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, '' ...

'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared, by order of first appearance. The first character to be introduced was

Emma Barton Emma Louise Barton (born 26 July 1977) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Honey Mitchell in ''EastEnders'' which she has portrayed on and off since November 2005. Before her role in ''EastEnders'', Barton appeared ...

(

Gillian Kearney Gillian Louise Kearney

) in January. Nurse Darren Thompson (Danny Horn) arrived in March and

Lachlan White ''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 ...

's (Thomas Atkinson) father, Donny Cairn (Alan Convy) arrived in April. The year's first birth,

Moses Dingle ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared, by order of first appearance. The first character to be introduced was Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney) in January. ...

, the son of

Charity Dingle Charity Dingle (also Tate, Sharma and Macey) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Emma Atkins. Suranne Jones originally auditioned for the role of Charity prior to Atkins being cast in the ro ...

(

Emma Atkins Emma Jayne Atkins (born 31 March 1975) is an English actress, best known for her role as Charity Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Atkins grew up in the village of Silverdale, Lancashire, and then went to study at the Unive ...

) and

Ross Barton Ross Barton is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', portrayed by Michael Parr. He made his first appearance in episode 6600 of the soap, broadcast on 9 July 2013. Ross first appears as the carjacker of Laurel Thomas (Charl ...

(

Michael Parr Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

), occurred in June.

Jermaine Bailey ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared, by order of first appearance. The first character to be introduced was Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney) in January. ...

(

Micah Balfour Micah Balfour (born 18 July 1978) is an English actor. He played PC Benjamin Gayle in the ITV police drama ''The Bill'' from 2007 to 2010. Before ''The Bill'', Balfour worked on ''Absolute Beginners'' at Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith), The Lyric ...

) was also introduced during the same month. The second birth occurred in September as

Vanessa Woodfield ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2012, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve ...

(

Michelle Hardwick Michelle Hardwick (also known as Michelle Brooks, born 26 February 1976) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as hospital receptionist Lizzie Hopkirk in the ITV drama series ''The Royal'' and Vanessa Woodfield in the ITV soap opera ...

) gave birth to her and

Kirin Kotecha ''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, S ...

's (

Adam Fielding Adam Fielding is a UK-based electronic music producer and composer. History Starting in 1995, Fielding began writing music using a combination of an Atari STe computer running Protracker software. Although this started out as more of a hobby ...

) child,

Johnny Woodfield ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared, by order of first appearance. The first character to be introduced was Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney) in January. ...

Tess Harris ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared, by order of first appearance. The first character to be introduced was Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney) in January. ...

(

Nicola Stephenson Nicola Stephenson (born 5 July 1971) is an English actress. She played the roles of Margaret Clemence in ''Brookside'', Julie Fitzjohn in '' Holby City'', Sarah Williams in '' The Chase'', Allie Westbrook in '' Waterloo Road'', and Tess Harris ...

), the woman whom

Paddy Kirk Paddy Kirk (also Dingle) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Dominic Brunt. He has been married four times: to Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) in 1999, to Emily Dingle (Kate McGregor) in 2002, to Rhona Goski ...

(

Dominic Brunt Dominic Adam Brunt (born 15 April 1970) is an English actor, director and producer, best known for portraying the role of Paddy Kirk in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. For his role as Paddy, Brunt has been nominated in variou ...

) had an affair with, also began appearing in September. Additionally, multiple

other characters Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

appeared in 2015.

Emma Barton

Emma Barton, played by

Gillian Kearney Gillian Louise Kearney

, made her first screen appearance on 2 January 2015. The character has previously been mentioned by her on-screen family and heard once on a family video. During a press event on 11 August 2014, series producer

Kate Oates Kate Oates (born 1979 or 1980) is a British television producer, who was born in Nottingham and graduated from Warwick University. She began her career working as a researcher and editorial assistant for Germaine Greer, before becoming a script ...

revealed that Emma would finally be introduced to the show. She said "Emma's had a bit of a build-up, hasn't she? She's the woman we haven't seen and she's a bit of a mystery at the moment. I think it's safe to say that she is going to show up, possibly in the not-too-distant future. She may cause chaos." On 2 December 2014, it was announced that Kearney had been cast in the role. The actress commented, "As an avid fan of ''Emmerdale'', I'm delighted to be playing Emma Barton." Emma is described as "psycho" and one of the best soap villains of all time. On 9 May 2017, it was announced that Kearney would be leaving the role of Emma, as her character finally gets a comeuppance for her actions. Her final episode aired on 6 October 2017, where Emma was killed off in a

whodunit A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...

-style storyline where she was pushed off a viaduct and murdered, however it was initially believed that the character committed suicide. Emma reappeared one last time on the 14 December 2017 flashback episode, where her killer was revealed to be

Moira Barton Moira Dingle (also Barton) 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 wer ...

following a confrontation regarding how her actions have negatively impacted on their families, shortly after being disowned by Pete and Ross after a separate argument with the pair. Emma is the estranged mother of

Pete Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...

(

Anthony Quinlan Anthony Quinlan is an English actor, known for his roles as Gilly Roach in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' and Pete Barton in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Career Quinlan played Gilly Roach in the English Channel 4 soap opera A soa ...

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

(

) and

Finn Barton ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2013, by order of first appearance. Ross Barton ( Michael Parr) made his debut in July. Joanie Wright ( Den ...

(

Joe Gill Joseph P. Gill (July 13, 1919 – December 17, 2006)Social Security Death Inde ...

), and the wife of James Barton ( Bill Ward). She arrives in the village after Finn tracks her down following a 22-year absence from her family. Kearney called Emma "a fascinating and complex character", while Oates added that her appearance would "cause fireworks" for the Barton family.

Harriet Finch ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2013, by order of first appearance. Ross Barton (Michael Parr) made his debut in July. Joanie Wright (Denis ...

(Katherine Dow Blyton) helps Finn find Emma's address and he meets her in secret. She is thrilled to see him and is eager to get to know her other sons again but this proves complicated, given their history. While at a bar, Ross gets into a fight and is injured. Emma comes to help Ross and is shocked to recognize her sons. Finn invites Emma to the village and Ross tells her that James and

( Natalie J. Robb) slept together before she left. James is defensive and accidentally reveals that Adam Barton (

Adam Thomas Adam Thomas (born 11 August 1988) is an English actor, known for his roles as Donte Charles in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' (2006–2009, 2022–present) and Adam Barton in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2009� ...

) is his son. Emma blames James for losing her family but he reminds her that the reason she left was because she tried to kill Ross when he was a child. Emma asks if James has told their sons the truth and he tells her he has not. Emma leaves and Pete later tells James that she returned once before, but he sent her away. Emma returns to the village and Ross and Finn try to persuade her to stay. She tries to talk to Pete but he makes it clear that he knows what she did and will not forgive her. When Finn babysits

Debbie Dingle Debbie Dingle (also Jones and Barton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charley Webb. Webb has taken maternity leave three times, with the first time being in 2010 and the second throughout 2016 ...

's (

Charley Webb Charlotte Anne Webb (born 26 February 1988), commonly known as Charley Webb, is an English actress. From 2002 to 2021, she portrayed the role of Debbie Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. In 2014, she was nominated for Best Female Dra ...

) son, Jack, Emma visits and Finn leaves her alone for a few minutes. When Pete learns this, he runs into the house and tells Emma to leave. Emma befriends James's partner

Chas Dingle Chas Dingle (also Spencer) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Lucy Pargeter. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 October 2002. Chas returned on 21 September 2003. Chas was ...

(

Lucy Pargeter Lucy Kate Pargeter (born 1 March 1977) is an English actress, known for her roles as Helen Raven in ''Crossroads'' (2002–2003) and Chas Dingle in ''Emmerdale'' (2002–present). She also finished third in the 13th series of the ITV reality s ...

), but remains hostile towards Moira. During an argument with James, Emma lashes out at him, causing a pallet to crash down on James and pin him under the load. Emma checks James to see if he is breathing and hesitates before calling an ambulance. Emma is defensive when Pete questions her about the accident but, thinking Emma saved James's life, Pete tells Emma that he will keep her secret and she can stay in the village. Relieved, she moves in with her sons after Ross "burgles" her house and then sets about ruining James's and Chas's relationship by making people think that they are having an affair. When Chas learns of this, she throws James out and he stays with Emma temporarily but this becomes permanent when she convinces him to give their marriage another chance. Emma then tries to make Chas think she is senile by smashing glasses in the pub and locks her in the cellar where Chas falls unconscious however Chas thinks Emma is continually breaking into the pub but is actually suffering from PTSD. In October 2016, James falls down the stairs of his and Emma's new home during an argument with Ross however whilst in the hospital Emma overhears a conversation between Ross and James about when he spent a night with Moira. Feeling betrayed Emma drugs James and holds him hostage in the bedroom for a week before confronting him, however she unties his hand after making him write and he hits her over the head with a glass bottle, Emma wakes up unconsciously and knocks James to the ground, in a struggle James manages to push Emma and she hits her head falling unconscious again, subsequently James believing he has killed Emma puts her in the car before stumbling away by himself. James is later in the woods by himself and Emma comes and confronts him leading them onto a bridge, after arguing and fighting. Emma accidentally pushes James from the bridge onto the motorway causing a large car pile up involving

Ashley Thomas Ashley Thomas is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by John Middleton. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 December 1996. It was announced on 22 October 2015 that Middlet ...

( John Middleton),

Rhona Goskirk Rhona Goskirk is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Zoë Henry. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 September 2001. The character was introduced by series producer ...

(

Zoe Henry Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

(

) and

Pierce Harris ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that appeared in 2016, by order of first appearance. Pierce Harris ( Jonathan Wrather), the husband of established character Tess Ha ...

(

Jonathan Wrather Jonathan Wrather (born 16 March 1969) is an English actor. He is known for his soap opera roles in ''Coronation Street'' as Joe Carter from 2002 until 2003, and in ''Emmerdale'' as Pierce Harris from 2016 until 2017, making a guest appearance in ...

) with some cars overturning. Emma tries to warn Aaron Dingle ( Danny Miller) and

Robert Sugden Robert Sugden (also Sugden-Dingle) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. The character originally appeared on the show regularly between 22 April 1986 and 3 October 2005. During that time he was first played a ...

(

Ryan Hawley Ryan Alexander Hawley (born 21 September 1985) is an English actor, known for his portrayal of Robert Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2014 to 2019. Early life Hawley, son of Christine and Steve, spent his childhood partly in S ...

) but Aaron and Robert drive into a nearby lake with Robert's former stepson

(Thomas Atkinson) in the boot in an attempt to avoid the pile up. While this was happening, Emma watched in disbelief, still standing on the bridge. Distraught, Emma flees and begins to pack her things. She answers Finn's phone call and makes herself sounds calm and concerned before finding out that James is still alive and in hospital. Emma later goes to the hospital and tries to kill James by squeezing his breathing tube but backs away, James however later dies. Within the next few weeks Emma puts on an act of sadness mourning James. Dementia sufferer Ashley tells Emma he remembers seeing her on the bridge before the car accident and she later offers to look after him whilst his wife

Laurel Thomas Laurel Thomas (also Potts and Dingle) is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charlotte Bellamy. She debuted on screen during the ep ...

(

Charlotte Bellamy Charlotte Bellamy (born 19 March 1973) is an English actress. She is known for her long-running role as Laurel Thomas in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Her other television roles include Sue Taylor in ''EastEnders'' (1997) and Harriet Potter ...

) is having a manicure, however she goes to confuse him which leads to Ashley becoming distressed by Emma telling him many different things at once to get rid of the memory of her on the bridge. Later when Laurel comes home she asks Ashley if he recorded anything on his video recorder which he says no too however it is shown that the video recorder is on and that it has recorded Emma telling Ashley he didn't see her on the bridge. In October 2017, Emma's crimes begin to catch up with her and she begins to unravel as Gabby Thomas (

Rosie Bentham Rosie Elizabeth Bentham (born 29 July 2001) is an English actress, who has appeared as Gabby Thomas in ''Emmerdale'' since January 2016. Early and personal life Bentham was born in 2001 to John and Marianne Bentham, who acted as her chaperones ...

) learns the truth about her killing James and her lies to Ashley. She confronts Gabby and they fight, leading to Emma being knocked unconscious in the river. She is found by her son, Finn, but she locks him in the church. Later, startled by a noise, accidentally shoots Finn, leading to his death shortly after. Wracked with guilt for everything she has done, Emma seemingly commits suicide by jumping from a viaduct. As she dies, she is met by the ghosts of James and Finn. Dying, she asks for their forgiveness, which they give her. On the day of her funeral, 14 December 2017, a flashback reveals that she was actually pushed off the cliff by

following a confrontation between the pair over Holly's death as well as the murders of James and Finn. Kearney has received acclaim for her portrayal of Emma She was longlisted for the 2015 Inside Soap "Best Bad Girl" award but did not progress to the shortlist. Kearney was nominated for Best Serial Drama Performance at the 2016

National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted ...

. In August 2017, She was longlisted for Best Actress and Best Bad Girl at the ''Inside Soap'' Awards, while the motorway crash and James' death was longlisted for Best Show-Stopper and Best Shock Twist. While Kearney did not make the Best Actress shortlist, her other three nominations made the viewer-voted shortlist. On 6 November 2017, Kearney won the "Best Bad Girl" and "Best Show-Stopper" accolades.

Darren Thompson

Darren Thompson, played by Danny Horn, made his first on-screen appearance on 5 March 2015. Darren is a nurse who attends to

Val Pollard Valerie "Val" Pollard (also Lambert) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Charlie Hardwick. She made her first screen appearance in the episodes broadcast on 1 February 2004. Val was introduced as t ...

(

Charlie Hardwick Claire Elizabeth Hardwick (born 3 November 1960)
''

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. Darren sees

(

Joe Gill Joseph P. Gill (July 13, 1919 – December 17, 2006)Social Security Death Inde ...

) acting nervous in the waiting area. Finn has a heart-to-heart with Darren and explains that he feels confused as his mother

(

Gillian Kearney Gillian Louise Kearney

) has just recently come back into his life and Val was like a mother to him. Darren and Finn grow close and arrange to go for a drink.

Victoria Sugden Victoria Sugden (also Barton) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played since 12 October 2006 by Isabel Hodgins. As a young child, Victoria was played by Jessica Heywood until 1997, followed by Hannah Midgley fro ...

(

Isabel Hodgins Isabel Hodgins (born 23 November 1993) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Victoria Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2006. Career Hodgins made an appeal in the '' Salford Advertiser'' for funding to allow her ...

), who had previously claimed she recognized Darren from somewhere, tells Finn that he was at one of Val's HIV talks. Despite not been bothered about Darren's status, Darren misunderstands things and leaves, though later they clear the air and rearrange. His mum, Emma and his brother

(

) are both uncomfortable with Finn's relationship. When Darren returns from the toilet, he receives a text warning him to stay away from Finn and Darren accuses Finn. Finn denies this, but Darren leaves. After seeing how unhappy Finn is, Victoria later rings Darren and gets him to visit and apologise to Finn. As Finn goes to get changed for their date, Val vandalizes Darren's car by smashing the windows and spray painting it. She plants Finn's missing phone at the car to make Darren accuse Finn. Darren then drives off abandoning Finn. Finn, not knowing who did it, tells Val that he is going to find out who did it, leaving Val uncomfortable. He accuses his brother Ross and then his mum and throws her out. When Val confesses to her husband,

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

(

Chris Chittell Christopher John Chittell (born 19 May 1948) is an English actor, known for his role as Eric Pollard in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. He has portrayed the role since 1986, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap's history. B ...

) and explains how she did it to protect Finn from been in a relationship with someone HIV positive as it put her and Eric's relationship to the test, Eric makes Val confess to Finn. Finn later forgives Val, however, wanting to put things right, Val calls and meets up with Darren and tells him an obsessive ex of Finn's did it, but then confesses that she did it. Finn and Darren then get back together. To impress Darren, Finn pretends that he's a vegetarian and that he shares the same interests as Darren. However, Finn finds that Darren is too overbearing and doesn't get any time to himself. He won't dare dump him as he worries about Darren getting upset. When he misunderstands and believes that Darren is about to propose, with advice from Val, he acts dirty and disgusting to try and 'scare' him off. However, later on in the pub, Darren says he's being trying to dump him and that he finds him annoying, despite Finn explaining his rudeness. Darren then leaves and Finn is upset that someone found him annoying.

Donny Cairn

Donny Cairn, played by Alan Convy, made his first screen appearance on 14 April 2015. The character and casting was announced on 24 March 2015. Donny is the father of

(Thomas Atkinson), and arrives in the village after his son admits to sexual assaulting

Alicia Gallagher Alicia Metcalfe (also Harding and Gallagher) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Natalie Anderson. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 August 2010. Alicia was int ...

(

Natalie Anderson Natalie Jane Anderson (born on 24 October 1981) is an English actress, singer and television presenter. She is known for her roles as Stella Davenport in the medical drama ''The Royal'' from 2005 to 2008 and Alicia Metcalfe in the ITV soap op ...

). Donny's ex-partner, Chrissie Sugden (

Louise Marwood Louise Marwood (born 13 March 1979) is an English actress and comedian, known for portraying the role of Chrissie White in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', which she played from 2014 until 2018. Early life Marwood was born on 13 March 1979 in ...

), has tried to keep him out of the situation and Daniel Kilkelly of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

commented "viewers will have to wait and see how Donny's appearance affects the White family." Donny first arrives after Chrissie contacts him about Lachlan's sexual assault. When Donny talks to Lachlan, he suggests that he could live with him. He judges Chrissie's parenting and tells her that Lachlan will stay with him instead. Chrissie becomes upset and finds out that Donny involved himself with loan sharks. While Lachlan packs his bags, Chrissie betrays Donny to the loan sharks. His fate is unknown. Donny was revealed alive in January 2019, after Lachlan contacts him from a mobile phone in prison, where he is for several murders, including Chrissie. Donny terrorises the Dingles on Lachlan's orders as revenge. Donny secretly harasses

Belle Dingle Belle Dingle 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 Ma ...

(

Eden Taylor-Draper Eden Taylor-Draper (born 28 October 1997) is an English actress. She portrays Belle Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role she took over from Emily Mather in 2005. Career In 2005, at the age of eight, Taylor-Draper was cast in the ...

) and her family, ransacking the Dingle homestead and killing their pig, Gloria. Belle fears this is Lachlan acting through somebody else but it is not revealed who Lachan has working for him. Donny later returns to the village, setting fire to The Woolpack which has Belle and the Dingles inside.

(

) catches him in the act and in an attempt to stop him, Donny stabs Vanessa and takes off with her car, unknown to him that her young son,

Johnny Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

, is in the back. When Donny discovers this, he stops the car and prepares to leave Johnny by the side of the road. However, Vanessa's girlfriend

(

), now aware of the situation is looking for Johnny and Vanessa's car. Charity finds Donny and Johnny and rescues Johnny. After a struggle, Charity fights Donny with a metal pole and contains him until the police arrive.

Moses Dingle

Moses Dingle (previously Barton), played by Arthur Cockroft, made his first appearance on 11 June 2015. Moses is

(

) and

's (

) son. She hopes that having a child will result in her prison sentence being reduced, but when things do not turn out as she hoped, she hands him over to her daughter

(

) believes that her brother and Charity's ex-lover,

Cain Dingle 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 opti ...

(

Jeff Hordley Jeff Hordley (born 7 March 1970) is an English actor, best known for portraying the role of Cain Dingle in the ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale''. For his portrayal of Cain, he has been nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Actor at three ce ...

), is the baby's father, while other villagers suspect

Declan Macey Declan Macey is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', portrayed by Jason Merrells. He was introduced on 15 April 2010. The ''Emmerdale'' website has described the character by saying "Declan is a shrewd businessma ...

(

Jason Merrells Jason Scott Merrells (born 2 November 1968 in Epping, Essex) is an English actor, who is best known for his roles in ''Casualty'', '' Queer as Folk'', ''Cutting It'', '' Waterloo Road'' and ''Emmerdale''. Early life and education Jason Sc ...

) and

Jai Sharma Jai Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Chris Bisson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 11 September 2009, alongside his brother Nikhil (Rik Makarem). In 2013, Bisson temporarily de ...

(

Chris Bisson Christopher Paul Bisson (born 21 July 1975) is an English actor, known for portraying the roles of Vikram Desai in ''Coronation Street'' (1999–2002), Kash Karib in '' Shameless'' (2004–2007, 2009), and Jai Sharma in ''Emmerdale'' (2009– ...

). The Dingles name the baby Moses. Moses is admitted to hospital with a blockage in his stomach and needs to undergo surgery. Debbie pleads with Charity to call Moses' father to let him know his son is ill so Charity calls Ross. Initially reluctant to be a father, Ross grew to love Moses and ended up becoming his primary carer after Debbie left the village. Ross' mother

(

Gillian Kearney Gillian Louise Kearney

) became extremely attached to Moses because of abandoning her own boys at a young age and thought of him as her second chance at motherhood. His uncle

is later shot and killed by Emma, who also killed his grandfather James Barton. His father later leaves him in the custody of Charity and her girlfriend

Jermaine Bailey

Dr. Jermaine Bailey, played by

, made his first screen appearance on 17 June 2015. Jermaine is a local doctor, who was initially set up on a date with

(

Gillian Kearney Gillian Louise Kearney

). In March 2016, it was announced that Jermaine would become a love interest for

(

), after he treats her for a minor injury. Jermaine works at the local surgery.

(

Joe Gill Joseph P. Gill (July 13, 1919 – December 17, 2006)Social Security Death Inde ...

) organises a date for Jermaine with his mother Emma. Emma fakes a romantic interest in Jermaine to make her ex-husband James Barton ( Bill Ward) jealous. A few weeks later,

(

) calls Jermaine out to give Archie Breckle (Adam) a check-up. Jermaine later confides in James that he has no interest in Emma and does not like her constant phone calls. They continue to work together at the surgery. Jermaine discusses

Sarah Sugden Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

's (Sophia-Amber Moore) abnormal test results with her mother

(

). When

David Metcalfe David Metcalfe is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Matthew Wolfenden. Storylines Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) had never divorced from his first wife, Eileen (Arbel Jones), and went on to have an ...

(

Matthew Wolfenden Matthew Wolfenden (born 5 May 1980) is an English actor best known for his role as David Metcalfe in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Wolfenden was born in Norwood Green, West Yorkshire. He was educated at Brighouse High Scho ...

) brings his father to the surgery, Jermaine offers to give him a check-up as well. He finds a lump on David's testicle and tells him that he is at risk of testicular cancer. A few days later, Jermaine encounters Belle Dingle just as she cuts her hand on some glass. He treats her and later asks her out on a date, assuming that she is a university student. After having an allergic reaction to some perfume, Belle visits the surgery, but overhears Jermaine asking if his wife has called. Jermaine and Belle kiss, but Belle is determined not to get involved with a married man, as she does not want to be like her father,

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 a ...

(

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

). However, Belle and Jermaine continue to see each other. Belle tries to put Jermaine off from coming to her house, and arranges for them to spend time at the Sharma & Sharma factory. As they are about to have sex, they are caught by

Rakesh Kotecha ''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, S ...

(Pasha Bocarie). One of the candles Belle lit sets the office alight after Belle knocks it into the bin.

Tess Harris

Tess Harris, played by

, made her first screen appearance on 25 September 2015. The character and Stephenson's casting was announced on 20 August 2015. Of joining the show, the actress said "I'm thrilled to be joining the cast of ''Emmerdale''. It's a British institution and I'm very excited about the storylines that they have planned for my character." Tess is a teaching assistant and was billed as "a good-natured and warm character". She will be involved in a storyline with established character

(

). On 11 February 2016, Tess made a previously unannounced departure when she was killed following injuries sustained when she was hit in a drink-driving accident. Stephenson denied she was sad to see the end of her character, but admitted she would miss working Brunt and Henry, naming them "fine, dedicated, generous actors". Stephenson described the crash as "easy" for her to film and called the stuntwoman "fearless" and "awesome". Of her experience on the show, Stephenson said she "loved it" and described it as a "lovely experience", "It's been an absolute joy to come in and get such a juicy storyline straight away. The writers have created a fantastic story with great twists and turns that have kept the audience hooked in all the way along. I've been really lucky." Tess and her friend Chloe go out for the evening. Tess meets Paddy and he tells her about his recent problems with

Aaron Livesy Aaron Dingle (previously Sugden-Dingle, also Livesy) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Danny Miller. The character was originally played by Danny Webb and appeared in a recurring capacity. Aaron made ...

( Danny Miller) and they have sex in her car. Paddy begins to show remorse for what he did and decides not to contact her again. She appears as the teaching assistant of Paddy's stepson

Leo Goskirk The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2011, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve Frost. Flynn Buchanan Flynn Bucha ...

and befriends

(

). This annoys Paddy and they try to avoid each other. Tess then decides to leave her job at Leo's school, but after Leo throws a tantrum, Paddy tells Tess to return and forget about what happened between them. Tess returns to her job as a teaching assistant and she starts her friendship with Paddy again. She has a heart-to-heart with Paddy that her husband, Pierce, never has the time for her due to his job and has no feelings for him anymore. She buys a pregnancy test and it turns out to be negative. She reveals that she wanted to have children, whilst Pierce didn't, causing their marriage to deteriorate. Paddy and Tess then have sex again and agree to start an affair. An unaware Rhona asks Tess to be one of their references as they want to adopt a child. When the social worker tells Rhona and Paddy that she has heard some worrying feedback, he accuses Tess, but she denies it angrily and Paddy later learns that Aaron was responsible. In revenge, Tess starts flirting with his best friend

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 ''Zomb ...

), but he does not take it seriously. She later admits that she is a married woman and decides to call off the relationship with Marlon. Tess starts to become connected to Paddy again and invites him for a hotel break. At the hotel, Paddy rejects Tess and admits that he would not continue the affair due to his love for Rhona. Paddy then meets Rhona at the hotel and Tess almost exposes their affair. Tess later tells Paddy that she would expose their affair and announces to him that she would leave Pierce to start a new life with him. Tess and Paddy argue again, and Tess decides to tell Rhona and after phoning her to meet her, she walks across the road, but is struck by

's (

) car at speed and is left for dead. However,

Megan Macey ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2012, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve ...

(

Gaynor Faye Gaynor Kay Mellor (born 26 August 1971), better known as Gaynor Faye, is an English actress and writer, best known for playing Judy Mallett in ''Coronation Street'' from 1995 until 1999 and Megan Macey in ''Emmerdale'' from 2012 until 2019. ...

) stops her car and notices Tess in the middle of the road. Paddy and Rhona arrive and Paddy stays with her, while Rhona helps a shocked Megan. Tess then regains consciousness and tells Paddy she loves him. He tells her he loves her too. Shortly after, the ambulance arrives and Tess is admitted to hospital. Her husband

(

) turns up, and is told that she died during surgery.

Tanya

Tanya, played by Hilary Connell, made her first screen appearance on 10 November 2015. Connell's casting was announced on 3 November, while Tanya had previously been mentioned on-screen by other characters. She is the first

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

character to appear on Emmerdale. Tanya is the girlfriend of

Nikhil Sharma Nikhil Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Rik Makarem. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 September 2009. Makarem's departure from the soap was announced ...

(

Rik Makarem Tarik Makarem (born 18 January 1982), is an English actor most famous for playing Nikhil Sharma in ''Emmerdale''. Classically trained he is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama. He won a Laurence Olivier Bursary in 2004 in ...

). She flies over to England after Nikhil decides to stay in Emmerdale village to look after his family's failing business. Upon her arrival, Tanya meets

Brenda Walker Brenda Walker (born 1957 in Grafton, New South Wales) is an Australian writer. She studied at the University of New England in Armidale and, after gaining a PhD in English (on the work of Samuel Beckett) at the Australian National University ...

(

Lesley Dunlop Lesley Jane Dunlop (born 10 March 1956) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Norna in the ''Doctor Who'' serial "Frontios", Anna Kirkwall in ''Where the Heart Is (British TV series), Where the Heart Is'' and Zoë Angell in ''May ...

), the mother of Nikhil's deceased wife Gennie (

Sian Reese-Williams Sian Reese-Williams (born 18 November 1981) is a Welsh actress, best known for playing detective Cadi John in three series of ''Hidden (2018 TV series), Hidden''. Early life Reese-Williams was born in Glanamman, South Wales. She lived in Swan ...

), and is persuaded to attend Gennie's memorial birthday party. At the memorial, Tanya tells Nikhil's brother Jai (

) that she needs to go back to Holdgate Farm and check up on her business. However, Jai tells Nikhil that Tanya left because she felt pressured and out of place with the celebration. A few days later, Tanya joins Jai for a drink at The Woolpack. He spikes her drink then takes her to The Grange B&B, where he undresses her and puts her to bed. He takes photos of Tanya and tries to convince her they had sex. He then blackmails her into taking Nikhil back to Canada and she slaps him. Tanya tells Nikhil that she is returning to Canada, as she cannot bare to be around Jai. Nikhil agrees and tells Tanya that his sister-in-law

(

) is pregnant with Jai's baby and intends to tell him. Tanya says Jai does not deserve to know and then tells Nikhil about Jai's blackmail scheme. Nikhil becomes disgusted with both Tanya and Jai. She returns to Canada, leaving Nikhil behind in Emmerdale. Tanya and Nikhil managed to preserve their relationship. However, they later break up, after Jai sends Tanya a photo of Nikhil with Megan suggesting that they were having an affair.

Mrs Winterbottom

Mrs Winterbottom, played by

Liz Dawn Sylvia Ann Ibbetson (''née'' Butterfield; 8 November 1939 – 25 September 2017), known professionally as Elizabeth Dawn or Liz Dawn, was an English actress, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in the long-running British soap opera ''C ...

, made a guest appearance on 25 December 2015. The character and Dawn's casting was announced on 11 November 2015. Dawn came out of retirement to make a one-off guest appearance as Mrs Winterbottom. Filming took place the same week. Mrs Winterbottom is "a decidedly demanding guest", who is staying at

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 lon ...

's (

) B&B. Describing Mrs Winterbottom, Dawn said "I love my character. What a feisty lady she is! Giving them all a run for their money in the B&B on Christmas Day. She's so rude to them, which isn't like me at all."

Other characters

References

External links

Characters and cast
at

itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV brand (or the UTV brand in Northern Ireland). The website offers online streaming, ...

Characters and cast
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{Emmerdale characters, year

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

*Emmerdale