Ella Forster, played by Paula Lane, made her first appearance on 16 January 2024.[2] The character and casting was announced on 21 November 2023, with it being reported that Lane would begin filming that same month.[3][4] Ella was described as "compassionate and caring" and "far from a pushover" and it was teased that it would not be long until Ella is "turning heads in the village".[3] Ella will meet Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and her partner, Paddy Dingle (Dominic Brunt), at the veterinary ball, which will lead to Ella losing her job after sticking up for Mandy, but then find luck when she has a "chance encounter" with local doctor Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker).[3] Speaking about her casting, Lane, known for her role as Kylie Platt in another ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, said that was she was excited to be joining the Emmerdale cast, adding: "Everyone has been so welcoming and I can't wait to start a new chapter playing the role of Ella. I've already heard there are big plans for her and I can't wait to see her navigate a new life in the village and hopefully make some friends!"[5][6]
Ruby Fox-Miligan, played by Beth Cordingly, made her first appearance on 25 January 2024.[7] Ruby is the wife of Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and the mother of his son, Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope).[8]Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw teased the character's arrival in October 2023 when she said that the affair between Caleb and Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh) would lead to a "new arrival" who would cause uproar, which Shaw was excited about.[9] The following month, the character was officially announced by Shaw at an Emmerdale press event, though the portrayer of the character was not revealed.[9] On 6 December 2023, Jessica Sansome of the Manchester Evening News confirmed that Beth Cordingly had been cast as Ruby.[7] Of her casting, Cordingly stated "I’m delighted to be joining the cast of Emmerdale, it's an enormous privilege and Ruby is a dream role. She's a firecracker and a troublemaker and I think people will love her or hate her, and I can't wait to get stuck in with this fabulous cast."[7]
Speaking of the character, Shaw teased "We've heard mention before of [Ruby] and we've just heard little bits from Caleb saying it's 'all over between them' and that 'there's nothing going on' but is that really true? In the new year we will see Ruby bursting onto our screens. She is an absolute firecracker. She's going to put a real spanner into the Dingles. Is her and Caleb's relationship really over as he's made out? We'll find out in the new year. Fans will have to wait and see who bosses have cast as the feisty newcomer."[10][11] The character was later billed as "fiery, confident, unpredictable and a fiercely devoted mum."[7] Sansome (Manchester Evening News) reported that Ruby would "happily destroy" any family that Caleb has established on his own while he has been away from her, adding that "Ruby's a force to be reckoned with and a ticking time bomb."[7] Producer Kate Brooks said the character had "scores to settle" and being loyal to her family, she will protect them by any means. Brooks also said that Ruby and Caleb's relationship is both passionate and volatile.[7]
For her role as Ruby, Cordingly was longlisted for "Best newcomer" and "Best Villain" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards.[12][13] Of the character's arrival, Claire Crick from What to Watch wrote that "Fans' prayers have been answered".[14] Following the character's debut, Laura-Jayne Tyler from Inside Soap wrote that "Ruby's our new favourite character of 2024, and we'll fight anyone who says otherwise."[15]
Rose Jackson, played by Christine Tremarco, made her first appearance on 25 April 2024.[16] It was revealed that the character has been living abroad in Benidorm and is already known to established character, Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) and is going to "cause a stir" between him and his wife Kim Tate (Claire King).[16] Brenna Cooper from Digital Spy reported that Rose's arrival will "ruffle feathers between the couple after Will fails to mention to his wife that he knows the bolshy and boisterous new arrival."[16] Of her casting, Tremarco said, "I am thrilled to be joining Emmerdale! To be working with such a wonderful cast and crew along with the brilliant writing and production team is an absolute joy! Rose is so much fun to play. She is free-spirited, boisterous and totally mischievous with a steely edge and a big heart."[16]Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw added the Emmerdale team was "massively delighted to welcome Christine Tremarco to the Emmerdale family."[16] When Rose first appears in Emmerdale, she is visited by Will, who is not happy with her arrival. It is later revealed that she is his ex-wife and also the mother of his daughter, Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).
Laura-Jayne Tyler from Inside Soap commented on how fans were speculating on social media that Rose would be a donar match for her grandson, Evan Fletcher, with Tyler suspecting that they are "right".[17] Tyler's colleague, Gary Gillatt, called Rose "wonderfully bumptious" and said that she was "seemingly invented to spit venom at Kim".[18] Chloe Timms from the same magazine believed that Rose had "Faith Dingle energy".[19]
Josh Cope, played by Osian Morgan, made his first appearance on the 3 June 2024.[20] His casting was announced on 23 May of that year, with it being teased that the character would be "stirring trouble" in the village and be involved in a new storyline with Samson Dingle (Sam Hall).[20] Josh is introduced as the transphobic friend of Samson, who he has a drink with at The Hide where Matty (Ash Palmisciano) and his wife, Amy Barton (Natalie Ann Jamieson) work.[21] Josh begins to flirt with Amy, which makes her feel uncomfortable.[21] After Josh continues, Amy decides to leave work early as she can't cope with Josh's constant flirting.[21] Matty asks the two boys to leave the premises, but things get nasty between Josh and Matty.[21] Josh then threatens Matty, who is chopping vegetables and holding a knife, asking him for the cash till.[21] Matty refuses and Josh pushes Samson into him and Samson ends up getting stabbed by accident.[21] As a result, the narrative has been turned and it looks as though he was the violent one and was subsequently arrested[21] and is on remand in jail, due to Josh and Samson lying about the events that took place.[22]
Fans soon recognised problems within the storyline[23] after Amy and Matty's mother Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) approached the manager of The Hide, Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) regarding CCTV evidence, which conveniently "wasn't in operation" due to his cost-cutting.[23] The storyline was compared to those in ITV's other soap opera, Coronation Street "with their regular cycle of locking up long-serving regulars for murder based on flimsy 'evidence' every couple of years."[23] Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy also said the storyline had a "lack of builf-up"[23] as Josh was only introduced three days before the stabbing took place.[23] He also said that Josh has "a hold on Samson"[23] and "it's not clear enough why Samson is scared to speak up against Josh, but has no problem defying his dangerous relative Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), who wants him to change his story."[23] Kilkelly also said it would have been "more effective to see Samson and Josh's friendship grow over a period of weeks rather than days, even if they were playing minor roles in episodes before eventually coming to the forefront."[23]
A week after the events at The Hide, Josh was targeted by Matty's mother-in-law, Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton) in The Woolpack.[24] Kerry tried to charm Josh when he goes into the pub for a drink[24] and tries to record his confession.[24] As a result, pub landlady, Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) walked in with Samson, who revealed Kerry's connection to Matty.[25] Charity orders Kerry to get back to work, but she refuses leading to her getting fired altogether.[25] Josh and Samson subsequently plan a trip to Europe, which sparked off even more suspicion that they were lying about the stabbing.[26]
John Sugden is set to make his first appearance in August 2024 and will be played by Oliver Farnworth, whose casting was announced on 2 July 2024.[27] His arrival is set to "cause chaos"[27] for Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins), who alongside her son Harry Sugden (Adam Pryor) and niece Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill), are the only members of the Sugden family left in Emmerdale.[27] John's arrival is also due to "introduce a new generation of the long-running Sugden family, who have been in the programme since it debuted in 1972.[27] John is also set to "catch the eye"[27] of a particular Emmerdale resident, which will "cause lots of drama."[27] How John is related to Victoria is yet to be confirmed,[27] however his arrival is "bound to raise plenty of questions."[27] John's character has been described to be "brooding and mysterious"[27] and will introduce "fresh challenges and intriguing relationships" for those already living in the village.[27]
Emmerdale executive producer, Laura Shaw said that everyone at Emmerdale "thrilled to have an actor with Oliver's talent and presence join the Emmerdale family".[27] She also reflected on the significance of his place within the Sugden family, "the Sugdens have always been central to Emmerdale, and introducing a new member opens up exciting possibilities for future storylines. Mysterious John's arrival will no doubt create a stir in the village for Victoria and the wider community."[27] Farnworth has played roles in other soap operas, such as Coronation Street and Hollyoaks, and following those previous roles, Farnworth revealed he is "absolutely delighted to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. The show has such a rich history, and the Sugden family is integral to that. I'm looking forward to bringing my character to life and working with such a talented and dedicated team."[27]
Other characters
Character
Episode date(s)
Actor
Circumstances
Jules Jefferson
16 January
Wayne Cater
A managing director of Bargain Vets, who hosts a vets function at the Hide Bar & Bistro.
A man who met with Suzy Merton and Belle King at Take A Vow in to discuss planning his wedding. After their meeting, Daniel told Suzy she was right about Belle being his perfect wedding planner and arranged dinner with Belle to finalise their agreement to work together. Daniel later emailed Suzy and Belle that he's decided to not to work with them.
A loan shark who Amit Sharma owed money to. Amit met up with Dee, who was angry that Amit still hadn't got her money. Amit tried to explain he was having a cash flow problem, but Dee wasn't interested in his excuses. Dee gave Amit two days and if she didn't hear good news, they'd meet again and she'd bring a 'friend' with her. As they were talking, Dee and Amit heard a noise nearby, as Eric Pollard, who was suspicious after Amit tried to scam money from him, had followed them, but they didn't see him.
Jenny
2 May-3 June
Dianne Pilkington
A nurse who treated Evan Fletcher, who was admitted to hospital after Evan's mum Dawn Fletcher noticed a bruise on his leg, and was later diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Emily Masterson
6 May
Marilyn Cutts
A woman who goes into the veterinary with Thomas King (James Chase). He then tells her that the dog has cancer but this is revealed to be untrue, so she leaves and says she will find another vet.
Parking Attendant
20 May
Ian Gain
A parking attendant who starts bothering Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) about buying a parking ticket when the machine is broken, which frustrates him as he is in a hurry to see his son Evan (Malachi McKenzie), who is in hospital going through chemotherapy.
June Phillips
23 May
Tina Gray
The grandmother of a childhood friend of Ella Forster (Paula Lane), whom she visits in a care home as she has Dementia.
Emmerdale is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale, a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale Farm was first broadcast on 16 October 1972. Interior scenes have been filmed at the Leeds Studios since its inception. Exterior scenes were first filmed in Arncliffe in Littondale, and the series may have taken its name from Amerdale, an ancient name of Littondale. Exterior scenes were later shot at Esholt, but are now shot at a purpose-built set on the Harewood estate.
Rebecca Cordingly, known professionally as Beth Cordingly, is an English actress, known for her appearances in series The Bill, Dead Set, The Burning Girls and Emmerdale.
Mandy Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Lisa Riley. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 July 1995 and departed on 28 September 2000. She returned briefly on 16 November 2001 and departed on 26 November 2001. After seventeen years, Riley agreed to reprise the role in late 2018 for a very brief stint, and made her on-screen return on 4 January 2019, and departed after three episodes on 8 January. On 10 July 2019, it was announced that Riley would be returning on a permanent basis, and Mandy reappeared from 12 September 2019.
Anita Turner is a British script editor and television producer. From 2008 to 2009, Turner was the series producer of the British television soap opera Emmerdale. She left the role after it was reported that her leadership on the soap had resulted in cast morale dropping, as well as being criticised for the controversial sacking of a child actor. Turner has since gone on to produce a series of the CBBC series Rocket's Island, as well as working as a script editor on various CBBC projects.
Moira Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Natalie J. Robb. The actress successfully auditioned for the role after a call came through her agent. Robb's character and her family were created and introduced to Emmerdale as part of an overhaul of the show by the series producer Gavin Blyth. The Barton family took over the running of Butler's Farm and they were described as being "sexy, modern and contemporary". Robb first appeared as Moira during the episode broadcast on 17 July 2009.
Ella Hart is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Corrinne Wicks. She made her first on-screen appearance on 17 November 2010. Ella is a businesswoman who is described as "sexy and savvy". She is the ex-wife of Declan Macey and mother of Mia. Wicks was written out of Emmerdale in 2011 and departed on 25 August.
Paula Lane is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the roles of Kylie Platt in ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2010–2016), and Ella Forster in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale (2024–present).
Chloe Harris is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Jessie Elland. She made her first appearance on 20 August 2021. Chloe was introduced as the sister of Gemma Harris, a dead teenager whose heart was given to Sarah Sugden in a transplant. Elland was attracted to the role as she felt that Chloe is a well-written character and she felt a responsibility to do the role justice when she was cast. Chloe is characterised as a sweet and genuine person who is secretly struggling with feelings of sadness, anger, and frustration. This is initially explained through her grief for her dead sister, but later into her tenure, it is revealed that she has a controlling father who is in prison. Chloe's family home is installed with several cameras and her father hires numerous people to watch over her. Eventually, Kerry Wyatt, her housekeeper and secret biological mother, helps her to escape and invites her to live with Kerry in the Emmerdale village.
Ella Forster is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Paula Lane. The character and casting was announced in November 2023, with Lane beginning filming later that month. Lane made her first appearance as Ella on 16 January 2024. Lane did not need to audition for the role and she felt like she fit in Emmerdale due to being from Yorkshire herself. Lane wanted Ella to be seen as different from Kylie Platt, a character that Lane had portrayed on rival soap opera Coronation Street. Ella is introduced at a vet gala and immediately loses her job when she stands up for Mandy Dingle, who she becomes friends with. Lane was happy that Mandy and Ella develop a friendship and believed that Ella is a good friend to have. Ella then is offered a job at the new doctors surgery, where she develops a romance with her colleague, Liam Cavanagh. This later develops into a love triangle involving Chas Dingle. Since the announcement of the character, some critics and fans have felt that Ella is too nice and is hiding something, with Lane revealing that the character does have a secret that will be revealed. Some fans and critics have shared theories that Ella is connected to another character in the soap. However, Ella has also gained positive reception, with critics praising the character's personality and her introduction scenes.
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