Emmerdale is a British soap opera that first aired on 16 October 1972.[1] The following characters will make their debut in 2024. Ella Forster (Paula Lane) made first appearance in January, as did Ruby Fox-Miligan, the wife of Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and the mother of his son, Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope). Rose Jackson (Christine Tremarco), the estranged ex-wife of Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) and mother of Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley), debuted in April. Additionally, several other characters appeared throughout the year.
See main article: Ella Forster. Ella Forster, played by Paula Lane, made her first appearance on 16 January 2024.[2] The character and casting was announced on 21 November 2023, with it being reported that Lane would begin filming that same month.[3] [4] Ella was described as "compassionate and caring" and "far from a pushover" and it was teased that it would not be long until Ella is "turning heads in the village". Ella will meet Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and her partner, Paddy Dingle (Dominic Brunt), at the veterinary ball, which will lead to Ella losing her job after sticking up for Mandy, but then find luck when she has a "chance encounter" with local doctor Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker). Speaking about her casting, Lane, known for her role as Kylie Platt in another ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, said that was she was excited to be joining the Emmerdale cast, adding: "Everyone has been so welcoming and I can't wait to start a new chapter playing the role of Ella. I've already heard there are big plans for her and I can't wait to see her navigate a new life in the village and hopefully make some friends!"[5] [6]
| Ruby Fox-Miligan | |
| Series: | Emmerdale |
| Portrayer: | Beth Cordingly |
| Years: | 2024–present |
| First: | Episode 9899 |
| Introducer: | Laura Shaw |
| Husband: | Caleb Miligan |
| Sons: | Nicky Miligan |
Ruby Fox-Miligan, played by Beth Cordingly, made her first appearance on 25 January 2024.[7] Ruby is the wife of Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and the mother of his son, Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope).[8] Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw teased the character's arrival in October 2023 when she said that the affair between Caleb and Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh) would lead to a "new arrival" who would cause uproar, which Shaw was excited about.[9] The following month, the character was officially announced by Shaw at an Emmerdale press event, though the portrayer of the character was not revealed. On 6 December 2023, Jessica Sansome of the Manchester Evening News confirmed that Beth Cordingly had been cast as Ruby.[7] Of her casting, Cordingly stated "I’m delighted to be joining the cast of Emmerdale, it's an enormous privilege and Ruby is a dream role. She's a firecracker and a troublemaker and I think people will love her or hate her, and I can't wait to get stuck in with this fabulous cast."[7]
Speaking of the character, Shaw teased "We've heard mention before of [Ruby] and we've just heard little bits from Caleb saying it's 'all over between them' and that 'there's nothing going on' but is that really true? In the new year we will see Ruby bursting onto our screens. She is an absolute firecracker. She's going to put a real spanner into the Dingles. Is her and Caleb's relationship really over as he's made out? We'll find out in the new year. Fans will have to wait and see who bosses have cast as the feisty newcomer."[10] [11] The character was later billed as "fiery, confident, unpredictable and a fiercely devoted mum."[7] Sansome (Manchester Evening News) reported that Ruby would "happily destroy" any family that Caleb has established on his own while he has been away from her, adding that "Ruby's a force to be reckoned with and a ticking time bomb."[7] Producer Kate Brooks said the character had "scores to settle" and being loyal to her family, she will protect them by any means. Brooks also said that Ruby and Caleb's relationship is both passionate and volatile.[7]
For her role as Ruby, Cordingly was longlisted for "Best newcomer" and "Best Villain" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards.[12] [13] Of the character's arrival, Claire Crick from What to Watch wrote that "Fans' prayers have been answered".[14] Following the character's debut, Laura-Jayne Tyler from Inside Soap wrote that "Ruby's our new favourite character of 2024, and we'll fight anyone who says otherwise."[15]
| Rose Jackson | |
| Series: | Emmerdale |
| Portrayer: | Christine Tremarco |
| First: | Episode 9977 |
| Years: | 2024–present |
| Introducer: | Laura Shaw |
| Husband: | Will Taylor (backstory) |
| Daughters: | Dawn Fletcher |
| Grandsons: | Lucas Taylor Evan Fletcher |
| Granddaughters: | Clemmie Reed (adoptive) |
Rose Jackson, played by Christine Tremarco, made her first appearance on 25 April 2024.[16] It was revealed that the character has been living abroad in Benidorm and is already known to established character, Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) and is going to "cause a stir" between him and his wife Kim Tate (Claire King). Brenna Cooper from Digital Spy reported that Rose's arrival will "ruffle feathers between the couple after Will fails to mention to his wife that he knows the bolshy and boisterous new arrival." Of her casting, Tremarco said, "I am thrilled to be joining Emmerdale! To be working with such a wonderful cast and crew along with the brilliant writing and production team is an absolute joy! Rose is so much fun to play. She is free-spirited, boisterous and totally mischievous with a steely edge and a big heart." Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw added the Emmerdale team was "massively delighted to welcome Christine Tremarco to the Emmerdale family." When Rose first appears in Emmerdale, she is visited by Will, who is not happy with her arrival. It is later revealed that she is his ex-wife and also the mother of his daughter, Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).
Laura-Jayne Tyler from Inside Soap commented on how fans were speculating on social media that Rose would be a donar match for her grandson, Evan Fletcher, with Tyler suspecting that they are "right".[17] Tyler's colleague, Gary Gillatt, called Rose "wonderfully bumptious" and said that she was "seemingly invented to spit venom at Kim".[18] Chloe Timms from the same magazine believed that Rose had "Faith Dingle energy".[19]
| Josh Cope | |
| Series: | Emmerdale |
| Portrayer: | Osian Morgan |
| First: | Episode 10,009 |
| Years: | 2024–present |
| Introducer: | Laura Shaw |
Josh Cope, played by Osian Morgan, made his first appearance on the 3 June 2024.[20] His casting was announced on 23 May of that year, with it being teased that the character would be "stirring trouble" in the village and be involved in a new storyline with Samson Dingle (Sam Hall). Josh is introduced as the transphobic friend of Samson, who he has a drink with at The Hide where Matty (Ash Palmisciano) and his wife, Amy Barton (Natalie Ann Jamieson) work.[21] Josh begins to flirt with Amy, which makes her feel uncomfortable. After Josh continues, Amy decides to leave work early as she can't cope with Josh's constant flirting. Matty asks the two boys to leave the premises, but things get nasty between Josh and Matty. Josh then threatens Matty, who is chopping vegetables and holding a knife, asking him for the cash till. Matty refuses and Josh pushes Samson into him and Samson ends up getting stabbed by accident. As a result, the narrative has been turned and it looks as though he was the violent one and was subsequently arrested and is on remand in jail, due to Josh and Samson lying about the events that took place.[22]
Fans soon recognised problems within the storyline[23] after Amy and Matty's mother Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) approached the manager of The Hide, Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) regarding CCTV evidence, which conveniently "wasn't in operation" due to his cost-cutting. The storyline was compared to those in ITV's other soap opera, Coronation Street "with their regular cycle of locking up long-serving regulars for murder based on flimsy 'evidence' every couple of years." Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy also said the storyline had a "lack of builf-up" as Josh was only introduced three days before the stabbing took place. He also said that Josh has "a hold on Samson" and "it's not clear enough why Samson is scared to speak up against Josh, but has no problem defying his dangerous relative Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), who wants him to change his story." Kilkelly also said it would have been "more effective to see Samson and Josh's friendship grow over a period of weeks rather than days, even if they were playing minor roles in episodes before eventually coming to the forefront."
A week after the events at The Hide, Josh was targeted by Matty's mother-in-law, Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton) in The Woolpack.[24] Kerry tried to charm Josh when he goes into the pub for a drink and tries to record his confession. As a result, pub landlady, Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) walked in with Samson, who revealed Kerry's connection to Matty.[25] Charity orders Kerry to get back to work, but she refuses leading to her getting fired altogether. Josh and Samson subsequently plan a trip to Europe, which sparked off even more suspicion that they were lying about the stabbing.[26]
| John Sugden | |
| Series: | Emmerdale |
| Portrayer: | Oliver Farnworth |
| Years: | 2024–present |
| First: | Episode 10,058 |
| Introducer: | Iain MacLeod |
| Family: | Sugden |
| Father: | Jack Sugden |
| Mother: | Barbara |
| Halfbrothers: | Jackie Merrick Robert Sugden Andy Sugden(adoptive) |
| Halfsisters: | Victoria Sugden |
| Grandmothers: | Annie Sugden |
| Uncles: | Joe Sugden |
| Aunts: | Peggy Skilbeck |
| Cousins: | Sam Skilbeck Sally Skilbeck |
| Nephews: | Jack Sugden Sebastian White Harry Sugden |
| Nieces: | Sarah Sugden |
John Sugden, played by Oliver Farnworth, made his first appearance on 7 August 2024.[27] His casting was announced on 2 July 2024,[28] and he is the half-brother of Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins).[27] His arrival is set to "cause chaos" for Victoria, who alongside her son Harry Sugden (Adam Pryor) and adoptive niece Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill), are the only members of the Sugden family left in Emmerdale. John's arrival is also due to "introduce a new generation of the long-running Sugden family, who have been in the programme since it debuted in 1972. John is also set to "catch the eye" of a particular Emmerdale resident, which will "cause lots of drama." How John is related to Victoria had not been confirmed when Farnworth's casting was announced, however on 29 July 2024, it was revealed that he was Victoria's half-brother.[27] His arrival is "bound to raise plenty of questions." John's character has been described to be "brooding and mysterious" and will introduce "fresh challenges and intriguing relationships" for those already living in the village. It was confirmed on 31 July 2024 that John is "openly gay" and has a "military past" according to Farnworth.[29]
Emmerdale executive producer, Laura Shaw said that everyone at Emmerdale "thrilled to have an actor with Oliver's talent and presence join the Emmerdale family". She also reflected on the significance of his place within the Sugden family, "the Sugdens have always been central to Emmerdale, and introducing a new member opens up exciting possibilities for future storylines. Mysterious John's arrival will no doubt create a stir in the village for Victoria and the wider community." Farnworth has played roles in other soap operas, such as Coronation Street and Hollyoaks, and following those previous roles, Farnworth revealed he is "absolutely delighted to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. The show has such a rich history, and the Sugden family is integral to that. I'm looking forward to bringing my character to life and working with such a talented and dedicated team." Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle, reported to Digital Spy that his character will feature in scenes with John.[27] He reported: "There's a Sugden coming in. With the history that Aaron has with Robert, it'll be interesting to see what happens with them. It's going to be an interesting few months, which is great."[27] On 31 July 2024, Farnworth described more about his character: "He’s got a pretty amazing backstory. Obviously, half-brother to Victoria, which we find out quite quickly. But there’s a whole lot of depth to him, and little bits just kind of coming out now, but it’s been a whirlwind. I’ve been here, there and everywhere. I’ve been on all the sets. We’ve been on location, been driving vans, been getting up to all sorts of mischief. So, it’s been absolutely brilliant."[29] Farnworth also considered joining the cast of Emmerdale as a "fixture",[29] as he grew up in Yorkshire,[29] however Farnworth knows the history of the Sugden family, but had to "put it aside" because his character "initially has no knowledge of the Sugdens’ history in Emmerdale and he has no desire to be part of it."[29]
On 29 July 2024, it was confirmed that Farnworth would make his first appearance the following week.[27] He met Victoria after she gives Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) a lift the funeral of Barbara (Angela Down), an old friend of his, after his car breaks down.[27] After driving him there, she begins to talk to John, who is the deceased woman's son.[27] When he introduces himself as John Sugden, she realises that she has potentially met a long-lost family member.[27] As a result, Eric feels he needs to admit that John could be her half-brother, meaning he is the son of the late Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby).[27] Victoria and John are set to cross paths again afterwards, when Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), who works at the garage, receives a call regarding a breakdown nearby.[27] Mackenzie is due to rescue John and bring him back to the village, where Victoria is delighted to see him again.[27]
| Character | Episode date(s) | Actor | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|
| A managing director of Bargain Vets, who hosts a vets function at the Hide Bar & Bistro. | |||
| [30] | A solicitor of Amit Sharma (Anil Goutam). | ||
| An estate agent who appeared with Gus Malcolm. | |||
| [31] | A psychoanalyst who talks to Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) about PTSD. | ||