Dolores Sharp was introduced as a school friend of Luke McAllister who first met when he defended her from some bullies. She then introduced Luke to her boyfriend, Biff Fowler and the three of them, along with Luke's sister Jessica. Whilst in the village, Dolores' storylines involved being in a motorcycle accident in October 1994, not causing herself so much harm, but leaving Luke unconscious, and being a bridesmaid at Luke's wedding to Tina Dingle in July 1995. However, she jilted him at the altar and revealed that she was getting revenge for his involvement in the death of her older brother Ben. Luke later died in a van explosion the next month. Dolores was last seen in November 1995.
Eileen Pollock is the first wife of Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell). She arrives in Emmerdale after reading about the Emmerdale plane crash and the death of Eric's second wife Elizabeth Feldmann (Kate Dove). She threatens to expose Eric as a bigamist until he pays her off for a divorce. She then leaves the village and they divorce after 30 years of marriage, although they have only been together for a short amount of time during the marriage itself.
In November 2018, Eric reveals to Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) that he and Eileen parted ways after their son, Edward, was born stillborn in 1978. The grief of their loss led to them leading separate lives, and ultimately Eric abandoning Eileen, changing his name and not seeing her again until 1994. He advises Chas to not let her and her partner Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) drift apart like he and Eileen did after their newborn baby dies.
Reg, who abandoned Scott and Viv early in Scott's life, arrives in Emmerdale to see Scott after serving time in prison. His stay causes friction with Vic (Alun Lewis), Viv's current husband after Reg declares that he is going to get Viv and Scott back. Reg eventually leaves. Several days later, Reg and his gang commit an armed robbery on the post office and take Viv and Shirley Turner (Rachel Davies) hostage at Home Farm. The situation worsens when Reg shoots and kills one of his henchmen Simmy (Stuart St. Paul), mistaking him for a police officer. Later into the siege, Viv argues with Reg and he is about to shoot her when Shirley jumps in the way of the gun and takes the bullet and dies instantly. Viv then tries to get Reg to give himself up and tells him she will say Shirley's death is an accident. Reg, realising there is no way out, plans for him and Viv to die together in a suicide pact. Before this can happen, a police marksman shoots Reg dead. In his will, he leaves Viv several thousand pounds, but a stipulation said she had to leave her current husband, to receive the money. She declines and stays with Vic.
Ned Glover, played by Johnny Leeze, made his first appearance on 2 August 1994.[1] The character and Leeze's casting was confirmed the previous month. Ned is introduced to the show along with his wife Jan Glover (Roberta Kerr) and their three children: Dave (Ian Kelsey), Linda (Tonicha Jeronimo), and Roy (Nicky Evans).[1] New producer Mervyn Watson hoped the family would boost ratings, as the show experienced "an exodus" of cast members at the same time.[2] Ned and Jan are tenant farmers, who are evicted from their home. Ned wins a caravan while bare knuckle fighting and receives permission from the Sugden family to live on their land.[1] Ken Irwin of the Daily Mirror said Leeze was "thrilled" to join the cast and was "enthusiastic" about his character.[2] Leeze stated "Ned Glover is a hard-working farmer who has lost his farm and is living with his family in a caravan. He'll be glad of a job on Jack Sugden's farm."[2] He departed in 1999, before returning for a brief stint in 2000.
Ned had known the Sugden family for years and helps them out on their farm, indicating that he had lived in the village before. Ned is challenged by his old adversary Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell) to a bare-knuckle fist fight and wins. Dave dies in a fire at Home Farm and Linda in a car crash the following year. This causes his marriage to break down and Jan leaves the village after she and Ned break up. Ned follows a year later to run a bar in Ibiza with an old girlfriend, Dawn Wilkins (Rosy Clayton). Ned comes back to the village to offer Roy and his wife Kelly Windsor (Adele Silva) the chance to live with him. Roy agrees to think about it and Ned returns to Ibiza. Roy joins him a few weeks later after ending his marriage to Kelly at the airport.
Jan Glover (also Worrel) first appeared in August 1994 with her husband Ned and their children. Jan had married Ned in 1971 and the couple had three children: Dave, in 1973, Linda, in 1978 and Roy, in 1980. Jan worked as a barmaid at the Woolpack pub. She was devastated by the deaths of two of her children: Dave in a fire at Home Farm during Christmas 1996 and Linda in a car crash in October 1997. Jan suffered a nervous breakdown after this and abducted James Tate, blaming James' mother Kim for her children's deaths. Jan is sectioned but later discharged and returns home. However her actions put strain on her marriage and when Jan realises that Ned no longer trusts her, the couple separate. Jan leaves the village to live with her sister, June Worrel, for a fresh start.
Benedict Alan "Ben" Dingle is the son of Zak Dingle. He appeared in 1994.
Ben is the first member of the Dingle family to appear in Emmerdale. During a fight with Luke McAllister, Ben dies of a heart defect. It originally appears as if Luke had murdered him, and the Dingles continue to blame him even after the truth comes out.
Francis "Butch" Dingle , played by Paul Loughran, arrived in the village in August 1994 to confront Luke McAllister (Noah Huntley), who Butch believed was responsible for the death of his brother Ben (Steve Fury). Butch caused trouble for Luke for the remainder of the year in revenge.
Butch got his nickname because at six years old he had come home from school with some flowers which he wanted to dry and press in a book. His father Zak (Steve Halliwell) was concerned that his son was too sensitive so he started calling him "Butch" in an attempt to get him to behave more like a man. As a result of this, Butch felt he was unable to develop as a person properly and unable to express his true feelings and he became a bully and troublemaker during his early years on the show.
However, he mellowed as the years went by around in late 1995 or early 1996 and lost his virginity to nanny Sophie Wright (Jane Cameron) when they were drunk at New Year 1996/1997. Butch later began stalking Sophie as he couldn't handle her rejection. Butch also had an obsession with his cousin Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley). In November 1998, he married Mandy but she only went through with it for financial gain and not because she loved him. Butch felt himself in love with her and was sad that his feelings were not reciprocated. Butch later divorced Mandy and fell in love with Emily Wylie (Kate McGregor). Emily and Butch had a lot in common and both considered themselves to be misfits. Emily decided to stay in Emmerdale with Butch rather than leave the village with her father.
Butch died in hospital of injuries sustained in the bus crash on 24 March 2000. Butch had been a passenger in the community bus when it was hit by an out-of-control lorry driven by Pete Collins (Kirk Smith). Before dying, Butch married Emily on his death bed. Butch was buried next to his brother, Ben, who died nearly six years earlier. The epitaph on their tombstone is 'Dead but still Dingles'.
NB: In a continuity error, whilst reminiscing after Zak's funeral in 2024, Sam Dingle stated that Butch's real name was Seth.
Harry Barker is the uncle of Kim Tate who arrives in the village on her wedding day to Frank Tate to give her away.
He strikes up a friendship with Seth Armstrong and Zoe Tate. He gets drunk in the build-up to the ceremony, and the wedding party soon realize that he is withholding something. After nearly collapsing, he tells Kim that he is nervous about giving her away and admits that he is too drunk to do it. Seth then decides to give her away instead, and Harry watches on at the church as Frank and Kim remarry, although Frank is confused as to why Harry was not walking Kim down the aisle.
He leaves Emmerdale shortly afterwards, and does not attend Kim's 'funeral' in 1997.
Tina Marie Dingle is the youngest child of Zak (Steve Halliwell) and Nellie Dingle (Sandra Gough/Maggie Tagney). She arrived in the village a few months after her family. Her most famous storyline was in July 1995 when she was going to marry Luke McAllister (Noah Huntley), claiming to be pregnant with his child. However, this proved to be fake, to get revenge for the death of her brother, Ben (Steve Fury), the year before. A few days later, Luke kidnapped her and took her on a mad van drive through the village. She dived out of the van and Luke was killed moments later in an explosion when the van crashed into a wall. 1996 saw Tina caught in a love triangle with Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) and Steve Marchant (Paul Opacic). She left on Christmas Eve that year as she was sick of being caught in the middle and potentially ending up like Frank's wife Kim (Claire King), as well as her family life not going anywhere. Her last line was to her cousin and best friend Mandy Dingle, "No, I'm finished here now. I'll see you Mand." Tina then gets in her car and drives out of the village, as the song "Moving On Up" by M People plays on the car radio.
In 1998, writers from Inside Soap published an article about the top ten characters they wanted to return to soap. Tina was featured and they described her as "the bitchy daughter of Zak and Nellie, whose combination of guile and Dingle cunning made her the perfect match for Kim Tate." They added that over time Tina reinvented herself as a "high-flying businesswoman."[3]
Return
On 17 October 2024, Tina made an unannounced return to Emmerdale for her father's funeral with the role was recast to Brassic star Samantha Power.[4] This was part of the Dingles' 30th year in the soap.[4] Power spoke on the role of Tina: "I absolutely do remember Jacqueline who played Tina. She was absolutely fantastic, I remember her character vividly! So I am very lucky to get the chance to pick up where she left off!"[4] Revealing more on the Tina of 2024, the actress added: "She is feisty, bolshy, selfish and she always seems to have an agenda and won’t stop at anything to get what she wants! Well, she has no filters and she will literally do anything to make sure she gets her way including her claim to the house. She is not one to be trusted! I loved it!"[4] In an interview with Radio Times, Power discussed stepping into Tina's shoes: "I was so nervous. It’s an iconic role to fill so I wanted to do it justice. My husband said he had never known me to be this nervous! My first scene on my first day was at the graveside with ALL the Dingles! That’s a lot right! Luckily everyone was so nice and welcoming. I have to say a special shout out to Lisa Riley, the nicest human being! When I met her at the screen test I felt so safe, she couldn’t have been more giving and supportive and encouraging and that continued daily on set. I loved working with her!"[4] Tina's return is only a guest appearance, but Power added that "Tina is just fantastic to play so I would love the opportunity to come back and cause more mischief".[4]
On 16 October 2024, the day before Tina returned to the village, Jeff Hordley, who plays her half-brother Cain Dingle, appeared on ITV's Lorraine. He teased Power's arrival in the soap: "I can tell you that she's a good friend of some of us in the cast. Zoë Henry's worked with her on stage. William Ash and I have done a play with her. So it was really great to welcome this character to the show and she's very, very good indeed."[5] On 19 October 2024, Pirie – now Chadwick, who previously played Tina – spoke out about Tina's recast, taking to X: "So many questions regarding Tina Dingle's return," she began. "Great character, great show. I wish @sampower_sam all the best, I loved playing her, I'm sure she will too, great cast to be a part of. and, no… they didn't ask me."[6] Power responded: "Thanks so much Jacqueline! Very kind xxx,"[6] with Chadwick replying: "My pleasure. Have bags of fun!!!!"[6]
Others
Character
Date(s)
Actor
Circumstances
Danny
11 January – 3 May
Lauren Beales
Jessica McAllister's (Camilla Power) boyfriend. Danny is not very popular with Jessicca's parents, even after he asks her to marry him. Jessica eventually gets bored with Danny, especially when Biff Fowler came on the scene.
Lucy
21–26 April (2 episodes)
Tracie Hart
Lucy is Viv Windsor's (Deena Payne) sister who arrives for a visit. She informs Viv of her ex-husband Reg Dawson's (Niven Boyd) release from prison and intentions to see their son, Scott (Toby Cockerell). Lucy admits that she let Reg know of Viv and Scott's whereabouts after he was worried about them following the plane crash several months earlier. Lucy then returns to Essex.
Colin Long
24 May – 22 September (6 episodes)
Al Hunter-Ashton
Colin is a member of Reg Dawson's (Niven Boyd) gang who helps him rob his ex-wife Viv Windsor's (Deena Payne) post office and take her and Shirley Turner (Rachel Davies) hostage up at home farm, resulting in a stand-off with the police. After Reg shoots Shirley, Colin tells Viv to flee but she refuses, so he gives himself up instead and advises the police to be careful while tackling Reg. Colin reappears when he stands trial for the Robbery.
John Francis
24–26 May (2 episodes)
Terry Cade
John is a member of Reg Dawson's (Niven Boyd) gang, who served time with him in prison. He assists in Reg's raid on the post office and gets away but crashes his car and is found bloodied on a roadside in Robblesfield.
Simmy
24–31 May (3 episodes)
Stuart St. Paul
Simmy is a member of Reg Dawson's (Niven Boyd) gang who assists in the post Office robbery and is involved in a shootout with Joe Sugden (Frazer Hines) while trying to escape across the moors. When Reg and Colin Long (Al Hunter-Ashton) take Viv Windsor (Deena Payne) and Shirley Turner (Rachel Davies) hostage at home farm, Simmy bursts in through a window and Reg mistakes him for a police officer and shoots Simmy twice, killing him.
Sven Olsen
23 June – 4 August (9 episodes)
Daniel O'Grady
An Australian man, who is known amongst the farmers in the village. He works at Emmerdale Farm for a few weeks following Michael Feldmann's departure. When he leaves the village, Sven asks Lynn Whiteley (Fionnuala Ellwood) and her son Peter Whiteley to go back to Australia to live with him.
Viv Hope is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Portrayed by Deena Payne, the character first appeared on 10 August 1993, and remained until 13 January 2011, becoming one of the longest-serving characters, after nearly 18 years in the show; her tenure is currently the seventeenth-longest in the history of the show.
Scott Windsor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. From 1993 to 1996, Scott was played by Toby Cockerell. In 1996, Scott left the village to join the army and when he returned in 1998, Ben Freeman took over the role and played Scott until early 2007.
Zachariah Bartholomew "Zak" Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Steve Halliwell. He first appeared on 20 October 1994. Halliwell initially joined the show as part of the Dingle family and was only initially supposed to appear for a few episodes, but has become a key part of the soap since his introduction. He has been nominated for several awards for his portrayal of Zak. Some of Zak's storylines have included his wife Nellie divorcing him in 1997, marrying Lisa Clegg in 1998, having a daughter, Belle in 1998, the death of his son, Butch in 2000, Lisa being raped in 2011, assaulting his son Cain and leaving him temporarily paralysed in 2011, suffering a mental breakdown in 2012, trying to control his rebellious daughter and dealing with the death of Lisa. Halliwell died on 15 December 2023, with Zak having made his final appearance on 27 June 2023. On 2 July 2024, it was announced that Zak would be killed off in the programme with a funeral as a tribute to Halliwell. His death was revealed on 15 October 2024.
Sam Dingle is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by James Hooton. He made his first appearance in the episode broadcast on 14 February 1995.
Emily Kirk is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Kate McGregor. She made her first appearance in the episode broadcast on 5 May 1999. Initially portrayed as nervous and naive, Emily lived a sheltered life with her father and lacks social skills, until she takes a job at the local post office. Writers established a relationship between Emily and Butch Dingle. McGregor thought the characters brought out the best in each other.
Cain Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Jeff Hordley. Cain made his first appearance on 30 March 2000, and in 2006, he was written out of the series when Hordley left the soap; however, the option for a return was confirmed, which occurred when Hordley returned to the cast in February 2009. Cain's main storylines have focused on discovering his "uncle" Zak Dingle is his father; his relationship with his cousin Charity Dingle ; discovering he is Debbie Dingle's father; his affair and subsequent relationship with Moira Barton ; being attacked in a whodunit storyline where his assailant was eventually revealed to be his father; being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm; supporting his nephew Aaron Livesy after discovering Aaron was sexually abused by his father Gordon Livesy as a child; reuniting with his and Chas' mother Faith Dingle ; his relationship with local vicar Harriet Finch ; building up a relationship with his children; being blackmailed by DI Malone to do drug runs for him; his feud with Al Chapman and taking blame for Al's murder to protect his younger son Kyle who was responsible for killing Al.
Chris Tate is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Peter Amory. The character made his first appearance on 14 November 1989, when he arrived in the village alongside the rest of the Tate family – his father Frank ; stepmother Kim ; and younger sister Zoe.
Victor "Vic" Windsor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Alun Lewis for a period of five years, from 1993 until 1998. Vic was the second husband of shopkeeper, Viv Windsor, and also father of Kelly Windsor and Donna Windsor. He was killed off in an armed robbery by Billy Hopwood on Christmas Day 1998.
Belle King is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Eden Taylor-Draper. Belle made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 25 December 1998, originally played by twins Emily and James Mather. James stopped appearing in the role in 2000 and Emily in 2005, at which point Taylor-Draper took over, remaining ever since. Belle has featured in various storylines throughout her time on the soap, such as falling down a mineshaft, killing her best friend Gemma Andrews, having an affair with doctor Jermaine Bailey, faking a pregnancy to prevent Jermaine from leaving after their affair is revealed, being diagnosed with schizophrenia, a relationship with Lachlan White, which ends after discovering he is a serial killer, and her mental health relapses. Belle married Thomas King in 2024, and it was announced that Belle would become part of a coercive control storyline.
Mandy Dingle-Kirk 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.
Kim Tate is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Claire King. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 12 December 1989. Kim is portrayed in the serial as an antagonist, who often concocts money making and vengeful schemes against other characters. During her first stint in the series, Kim's turbulent marriage to Frank Tate was prominent. Writers also explored her difficult relationship with her stepchildren, Chris (Caleb Dingle]] and Zoe Tate. Kim's motive for her scheming was to gain control of the Tate family business; her marriage was problematic due to her affairs with Neil Kincaid and Dave Glover, the latter died after he saved Kim's son James Tate from a fire.
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