade her to leave Emmerdale with him as Eric and Marlon have a vendetta against him and believe he killed Rachel. Kathy soon realises Graham actually did kill Rachel but manages to stay calm and gets Graham to hand over the key to the locked door. Kathy unlocks the door and heads to her car but Graham works out she's leaving him so he follows her and gets in the car. As Kathy drives back to the village, Graham orders her to stop the car and turn around. Kathy refuses. When Kathy tells Graham he needs help, Graham loses it and tries to take control of the wheel. In the ensuing struggle, the car veers off the road and begins careering toward the edge of a cliff. In the meantime, Eric and Marlon have worked out where Graham has taken Kathy. As they drive to the cottage, they spot the car teetering on the edge of the cliff and race to help. In the car, Kathy tries to remain calm as she makes her way into the backseat so she can get out but Graham is too scared to move. As the vehicle beings to slip over the edge, Kathy manages to escape via the back door but Graham plummets to his death.
Zoe is upset to learn Frankie doesn't intent to stay at Home Farm permanently.
Following her suicide attempt, Kelly starts making plans for the future. First, she tells Scott she can't have him in her life any longer, then she confesses to Roy that she slept with Scott behind his back. Roy is devastated by his wife's betrayal, even more so when Kelly admits she has no idea if it was his or Scott's baby she was carrying. Kelly apologises to Roy for all she's put him through and explains she's going to London for a fresh start. When Kelly tells Chris of her plans, he offers to help her get set up in London and buys her a one-way first-class train ticket. As Kelly prepares to leave Emmerdale, Kathy urges Roy to see Kelly before she goes, even if it's only to say goodbye. Roy rushes to Hotten Station and begs Kelly not to leave, reminding her running away doesn't solve anything. Kelly agrees to stay on the condition that Roy finds them somewhere to decent live. Kathy offers to let Roy and Kelly move in with her at Victoria Cottage but Kelly isn't impressed. Instead, Zoe offers Roy a cottage on Home Farm Estate but Roy refuses it due to his family's history at the property. The Glovers' housing situation is eventually resolved when Chris allows Roy and Kelly to move into Pear Tree Cottage.
Betty opens up to Ashley about her relationship with Reggie and her subsequent pregnancy and abortion. Ashley urges Betty to get Reggie out of her life but Betty explains it's not so simple as Reggie's threatening to tell Seth about her past and she fears what Seth will think of her when he finds out. Ashley doesn't think Seth will react the way Betty fears he will so he advises Betty to tell Seth before Reggie does. When Reggie again threatens to tell Seth everything, Betty sits Seth down and tells him about her past as a Windmill girl and her back-street abortion which left her unable to have children. After ordering Reggie to leave the village, Seth surprises Betty with a bunch of roses and assures her he loves her the same as he always has done.
Chris sends Terry Woods to buy Wylies Farm at auction on his behalf but he's outbid. Zoe later reveals to Chris that it was her who outbid him.
Zak's ex-wife Nellie unexpectedly turns up at Wishing Well Cottage and invites herself in to stay in Mandy's old flat. Butch isn't pleased to see his mother whilst Lisa feels threatened by the other woman. Nellie hopes to rekindle her relationship with Zak but Zak isn't interested and makes it clear he's with Lisa now. Despite this, Nellie continues to attempts to worm her way back into Zak's affections by cooking his favourite meals and babysitting Belle much to Lisa's frustration. Eventually Lisa grows fed up on Nellie's presence and issues Zak an ultimatum - either Nellie leaves or she does.
As Jack and Sarah's marriage continues to crumble, Sarah begins an illicit affair with Richie right under Jack's nose.
Betty proposes to Seth during The Woolpack's Valentine's Day Aphrodisiac Night. Seth accepts but soon both he and Betty are having doubts about getting married but feel like they can't express their feelings to each other in fear of upsetting the other. Eventually Betty admits to Seth that she shouldn't have asked him to marry her much to Seth's relief.
Emily begins working at Kathy's Diner.
Chris is furious to discover Sean and Zoe have made major business decisions behind his back and decides to move out of Home Farm although he returns the following week after Frankie encourages Zoe to sort things out with her brother.
Lyn leaves the village in disgust after her boyfriend Scott confesses he had an affair with Kelly and he could've been the father of her baby.
Journalists descend on Emmerdale following Graham's death. Eric and Chris manage to keep the vultures from hounding Kathy so the journalists turn their attention to other villagers for their scoop but everybody refuses to talk to them. The following day, Eric approaches a journalist and agrees to talk to him as he doesn't feel like he's getting enough recognition for role in figuring out the truth about Graham and saving Kathy. When the rest of the villagers see Eric's story in the paper, they are disgusted with him.
Richie boasts about seeing a married woman in the pub right in front of an oblivious Jack. When Sarah gets wind of what Richie said, she ends their relationship as she fears Richie's indiscretion will result in them being caught. Subsequently, Richie tells those in the pub he was lying about the affair and he and Sarah resume their relationship.
Viv catches Ollie stealing from the shop so marches the troublesome teen over to Holdgate Farm where she informs Sean and Angie that she intends to prosecute Ollie. Angie recompenses Viv for what's been stolen but Viv still wants the book thrown at Ollie.
The villagers throw Laura a surprise 8th birthday party.
March[]
Lisa takes Belle and moves out of Wishing Well Cottage due to Zak's refusal to get rid of Nellie. Zak tries to make things up with Lisa but he soon begins to wonder if Lisa no longer loves him and is using Nellie turning up as an excuse to get out. As the pair argue, Lisa admits she doesn't feel the same about him anymore - how can she after the way she's been treated. Zak is devastated by Lisa's confession but refuses to allow her to keep him away from Belle any longer. He heads straight over to the playgroup and takes Belle home with him. When Lisa discovers Zak has taken Belle, she is incandescent with rage and heads straight to Wishing Well Cottage to get her daughter back but Nellie refuses to hand her over. Butch is disgusted by the way Zak and Lisa are acting. He ensures Lisa gets Belle back then does his best to reunite Zak and Lisa. When he gets nowhere, he calls a family conference during which he proposes that Zak gives Nellie the push so that Lisa and Belle return home but it doesn't help.
Angie and Sean are concerned by Ollie's law-breaking ways so they decide to put the fear of god into her by having one of Angie's colleagues take her down to the police station. A scared Ollie is furious that her parents would do that to her and vows never to forgive them.
Terry asks Claudia on a date but she turns him down as she has a crush on Chris. The following week, Chris invites Claudia out to dinner.
Emily applies to the Missing Person's Helpline to find her dad as she hasn't heard from him since before Wylie's Farm was repossessed. A few days later, Jack bumps into John at Hotten Cattle Market and tells him Emily is desperate to see him. The following day, Emily tracks John down but John isn't ready to be a part of her life again as she's still with Butch.
Alan invites Diane for a day out in the Dales. Instead of enjoying a long walk like Alan hoped, Diane finds her way to the nearest pub where she gets drunk and flirts with the regulars much to Alan's frustration.
Richie asks Scott to sign over Dale-Tec to him in return for taking on all the business debts. Scott is more than happy to accept Richie's offer but is furious when he discovers Chris has taken over his company and has changed the name to Tate Technology.
Robert's desire not to work on the farm continues to cause tension between him and Jack and also causes problems between him and Andy too. Jack admits to Andy that he feels more like his son than Robert does although he immediately regrets it. The following day, the Sugdens receive a letter about finalizing Andy's adoption so Sarah encourages Jack to make things up with Robert before he officially takes on another son. Jack apologises to Robert but soon the father and son are rowing again as Robert feels like Jack only cares about Andy. When Robert mouths off that Jack is only adopting Andy so he can have an unpaid farmhand to exploit, a furious Jack hits him.
Kathy hires Carlos Diaz as the diner's new chef. Carlos is an immediate hit with the customers, especially the female ones.
Viv arranges a village protest meeting to discuss the Tate Haulage lorries driving through the village. Chris and Zoe turn up during the meeting and reminds those in attendance that they all benefit from Tate Haulage in one way or another and point out Viv only arranged this meeting for her own gain.
Marc develops a crush on Tricia so asks Marlon for tips on how to chat up an older woman. Marlon advises him to start with someone his own age so Marc begins seeing Donna.
Butch asks Emily to marry him. A delighted Emily accepts!
Andy's adoption hearing takes place. During the meeting, the judge asks Robert for his opinion the family adopting Andy. Still furious about Jack hitting and also feeling jealous about Jack and Andy's bond, Robert comments that maybe Jack and Sarah can batter Andy as well as him now. The judge assumes Robert is joking and the adoption proceeds as planned.
Following the finalization of Andy's adoption, Sarah visits Richie and tells him they need to end their affair. As the pair share a goodbye kiss, Scott walks in on them. Scott uses what he saw to blackmail Richie into giving him a share of Tate Technology's profits.
A Tate Haulage lorry crashes into a Tate Transport minibus full of villagers.
Due to her domestic problems, Lisa falls behind on servicing the Tate Haulage lorries. As a result, Pete is late for a delivery as he doesn't have a lorry to use. Chris orders Pete to take his lorry out anyway even though Lisa hasn't completed the servicing forms as he assumes Lisa has just forgotten to finish the paperwork. It proves to be a fatal mistake. As Pete is driving through the village, the lorry's brakes fail resulting in the lorry crashing into the supermarket minibus full of villagers that's been delayed in setting off due to Viv's protests. As the emergency services race to the scene, villagers are able to remove a relatively unharmed Alan from the wreckage as well as the body of Councillor Bob Simmonds but they can't reach anyone else due to the instability of the vehicles, leaving everyone fearing for their loved ones lives. When firefighters arrive on the scene, they are able to extract Seth and Marc from the debris and the pair are rushed to hospital. Meanwhile, Chris and Zoe breathe a huge sigh of relief when Frankie and Joseph turn up unharmed having not been on the minibus like they feared but Pete isn't so lucky having died on impact. A hysterical Sarah is next to be rescued but she refuses to go to hospital until she knows Victoria is safe. Butch is pulled from the wreckage next and is also rushed to hospital. Once Victoria is rescued, she tells Jack and Chris how frightened she was being stuck in the wreckage but Kathy kept telling her it would be alright until she stopped talking. Jack and Chris fear this means Kathy has died. When Kathy is eventually rescued from the minibus she isn't in a good way but she's still alive although Patrica Holmes isn't so fortunate.
In the aftermath of the crash, Kathy, Butch and Sarah recover from their injuries in hospital. As Emily sits at Butch's hospital bedside, she notices he isn't responsive so she calls for a doctor. A rapidly deteriorating Butch is sent for an emergency scan which reveals he has a large internal bleed due to a laceration on his liver so he's rushed into theatre where the wound is packed and he is given blood in the hopes that the laceration will start to heal on its own. The operation isn't a success, so on his deathbed, Butch marries his fiancée Emily. Shortly after the ceremony, Butch passes away with his new bride by his side.
The villagers grieve for those killed in the crash.
Chris, Zoe, Sean, and Laura hold a crisis meeting at Tate Haulage to discuss how the company is going to proceed following the crash. As Tate Haulage prepares for an inspection following the crash, Sean discovers Pete's lorry was in the middle of being serviced when the crash occurred. Sean wants to shred the half-completed servicing paperwork before the inspector arrives but Chris, who is secretly plotting to ensure Sean take the fall for the crash, insists they keep it.
Zoe hopes to attend Pete's funeral to pay her respects but Frankie tells her she's not welcome. Later, Frankie overhears Zoe and Chris discussing how going to Butch's funeral is a good PR move. Disgusted, Frankie packs her belongings and leaves Home Farm.
Betty fears Seth has died after she overhears doctors discussing a patient's death and finds his hospital bed empty. A doctor reassures Betty that Seth is fine, but admits she doesn't actually know where Seth is. Betty eventually finds Seth supping ale in the pub.
Sam returns to Emmerdale to attend Butch's funeral after being released from prison. Also in attendance at the funeral are Zak's brother Shadrach, Shadrach's son Cain and distant cousin Charity as well as Emily's estranged father John.
Charity steals Eric's wallet. When Eric discovers his wallet is missing, he instantly suspects Sam is responsible. Sam knows Charity is the real culprit so he decides to retrieve the wallet from Charity's car and return it to Eric but Cain takes the wallet from him before he can. Sam tells Shadrach what's happened so Shadrach steals the wallet from Cain but Shadrach doesn't hold onto the wallet long either as Charity steals it back from him. Charity removes the remaining cash from the wallet and throws it in the Dingles pigsty. A furious Eric crawls through the muck and retrieves his wallet only to discover it's empty.
During Butch's wake, Nellie overhears Lisa telling Roy how she hadn't finished servicing the lorry that crashed into the minibus.
