The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...

'' in 1997, by order of first appearance.

Lyn Hutchinson

Lyn Hutchinson, played by Sally Walsh, made her first appearance on 8 January 1997. Walsh said receiving the role of Lyn was "like coming home in a way" because she had previously worked with

Steve Halliwell Stephen Harold Halliwell (born 21 March 1946) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Zak Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', which he has played since 1994. Life and career Halliwell was born in Bury, Lancashire, on 21 ...

(

Zak Dingle 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 ...

) and Paul Fox ( Will Cairns). Louise Oswald of ''

The People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ...

'' dubbed Lyn and

Kelly Windsor Kelly Windsor (also Glover) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Adele Silva. The character first appeared on 10 August 1993. Silva portrayed her from August 1993 until November 2000. In February 2 ...

(

Adele Silva Adele Silva (born 19 November 1980) is an English actress. She played the role of Kelly Windsor in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' on and off from 1993 to 2011. In 1989, she had a minor role in the final classic series ''Doctor Who'' story '' ...

) ''Emmerdale's'' "terrible twosome" and compared them to '' Coronation Street's'' Battersby sisters. Oswald also stated, "Kelly and Lyn are the original sweet-faced kids with a frightening wild streak. Parents watching the show see what they get up to and start wondering what their own daughters are doing. And young soap fans love to see them up to the sort of tricks they wouldn't dare try themselves." Walsh's younger sister Amy Walsh joined the cast of ''Emmerdale'' in 2014 as

Tracy Shankley ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared or will appear during 2014, by order of first appearance. William Makepeace (Dudley Sutton) and his grandson, Se ...

. Lyn taunts Kelly Windsor about her relationship with teacher, Tom Bainbridge (Jeremy Turner-Welch), causing the two girls to fight and forcing Tom to separate them. Despite this, Lyn and Kelly later become friends. Lyn bullies

Emma Cairns The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1997, by order of first appearance. Lyn Hutchinson Lyn Hutchinson, played by Sally Walsh, made her first appearance on 8 January 1997. Walsh sa ...

(Rebecca Loudonsack) about her teenage pregnancy. She dates

Roy Glover Roy Glover is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Nicky Evans. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 August 1994, and departed six years later on 22 August 2000. Develo ...

(Nicky Evans) and

Marlon Dingle Marlon Dingle is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Mark Charnock. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 October 1996. Storylines Marlon comes to Emmerdale to stay wit ...

(

Mark Charnock Mark Charnock (born 28 August 1968) is an English actor, known for his role in ITV's ''Emmerdale'' as Marlon Dingle, a role he has played since 1996. Charnock and ''Emmerdale'' co-star Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy Kirk, produce a yearly ''Zom ...

), who she then cheats on with

Scott Windsor Scott Windsor (also Dawson) 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 Fr ...

( Ben Freeman). Lyn breaks up with Marlon on his 25th birthday. Lyn and Scott start a relationship, which ends when she discovers Scott has been having an affair with Kelly, who is his stepsister. Disgusted by this, Lyn ends her relationship with Scott and leaves the village.

Barry Clegg

Barry Clegg, played by

Bernard Wrigley Bernard Wrigley (born 25 February 1948 in Bolton, Lancashire, England) is an English singer, actor and comedian. He is sometimes known by the nickname "The Bolton Bullfrog". Wrigley's career as a singer and storyteller began in the late 1960s, ...

, made his first appearance on 30 January 1997. Barry was introduced as the estranged husband of

Lisa Clegg Lisa Dingle (also Clegg) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Jane Cox. Lisa's storylines include being raped by her colleague Derek Benrose (Stephen Bent), becoming a parent in later life, assaulting a ...

(

Jane Cox Jane Cox (born 13 May 1952) is an English actress, known for her role as Lisa Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role she portrayed from 1996 to 2019 and again briefly in 2020. In 2011, she was nominated for the British Soap Award ...

). Despite the couple being separated, Barry lived in an outhouse on the same farm as Lisa. He was "an irritation" to

(

), who was in love with Lisa. Barry is an eccentric, who builds a space rocket. Marlon (

) and

Butch Dingle The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1994, by order of first appearance. Eileen Pollock Eileen Pollock is the first wife of Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell). She arrives in Emmerdale ...

(

Paul Loughran Paul Anthony Martin Loughran (born 7 July 1969 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish actor. He was educated at Methodist College Belfast. He is best known for portraying Butch Dingle in ITV Soap Opera ''Emmerdale'' in which his character died in a b ...

) accidentally cause it to launch early while fighting, and it enters the Dingle's barn and explodes. Barry tries to stop Lisa from marrying

Albert Dingle ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 1995, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the series producer Mervyn Watson. E ...

(

Bobby Knutt Robert Andrew Wass (25 November 1945 – 25 September 2017), known professionally as Bobby Knutt, was an English actor and comedian. He was known throughout his acting career for appearing as Albert Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale' ...

), but is forcibly ejected from the church, leading to Albert's brother Zak to declare his feelings for Lisa. Months later, Barry competes against Zak for a busking pitch and he shows off his pedal powered microwave on a television show filmed in the village. Barry returns with a wedding present for Zak and Lisa's wedding. Although, they tell him he cannot come to the service, he attends Zak's stag night and lends him some money for the alcohol for the reception. John Millar of the '' Daily Record'' branded Barry's space travel ambitions as "a laugh."

Paddy Kirk

Dee Pollard

Dee Pollard (née de La Cruz) was the former wife of

Eric Pollard Eric Pollard (also Pollock) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Chris Chittell. He made his first appearance in the soap on 30 September 1986. Having appeared continuously since, he is currently the lo ...

and she appeared from February 1997 until April 1998. Eric Pollard flew to the Far East looking for love and found it with Filipino student Dee de la Cruz in a Manila restaurant. His initial interest was sex, but two weeks later he proposed and the couple made plans for Dee to follow Eric back to Britain. When she arrived in 1997, dressed in a miniskirt and skimpy coat, and wearing high-heels, the locals in Emmerdale were curious. They were shocked when she announced that she was Eric's fiancée. But the unlikely relationship continued and Dee became Mrs Pollard in a May registry-office wedding. Dee left Emmerdale in April 1998 after discovering that her mother had died and Eric had kept this hidden from her. Dee returned home to the Philippines. Her marriage with Eric was annulled in 2001.

Will Cairns

William "Will" Cairns arrived in Emmerdale in February 1997 with his family as the second child and only son of Tony and Becky Cairns. One of his main storylines was when he was kidnapped by, Fiona Mallender, the daughter of a soldier his father had served with who wanted to avenge her father's death on a training exercise, which she blamed Tony for. Will left the village in January 1999, joining the rest of his family in Germany after his father was injured in a climbing accident.

Emma Cairns

Emma Cairns arrived in Emmerdale in February 1997 with her family as the youngest child and daughter of Tony and Becky Cairns, heavily pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter Geri a month later. Her father Tony wanted her to have Geri adopted and Emma initially agreed. However, she changed her mind when she bonded with her baby daughter but this didn't last. Gradually, Becky found herself looking after Geri more and more and so Geri was put up for adoption after all. The father was later revealed to be Greg Cox, the ex-boyfriend of her sister Charlie. This led to Charlie leaving, only a few months after arriving. Her parents left for Germany in April 1998, with Emma joining them in the Summer.

Tony Cairns

Anthony "Tony" Cairns arrived in Emmerdale in March 1997 following the rest of his family after retiring early from the army. When his youngest daughter Emma gave birth to a baby girl who she named Geri at the young age of 13, Tony wanted her to have Geri adopted, to which Emma initially went along with. However, she defied her father and changed her mind when she grew close to her baby daughter. Tony left with Becky for

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in April 1998 after he is offered a new job.

Becky Cairns

Rebecca "Becky" Cairns arrived in Emmerdale, where she grew up when she was young, in February 1997 with her family. Becky had a lesbian fling with vet

Zoe Tate Zoe Tate is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Leah Bracknell. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 12 December 1989. Zoe was involved in many major storylines during her t ...

. After her affair with Zoe was exposed, Becky left with her husband Tony for

in April 1998 in an attempt to patch up her marriage.

Charlie Cairns

Charlie Cairns arrived in Emmerdale in February 1997 with her family. She is the eldest of Tony and Becky Cairns' three children. When her younger sister Emma gave birth to a baby a month later, she was devastated to learn her boyfriend, Greg Cox, was the father and this led to her departure in July.

Jo Steadman

Jo Steadman was a biker and short-term girlfriend of Alan Turner. Jo wanted Alan to sell The Woolpack and travel with her to America. Alan told her that he had built his life in Emmerdale. He told Jo to live her dream and that he would wait for her. Jo never returned.

Billy Hopwood

Lord Alex Oakwell

Tara Thornfield

Doug Hamilton

Doug Hamilton, played by

Jay Benedict Jay Benedict (April 11, 1951 – April 4, 2020) was an American actor who spent most of his life and career in the United Kingdom. He was frequently cast as American characters in British films and television programmes. He was best known for hi ...

, made his first appearance on 2 October 1997. Doug is a businessman, who puts in an offer for the golf course, while "wining and dining"

Kathy Glover Katherine "Kathy" Brookman (also Bates, Merrick, Tate and Glover) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Malandra Burrows. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 Novem ...

(

Malandra Burrows Malandra Elizabeth Burrows (born 4 November 1965) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her long-running role as Kathy Glover in ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Burrows' first name, Malandra, is a portmanteau of her pa ...

). Kathy later learns Doug is married and their relationship ends.

References

{{Emmerdale characters, year

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

*, Emmerdale