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Ian 'Trash' McIntyre was a tramp who visited the village every so often. The residents picked up on the fact that he tended to visit at least once a year.

Ian was born in the mid-1920s in Scotland. He originally worked as a Librarian in Berwick-upon-Tweed. At some point, Ian was involved in an accident and suffered a nervous breakdown and institutionalised. He later absconded for a life of sleeping rough.

Trash returned to the village in 1973 on the day of the sheep dog trials. He witnessed Jim Latimer trying to attack Sharon Crossthwaite and distracted him by throwing rocks at him. He later took residence in the old Millhouse and when Jack Sugden arrived home one day and found him there, he let him stay and started to write a second novel about a tramp. Trash was very defensive and used to say "free country" when people asked him what he was up to. Trash used to do errands for Jack and quickly brought suspicion upon himself by turning up in the village with money, until Jack explained it was his. Trash found Sharon Crossthwaite's watch down by a stream one day and asked Jack to hand it to the police. When they wanted to question him, he began to panic as he had been locked up previously and didn't want to go back. One night, he got drunk on Jack's whiskey and passed out. When Jack left to get a doctor and locked him in the Millhouse, Trash panicked and tried to escape through the window and down the drainpipe but he slipped and fell to his death. It was originally suspected Trash had committed suicide. P.C. Hallam, who arrived on the scene, revealed Trash's real name to be Ian MacIntyre. Jack decided to pay for Trash's funeral.

Trash's funeral was held in March 1973, only attended by Jack. However, the villagers were shocked when a woman arrived and revealed herself to be Ian's daughter, born out of wedlock.

In 1991, almost 20 years after his death, Trash was mentioned when Sharon's killer Jim Latimer was on the loose again.

List of appearances[]

1973[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Leonard Maguire spoke of his eagerness to avoid eating with the other cast in the canteen, distressed at having to remain dirty and unshaven.

Notes[]

  • Trash was the first Emmerdale character, major or minor, to have an on-screen death.
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