The year was mainly dominated by the nuclear dump story. Such bold political ground was new for Emmerdale Farm and some quarters of the press criticised the show as being politically biased for airing an anti-nuclear storyline in an election year. Elsewhere, some viewers worried the programme was changing to become more 'topical' and wrote in with their concerns to the production team. The show also began to slowly edge away from storylines revolving around Emmerdale Farm and the Sugdens as more focus was placed on the village of Beckindale and the likes of Home Farm and Hotten Cattle Market.