John Jacob "Jack" Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale.

The character was originally played by Andrew Burt from 1972 to 1973 with a brief return in 1976, when the actor left for Italy to write a book.

His last on-screen appearance was on 21 February 2008, and his absence was explained by the character visiting his mother, Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier) in Spain.

Later, Jack quarrels with Marian when he finds out her father Henry was a partner in a company that poisoned local fish and suggests it may have been done deliberately.

Tom retaliates with blackmail, threatening to tell Marian that Jack is the biological father of his son, Jackie.

Jack battles with Henry over a piece of land that Harry Jameson (John Glyn-Jones), an old friend of Jacob's, is selling.

Ruth, now calling herself "Pat", returns to the village with Jackie (now played by Ian Sharrock) and her daughter, Sandie Merrick (Jane Hutcheson) after leaving Tom for good and reunites with Jack.

In 1985, Pat learns she is pregnant and gives birth to Jack's second son, Robert (Richard Smith), on 22 April 1986.

Jackie dislikes Sarah at first and feels she is trying to replace Pat but warms to her thanks to intervention from his wife Kathy (Malandra Burrows).

Sarah falls pregnant in 1993 and gives birth to a daughter in March 1994, Victoria (Jessica Heywood) whose crying wakes up Annie, who had been knocked comatose following a plane crash in which Jack became one of the heroes of the hour by helping rebuild the destroyed Skipdale Bridge.

Jack faces more grief when he learns of Joe's death in a car crash in Spain in June 1995 and is inconsolable and is unable to attend the funeral due to a bad back.

Andy comes clean to Richie about the fire and begs him to change his statement and he agrees, resulting in Jack's freedom.

After a revenge attempt against Andy for killing Sarah backfires, resulting in the tragic death of Max King (Charlie Kemp), Jack banishes Robert from the village.

Andy and Daz's father, Billy (David Crellin), is released from prison and returns to Emmerdale much to the ire of various residents, having robbed the Post Office and killed Vic Windsor (Alun Lewis) on Christmas Day 1998.

Diane, riddled with guilt, confesses and she and Jack separate but later reconcile following Victoria (now Isabel Hodgins) discovering of the truth about her mother's death.

Diane brings Jack's body back from Spain, along with his mother Annie, making her first return to her old home in 13 years.

Just before the service, Alan Turner (Richard Thorp) recalls to Betty Eagleton (Paula Tilbrook) a conversation where Jack had told him about the events of Jacob's funeral.

That afternoon, Val put a framed photo of Jack up next to the pictures of Amos and Henry Wilks in the pub.

A writer from The Daily Telegraph called Jack a "literary-minded farmer forever battling with his younger brother Joe".

[5] Rianne Houghton from Digital Spy called him a "legend" and wrote that he was "considered by many to be a good guy" despite his "occasional inter-marital indiscretions".