The village of Emmerdale, a place of secrets, lies, romance, danger and lots and lots of drama. As well as a huge cast of characters.
Who are the protagonists that drive the drama?
Here’s the full and complete cast list as of May 2019.
Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller)
Mr Aaron Sugden-Dingle as he is now sometimes known, is the more moral half of Robron.
He’s been through some dreadful things in his life, from tearaway teen to troubled young man, he struggled to deal with the fact he was gay for a long time.
The son of Chas Dingle has been inside several times, but it’s finally been discovered his anger issues are the result of a long-held secret that his father, Gordon Livesy (Gary Mavers) sexually abused him as a child.
His relationship with Robert has pulled him through and he’s now a happily settled married man, hoping to become a father. Seems a bit too cosy to us…
Amelia Spencer (Daisy Campbell)
Young Amelia made her first on-screen appearance in July 2011. She arrived with her aunt Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten) and her mum and stepmum Ali Spencer and Ruby Haswell (Kellie Hollis and Alicya Eyo) soon followed.
Amelia currently lives with her dad, Dan and until recently, his partner Kerry. But she had a huge storyline last year when she discovered Dan wasn’t her dad and it was in fact her uncle, Daz Spencer (Mark Jordon).
Amba Metcalfe (Ava Jayasinghe)
Daughter of Priya and David, Amba was born seven weeks premature. She was born in May 2014.
Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson)
Recently returned to Emmerdale with a new face, Amy was a rebellious teen taken in by foster parents Val and Eric Pollard.
She had a child with Cain Dingle, but gave him up for adoption. However when she regretted her decision and tried to snatch the boy back, she was forced to flee the country.
She returned in 2019 to fight for her son, Kyle, after discovering he was now living with Cain.
Angelica King (Rebecca Bakes)
The daughter of Jimmy and Nicola King, Angelica was born in 2009 and was taken to the special care baby unit because of breathing difficulties.
She was kidnapped days later, by Lexi King, but returned to safety after they were discovered on the hospital roof.
April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan)
Adorable April is the daughter of Donna Windsor (Verity Rushworth) and Marlon. Marlon didn’t even know he had a child with Donna until she returned in 2014 with April in tow.
It turned out Donna was dying and needed April to settle with her dad before she went.
Arthur Thomas (Alfie Clarke)
Young Arthur is the son of Laurel and Ashley Thomas, but a baby swap at birth meant he was given to the wrong parents. When the son Ashley and Laurel took home died of cot death, a DNA test proved he wasn’t theirs and Arthur was returned to his parents.
He came into his own during the aftermath of Ashley’s death when Arthur found a video of Emma Barton tormenting his father, who had Alzheimer’s. Emma then harrassed Arthur and he was terrified, but eventually she was caught out and he was able to move on.
Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards)
Paddy’s biological dad, Bear Wolf started his stint in February 2019.
He’s a wrestler on the circuit, but it turns out he’s totally broke and has now pitched up in Emmerdale looking to bond with his son – and for a place to stay.
Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper)
With all that she’s been through in her 20 years in the Dales, it’s little wonder Belle battles mental health demons.
She accidentally killed her best mate Gemma Andrews (Tendai Rinomhota) and ended up being sectioned.
After an ill-fated affair with local, much older, doctor Jermaine Bailey, Belle was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
She recovered in hospital and once released, she embarked on a relationship with Lachlan White – which ended in horror when she discovered he was a serial killer.
Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles)
Bernice came back to the village after over eight years away in 2012.
Often playing out comedy storylines as seemingly desperate Bernice continues on her endless quest for love, she entered into a sexless marriage with gay Lawrence White (John Bowe) and was then left heartbroken when lover Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher) left her and the Dales behind.
She’s since moved on with Daz Spencer (Mark Jordon), but cheated on him with current partner Dr Liam Cavanagh. Although her quest to turn back the ageing clock recently threatened their union when she ended up in hospital after having an allergic reaction to botox injections.
Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle)
Billy was released from prison and arrived in Emmerdale on Christmas Day 2018.
Jessie’s son, Ellis’s brother, Billy didn’t receive a welcome reception from everyone – Ellis wants nothing to do with him, and it turns out he was involved in Aaron Dingle’s bullying when he was in prison.
Billy’s trying to make it straight, but will he go back to the dark side?
Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw)
Happy-go-lucky Bob Hope hasn’t always had it quite so plain sailing. The dad-of-seven’s not been the best husband or father – and actually holds the title of Emmerdale’s most married character, having been wed seven times to five women.
After cheating on latest wife Brenda with Laurel, Bob moved in with his lover, only for her to realise they weren’t meant to be and kick him out. Bob ended up homeless, but is slowly getting back on his feet now.
Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop)
Brenda arrived in 2008 as the adoptive mother of Gennie Walker.
She embarked on a relationship with Bob, before being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2013. Despite her survival after having it removed, she was told the cancer could reoccur.
Brenda was devastated when Gennie was killed by Cameron Murray (Dominic Power), and just as upset when she discovered Bob had been cheating with Laurel.
Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley)
Dingle bad boy Cain might have matured over the years, but he’s still got that edge that we know and love him for.
Married to Moira and a dad of three, he is less fussed by his other children, Kyle Wyatt and Isaac Dingle, than he is by eldest daughter Debbie, for whom he would do anything – even ‘killing’ her ex-fiancé Joe Tate after he jilted her at the altar.
Debbie couldn’t forgive him for that and it sent Cain spiralling – until he discovered Joe is alive and well and he never really killed him.
Carl Holliday (Charlie Munro Joyce)
Another of Jimmy’s children, Carl was born to mum Juliette after she was given Jimmy’s sperm by mistake at a sperm bank.
Carl was born in 2014, but returned to live with Jimmy and Nicola full time in 2016 after Juliette’s husband left her and she admitted she couldn’t cope raising Carl.
Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling)
Daughter of Bob and Viv Hope, Cathy is the twin sister of Heath. She was born in 2007.
Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins)
A part of Emmerdale since March 2000, Charity Dingle has been central to the drama ever since.
She was married to Chris Tate (Peter Amory), a union which produced a son, Noah, had an affair with Chris’s sister Zoe Tate (Leah Bracknell), a relationship with cousin Cain Dingle, another with ageing Tom King, a marriage to Jai Sharma, and another to Declan Macey.
Her coming-of-age though has been over the past 18 months as she embarked on a relationship with Vanessa Woodfield, arguably her soulmate, and revealed she was sexually abused by a police officer when she was just 14.
Charity got justice in court and was reunited with her long-lost son, Ryan, bringing out a more maternal side to the hard character.
Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter)
Arriving in Emmerdale in 2002 dressed as a nun for her cousin, Marlon’s stag night, Chas Dingle has become one of the shows more enduring characters.
She has since taken over the Woolpack. Her most turbulent relationship was with Carl King.
Most recently she’s got together with Paddy Kirk, with whom she had baby Grace in 2018. Grace had bilateral renal agenesis and died in her mother’s arms moments after being born. Chas is now expecting their second child.
Dan Spencer (Liam Fox)
Dan arrived in 2011 to see his kids, Amelia and Sean, after his wife, Ali left him for a woman.
He was briefly married to Chas, but his longest lasting relationship has been with Kerry. They nearly married before he discovered she was a bigamist, but made it through and stayed together.
However, some things just aren’t meant to be and a fed up Kerry has recently ended things.
David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden)
Dim David Metcalfe‘s had something of a personality transplant since he arrived in 2006. The illegitimate son of Eric Pollard, he first turned up to con his father out of everything and was a ruthless, mean businessman.
But he’s since softened and become hapless, naive and not-very-with-it, although he successfully highlighted the issue of testicular cancer in 2016.
He’s been in relationships with most of the women in the village (Nicola, Leyla, Priya, Tracy to name a few), but his most recent – with Maya – might be his most disastrous when it’s soon to be revealed she’s been grooming and sleeping with his stepson, Jacob.
Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley)
Wayward Dawn is a reformed drug addict who, it turns out, has a past connection to Harriet.
Harriet has taken Dawn under her wing as she tries to regain custody of her young son, but all is not as it seems as Dawn is out for revenge along with her dad, Will.
Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb)
Sulky Debbie Dingle arrived as the foster child of Paddy and Emily Kirk before it was revealed she was the daughter of Charity and Cain.
She fell pregnant at 15 and gave birth to daughter Sarah, and then tricked baby daddy Andy into getting her pregnant again when Sarah was diasgnosed with a blood disorder and needed a saviour sibling. Jack was the result.
Deb has had a failed marriage to Pete, who discovered she was sleeping with his brother Ross Barton (Michael Parr), and a second almost-wedding to Joe Tate (Ned Porteous).
She might be more mature than both of her parents put together, but after all she’s been through, she deserves some happiness at last.
Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen)
Diane has been on our screens since 1999 and was married to soap icon Jack Sugden before his death.
She’s battled colon cancer, dealt with the death of her sister, Val, and survived being stabbed – not to mention coming through a boring relationship with Doug Potts unscathed.
She’s mother to Bernice, and has been like a mother to step-children Andy, Robert and Victoria.
Dotty Thomas (Tilly-Rue Foster and Ellerie Carroll)
The daughter of Laurel and Ashley Thomas, Dotty was born when Ashley was in the midst of his dementia diagnosis in 2016.
There were heartbreaking scenes when Ashley didn’t remember she was his daughter at her christening.
Doug Potts (Duncan Preston)
Dad to Laurel, Doug is pretty dull. After a stint some years previous, he became a regular in 2014 as he started a relationship with Diane and supported Laurel through her drinking habit.
Things fizzled out with Diane after she became bored of his stuck-in-the-mud ways. He embarked on a relationship with Brenda, which was more than a little awkward as she was the scorned wife of Laurel’s new lover, Bob.
Eliza Sharma (Kyrena Robinson)
Daughter of Megan Macey and Jai Sharma, Eliza was born in March 2016. She has a form of cerebral palsy.
Elliot Windsor (Luca Hoyle)
Elliot arrived in the Dales in 2011 when Kelly Windsor moved back to the village claiming he was her son with Jimmy.
When Kelly decided to go to America with her new boyfriend, Elliot came back to live with Jimmy and Nicola in 2012, before Kelly came back for him. Though in 2016, he was once again left with his father and stepmother.
Ellis Chapman (Asan N’Jie)
Jessie’s son, Ellis is a cheeky chappy, who just can’t get along with his brother Billy.
Ellis is sick of his bro being the golden boy – can they ever sort out their differences?
Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell)
The longest-serving character currently in the show, Eric Pollard has been on our screens for almost 38 years since September 1986.
Known for being villainous, he’s toned down in recent years and was really softened by his marriage to the late Val Lambert (Charlie Hardwick). His grief when Val died has stayed with many a viewer since.
Currently in a relationship with Faith Dingle, he’s father to David Metcalfe and stepgrandad to Jacob Gallagher, as well as being a surrogate dad to Amy Wyatt.
Faith Dingle (Sally Dexter)
Absent mother Faith has been trying to make it up to her adult kids Chas and Cain ever since she came back into their lives in February 2017.
And she’s been doing a pretty good job, bonding particularly with her granddaughter Debbie, and great-granddaughter Sarah.
She’s currently being romanced by Eric Pollard, but is growing closer to Bear Wolf.
Frank Clayton (Michael Praed)
Frank is the father of Tracy and Vanessa, who was in prison for some years before reconnecting with his daughters.
He’s been in a relationship with Megan, but old habits die hard when he got involved with con artist Clive’s fine art scam.
Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham)
Daughter of Ashley Thomas and Bernice Blackstock, Gabby’s probably closer to stepmum Laurel than she is her own mother.
She maturely handled the death of her father, Ashley Thomas (John Middleton) afer his dementia battle, but has become a bit of a rebellious teen, whose friendship with Liv Flaherty often results in a lot of trouble.
Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough)
The surrogate dad of Joe Tate, it turned out Graham Foster wasn’t quite as loyal to his master as he made out when it was revealed he’d been working for evil Kim Tate all along.
Nevertheless, Graham proved he was a good guy when ordered to kill Joe by Kim, he helped his charge escape and fake his death.
Alcoholic Graham often seems one mistake away from falling off the wagon – is Kim going to be that mistake again?
Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow Blyton)
Vicar Harriet has had relationships with men at both ends of the Dales spectrum. From kindly vicar Ashley to bad boy Cain, Harriet doesn’t seem to have a type.
She’s recently taken in former stepdaughter Dawn, who was in Harriet’s life when she was working as an undercover police officer, going out with Dawn’s dad.
But despite Harriet’s trusting nature, Dawn – and dad, Will – are out to get her.
Heath Hope (Sebastian Dowling)
Twin brother of Cathy and son of Bob and Viv Hope. Heath was born in 2007 and once won a ‘cute kids’ contest.
Isaac Dingle (Bobby Dunsmuir and Elias Walker)
Isaac is the son of Moira and Cain Dingle, born when Moira didn’t even know she was pregnant. At first, her nephew Pete Barton was thought to be the dad.
Jack Sugden (Seth Bell)
The son of Debbie and Andy, born as a saviour sibling for poorly Sarah, Jack was born during the live 40th anniversary episode.
Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant)
Schoolboy Jacob Gallagher has grown up in the Dales with his mum Alicia Metcalfe (Natalie Anderson), biological mum, Leyla, and stepmum Tracy, he’s got plenty of family around him.
But that hasn’t stopped him falling for teacher Maya’s charms, who’s been grooming him over the last year into believing they’re in a relationship.
Devoted Jacob will go to any lengths for his illicit lover – even staging a fake relationship with Liv and stealing from his own family to pay her off when she found out and blackmailed him.
Jai sharma (Chris Bisson)
Reformed character Jai has worked hard to turn his life around from abusive addict to kindhearted buisnessman.
He was horrible to all the women in his life, cheating on wife Charity and Rachel Breckle, then making Rachel’s life hell, before cheating on new wife Megan with Leyla.
After a cocaine addiction saw him lose everything, he started a relationship with fellow addict Holly, and was devastated when she died from an overdose.
He’s currently running the factory and casting a disapproving glare over his father’s new marriage.
Jamie Tate (Alexander Lincoln)
Jamie Tate, the son of Kim and Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) was born in 1996, but has been off-screen since 1999 when he was three.
Now a trainee vet, he recently returned to the Dales all grown up. He’s estranged from his mother, but she’s determined to forge a relationship with her son – even if that means going straight.
Jessie Dingle (Sandra Marvin)
Local headmistress Jessie caught the eye of single Marlon as soon as she arrived – but she thought he was in a relationship with Paddy!
After the crossed wires were sorted out, she and Marlon go together, but it seemed doomed when she didn’t seem to be over her ex husband. However to prove her love to Marlon, she arranged a secret Christmas wedding and the pair got hitched.
It might be something Marlon has lived to regret since the arrival of her warring sons Billy and Ellis.
Jimmy King (Nick Miles)
The eldest King brother and only remaining original family member in the Dales, hapless Jimmy rarely gets it right.
Father-of-three Jimmy is married to Nicola and their fiery relationship is often off more times than it is on.
Johnny Woodfield (Luca Hepworth)
Born in 2015, Johnny is the son of Kirin Kotecha (Adam Fielding) and Vanessa Woodfield. It was first thought Adam Barton (Adam Thomas) was the dad after Kirin’s father, Rakesh, switched the DNA results, but the truth was soon revealed.
Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton)
Absent mother to Amy, Kerry arrived in 2012 to build bridges with her daughter.
An often comedy character, her outlandish clothes and big personality cover a big heart that she kept hidden for quite some time.
She’s recently been given a second chance at motherhood with young Amelia, daughter of her boyfriend, Dan, but that’s all set to end in tears now Kerry has broken up with Dan.
The return of her daughter Amy could see Kerry make amends at last though.
Kim Tate (Claire King)
One of soap’s biggest icons, Kim Tate returned to the village nearly 20 years after her first departure in October 2018. She came back for good in March 2019 and is determined to make the villagers life hell.
Regarded as one of the biggest bitches in Soapland, Kim was responsible for what we thought was the death of Joe Tate (he’s actually still alive – phew) and her latest feud is against the Dingles.
Will she ever be welcome in the Dales? It doesn’t look likely.
Kyle Wyatt (Huey Quinn)
Kyle is the son of Cain and Amy, who was given up for adoption when he was born.
He came back to the Dales when his adoptive parents died and his adoptive grandmother, Joanie Wright (Denise Black) took him in.
After Joanie died, he went to live with his dad, Cain, but mum Amy has returned and determined to get access to her son.
Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy)
Known for being thoughtful and caring since her arrival in 2002, this has been challenged by various storylines, including her alcohol addiction.
She was married to Ashley Thomas, who sadly passed away after a diagnosis of early onset dementia. They had two children together, Arthur and Dotty.
Laurel tried to move on with Bob Hope, Ashley’s best mate, but it wasn’t true love and she kicked him out. But she’s recently decided she might be ready to find love again – who will be the lucky fella?
Leanna Cavanagh (Mimi Slinger)
The troublesome daughter of Dr Cavanagh she has spent plenty of time winding up her dad’s new girlfriend Bernice.
She’s particularly unhappy having to share a room with Bernice’s daughter, Gabby.
Leo Goskirk (Harvey Rogerson)
Rhona gave birth to Leo in 2011. Leo’s dad is Marlon, despite he and Rhona having ended their relationship.
A scan revealed Leo had Down syndrome.
Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi)
Known as a bit of a homewrecker, Leyla’s first stint in the Dales ended when she jilted David in 2011.
She returned full-time at the end of 2013 and set up a wedding planning business with Megan.
Things fell apart when Leyla had an affair with Megan’s husband, Jai. She also slept with ex, David, behind his wife Tracy’s back, and had an affair with married con artist, Clive (Tom Chambers).
Mother to Jacob, she’s set to go all maternal now she knows the truth about her son and his teacher, Maya.
Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson)
Dr Cavanagh has been in the show since 2014 when he looked after pregnant Priya, but only in 2018 did he become a regular cast member.
He was married to Maya, but is now with Bernice, and has a daughter, Leanna.
Lisa Dingle (Jane Cox)
The put upon matriarch of the Dingle clan has had a lot to deal with over the years.
She was raped by her colleague, lost her husband to lodger Joanie Wright, dealt with daughter Belle’s pyschosis, and has lived with an angina diagnosis.
It’s little wonder she’s been on a break from the Dales since May 2018, but she briefly returned in March 2019 to reveal she’d been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition and the show confirmed she will be killed off later this year.
Liv Flaherty (Isobel Steele)
Teen Liv, half-sister of Aaron Dingle was introduced in 2016 as part of Aaron’s sex abuse storyline. Aaron soon became her legal guardian.
Troubled Liv is trying to come to terms with her asexuality. She was happy when boyfriend Jacob seemed to accept it, but less so when she discovered that was because he was using her to cover up for his relationship with Maya.
Lydia Hart (Karen Blick)
Lydia arrived in 2016 a bit of a strange one. She went on a date with Paddy, and then Rishi, but has finally settled down with Sam.
Manpreet Jutla (Rebecca Sarker)
Rishi’s new wife, Manpreet was exposed by Jai as a spending addict.
She stole £1000 from the factory to fund her shopping habit, but Rishi stoof by her and paid off her debts when he found out.
Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock)
Four-times married Marlon is not who you’d expect to be a hit with the ladies, but he certainly is.
From real love of his life Tricia Fisher (Sheree Murphy) to Donna Windsor (Verity Rushworth) Laurel Thomas, and most recently Jessie Grant, as well as fathering a child with Rhona Goskirk and almost marrying Carly Hope, Marlon’s quite the ladies’ man.
Dad to Leo and April, Marlon tries to put family first and is probably one of the more moral Dingles. He’s currently married to Jessie.
Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano)
Matty is the son of Moira and John and was previously known as Hannah before he made the decision to transition.
Matty arrived in 2018 and revealed to Moira who he was. Moira wasn’t accepting of the news at first, but she has come round and supported Matty through his most recent operation.
Maya Stepney (Louisa Clein)
Immoral and awful, Maya Stepney could be one of Emmerdale’s most hated characters after her grooming of Jacob.
She’s convinced the 16-year-old they’re in a relationship even though she’s his teacher and is dating his dad, David.
Her world’s set to come crashing down now though as Leyla, Tracy and Priya know her dirty secret.
Megan Macey (Gaynor Faye)
Megan’s been in the Dales since 2012 and was married to Jai for a while, but he cheated on her.
Megan had one son, Robbie, who was adopted, and came back into her life after her arrival in Emmerdale. He was killed in an accident by Megan’s brother Declan (Jason Merrells).
She has a daughter, Eliza, with Jai, and has been having relationships with both Frank and Graham.
Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb)
Previously Moira Barton, she arrived alongside husband John and kids Adam, Holly and Hannah in 2009 to run the family farm.
An affair with Cain Dingle and the death of John saw Moira left completely alone. She eventually married Cain, but it’s not been without its upsets.
The death of her daughter, Holly, to a drug overdose nearly destroyed Moira, but she managed to make it through.
She nearly lost everything again when she murdered Emma Barton, but son Adam took the blame and went on the run.
Moses Dingle (Arthur Cockroft)
Moses Dingle is the son of Charity Dingle and Ross Barton. Charity was revealed to be pregnant in prison, but the reveal of Ross as the father was a shock as it was believed Cain was the dad.
Nate Robinson (Jurrell Carter)
Not much is known about newcomer Nate as yet. He was first seen in the Big Night Out episodes, chatting to Rhona, but is set to become a permanent fixture in Emmerdale in the coming weeks.
Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler)
Nicola’s always been a bit of a social climber, and is very used to getting what she wants – although it doesn’t always work out that way.
She was married to a rich old man, Donald De Souza, who she planned to kill off for his money. But her scheme didn’t work and she ended up penniless and alone.
Nicola is married to Jimmy King and after losing her job at Home Farm when she tried to con Graham out of money, she’s currently working in the factory and running for the local council.
Noah Dingle (Jack Downham)
Noah is the son of Charity and Chris Tate. He was born while Charity was inside for Chris’s murder, even though Chris had actually committed suicide.
Passed around from pillar to post, it was little wonder Noah found comfort with his new-found half-brother, Joe Tate, when he arrived on the scene. Noah took his disappearance perhaps the hardest after finally believing he’d found a stable family unit.
Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt)
He might be thought of as a comedy character, but boy can Paddy Kirk do drama to.
His bumbling ways and bad luck make for amusing storylines, but his relationship with surrogate son Aaron Dingle, and the recent loss of his child, Gracie, with partner Chas put him right up there with any of the best for the most heartbreaking scenes.
Currently expecting another baby with Chas, Paddy is also trying to forge a relationship with his long-lost dad, Bear Wolf.
Pearl Ladderbanks (Meg Johnson)
Pearl doesn’t appear as regularly on screen any more since her debut in 2003.
But the vets’ receptionist has been central to storylines over the years, including a gambling addiction, faking Alzheimer’s disease and committing embezzlement.
Pete Barton (Anthony Quinlan)
Pete’s an all-round good guy, even if he did start off his time in Emmerdale dealing drugs in 2013. It was done with good intentions though, as he was trying to raise enough money to save the family’s farm.
He was briefly married to Debbie, but she preferred his brother Ross, he and Leyla decided not to get married on their wedding day, and he’s now in a relationship with Rhona.
Pete’s been the perfect gentleman, supporting her through her early menopause and taking everything she has to throw at him. But for how long?
Priya Kotecha (Fiona Wade)
Sharma sister Priya Kotecha was a fun-loving party girl when she first pitched up in 2009, but she’s since matured into businesswoman, mother and perhaps the most sensible of the Sharma clan.
She’s mum to daughter Amba after a relationship with David.
She’s battled anorexia, a failed marriage to deranged Rakesh Kotecha, and had an affair with her best friend Leyla’s fiancé, Pete.
Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry)
Vet Rhona Goskirk became a full-time regular in 2010. She has a son, Leo, with Marlon, was married to Paddy, and has battled a painkiller addiction.
She also married domestic abuser Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather), the widower of Tess Harris (Nicola Stephenson) who had an affair with Rhona’s husband Paddy. Pierce raped her and Rhona reported him to the police, ending their marriage.
Rhona began a relationship with Pete Barton in 2018, but things are rocky of late after she was forced to undergo a hysterectomy and entered an early menopause.
Rishi Sharma (Bhasker Patel)
Patriarch of the Sharma family, Rishi doesn’t really act like the big businessman he’s supposed to be.
He’s often ashamed of his son’s actions – especially Jai whose treatment of women and cocaine addiction brought shame on the family.
He’s recently married Manpreet – much to the horror of his children – who think she’s just after his money. Are they right?
Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley)
Schemer Robert Sugden carries one of the Dales most iconic surnames.
The other half of Robron alongside husband Aaron Dingle, the pair have had their ups and downs, but their love has remained strong.
Despite his many, many, many money making schemes, and devious acts, Robert does have a heart – proven by his passionate love for Aaron, brotherly love for sister Victoria, and fatherly support for sister-in-law, Liv.
Rodney Blackstock (Patrick Mower)
Rich, suave and charming Rodney has never had much trouble with the ladies – even with that ponytail.
He’s not so rich now, nor is he all that successful. And his most recent relationship, with much younger free-spirit Misty, ended when daughters Nicola and Bernice started to meddle.
Ryan Stocks (James Moore)
Ryan is the son of Charity, the result of her rape by DI Bails who Charity thought had died at birth.
She discovered Ryan had lived and they were reunited in 2018. Ryan is witty, quick and gives as good as he gets. He’s also keen on Dawn.
Sam Dingle (James Hooten)
Good-hearted Sam Dingle often finds himself caught up in a scheme or two without even realising it.
He’s dad to Samson after his marriage to Alice Wilson, who tragically died of cancer when Samson was just a baby.
Sam’s currently settled with Lydia Hart and would do anything for anyone.
Samson Dingle (Sam Hall)
The son of Sam and Alice Dingle, he was born in January 2006. Alice was very poorly with cancer, but had delayed treatment to save her son. She died in July 2006, leaving him in the care of his father.
Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill)
Daughter of Debbie and Andy Sugden, Sarah was born in 2005.
She’s fought many health battles in her short life, including Fanconi anemia, which developed into leukaemia and required a bone marrow transplant.
The lass was then diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017, for which she had more life-saving treatment, but the effects of the chemo on her caused heart failure and she underwent a successful heart transplant in 2018.
Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh)
Tracy arrived in the Dales in 2014 trying to con Sam Dingle, but she soon found her place when Val and Eric took her under their wing.
She married David, but things fell apart when he discovered she used to work as a prostitute and then had a one-night stand with Leyla.
Tracy fell pregnant with his child, but had an abortion when she discovered he’d moved on with Maya.
Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick)
Vet Vanessa, an old friend of Rhona’s, landed in Emmerdale in 2012.
If you discount the time she took advantage of Rhona’s painkiller addiction to seduce her, Vanessa is the best friend you could have.
She supported Rhona tirelessly through her ordeal with Pierce, even when Rhona turned her back on her friend. And she has stood by Charity’s side through her sex abuse trial.
The mum-of-one has even survived being stabbed and is now planning her wedding to Charity.
Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins)
Another carrying the iconic Sugden name, Victoria Barton (by marriage) is the current longest-serving female character.
The 25-year-old chef has been married once, to Adam Barton, fallen for her transgender brother-in-law Matty Barton and is set to be at the centre of a huge rape storyline following Emmerdale’s Big Night Out.
Will Taylor (Dean Andrews)
Newcomer Will hasn’t been on screen for long, but it turns out he’s Dawn’s father and the former husband of Harriet.
Harriet was undercover when they were married and was pivotal in Will being arrested.
Now he’s out and has tracked Harriet down in order to torment her for what she did to him.
Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell)
Nearly 25 years after his debut, Zak Dingle is part of the Emmerdale furniture.
The head of the Dingle clan, Zak is currently off screen for a rest, but will return soon – to begin the heartbreaking storyline that will see the death of his wife, Lisa.
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