List of Emmerdale characters (2023)

Marshall Hamston, played by Max Fletcher, first appeared on 5 January 2023. He was introduced as a classmate of Arthur Thomas (Alfie Clarke), who has a crush on Marshall. In a "cruel bet" arranged by Marshall's friends, he pretends to like Arthur back, but when Arthur learns the truth, he is left devastated.[3] Arthur's friend, April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan), punches Marshall in the face and Arthur's mother, Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy), tries to stop them from contacting each other again. Weeks later, Marshall confesses to Arthur that he does like him romantically, but as the pair lean in for a kiss, they are interrupted by a phonecall from Marshall's father and he runs away. This formed the start of a "hard-hitting storyline" that sees Marshall's father, Colin Hamston (Mark Noble) become abusive as a result of his homophobic views.[4] After Colin tries to force Marshall to go to boarding school and isolates him from everybody, Laurel forces her way into their home and takes Marshall to live with her.

Leeds Live wrote that viewers had "taken to" Marshall and were rooting for him and Arthur to become a couple.[4] Eventually, they become a couple. On 11 July 2023, it was announced that Marshall would be leaving the serial at the end of his storyline with Arthur, making his final appearance on 20 July 2023.[5] The exit was described as "sudden" by Radio Times.[6] His departure was criticised by the Metro, with journalist Stephen Patterson finding it disappointing that Emmerdale were showing an inability to keep their LGBTQ+ couples together.[7] Patterson noted how Marshall had become a "fan favourite" in his time on the soap and opined that he had been involved in one of Emmerdale's best storylines during his tenure.[8]

Faye Helders, played by Jane Gurnett,[9] first appeared on 29 January 2023 as a love interest for Mary Goskirk, whom she initially goes on a date with and the pair agree to see each other again. However, as time goes by, it transpires that Faye is trying to scam Mary and other villagers by setting up fundraisers for a charity she has made up. When Mary finds this out, Faye attacks her and leaves her unconscious, to later be found by ex-son-in-law Gus Malcolm.

Digital Spy announced on 4 July that Faye would be returning to the soap.[10] She appears to be homeless, but this also turns out not to be true. She then blackmails Mary with a nude photo of her, but manages to get Mary arrested. However Faye sends the photo to all of Mary's contacts.

Gus Malcom, played by Alan McKenna, made his first appearance on 5 April 2023.[11] He was introduced as the ex-husband of Rhona Goskirk (Zoë Henry). The pair were married off-screen in the 2000s, in the time between Henry's two stints on the soap.[12] It was said that Gus' arrival will "tug at the heartstrings" for Rhona when he unexpectedly interrupts a date between her and husband Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock).[13] Gus catches up with Rhona the next day, with the request to use one of their frozen embryos for his new wife they still have stored, which Rhona thought had been destroyed. She is shocked to learn that the embryos still exist and later becomes horrified when she learns that Gus has contacted the clinic pretending to already have her consent.[13]

Speaking on Gus and Rhona's marriage, Henry said that their ending was not happy. She explained that they both wanted children and due to stressful rounds of IVF, Rhona left him and the divorce went on for years. She stated that his arrival brings back memories of a turbulent and unpleasant time in Rhona's life which she thought had ended. She also said: "While Rhona is thrilled Gus is happily remarried, him suggesting she allows him to use these embryos - and his wife carry the child - is enormously complicated".[14]

Ally, played by Josh Horrocks[15] made his first appearance on 20 April. He the secret boyfriend of Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope), who turns up ahead of Nicky's wedding to Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham), which was part of a revenge scheme set up by Nicky's father, Caleb Miligan (William Ash) against Kim Tate (Claire King) for the death of his father Frank Tate (Norman Bowler).

Initially, Ally was introduced as a friend of Nicky's but on 25 April, it was revealed that they were actually former lovers, who then went on to share a passionate kiss on a roadside.[16] As time goes by, Nicky finds it harder and harder to go through with the wedding to Gabby, and Ally continues to persuade him to break it off, but then throws him when he proposes to Nicky on 5 June,[17] making him more determined to end things with Gabby. After jilting Gabby before their wedding, she finds a beaten up Nicky in the stables and he reveals Caleb's plan to her. The next day, Gabby has Nicky's phone and Ally calls Nicky, only for Gabby to pick up the call and tell him everything. When Ally meets up with Nicky again on 8 June, he breaks off the engagement and hasn't been seen since.

Claudette Anderson, played by Flo Wilson, made her first appearance on 25 May 2023.[18] She was introduced as the mother of established character Charles Anderson (Kevin Mathurin). Emmerdale announced her casting on 24 April 2023, with Wilson having begun filming on the soap that month. On the character, ITV wrote: "Claudette is a force to be reckoned with and totally unafraid to speak her mind. She is deeply proud of her son Charles' position as a vicar and grandson Ethan's (Emile John) legal career. She believes herself to be a loving matriarch, but secretly Charles finds his mother rather overbearing and soon the other villagers will learn not to get on the wrong side of Claudette."[19]

Executive producer Jane Hudson hinted that Claudette's arrival on Emmerdale would impact the drama of the Anderson family unit and was excited for viewers to be introduced to her. Wilson felt blessed to be cast on the serial and hoped that her work would make the cast and crew proud. Mathurin, who portrays Claudette's son Charles, had worked with Wilson prior to their Emmerdale stints. Of her casting as Claudette, he said: "when I saw her name on the sheet I knew she'd be perfect to bring Claudette to life. Flo is a wonderful soul, an amazing actress and is already settling in."[19]

Claudette's first scenes see her arguing with Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker), unaware that she is dating her son. Daniel Kilkelly, writing for Digital Spy, said that Claudette's debut appearance was memorable.[20] After making numerous jibes at Manpreet, Wilson opined that her character "doesn't have a mean bone in her body", but that she unknowingly "walks over people's feelings and emotions".[20] Claudette speaks her mind, believing that speaking her truth and being clear is the best way to be. Wilson reckoned that having been alone for a long time, Claudette has forgotten how to behave around others. She appreciated Claudette's personality and described the writing as "absolutely brilliant".[20] She loved Claudette's lines says and the way that she could deliver them as an actress.[20]

On Claudette's relationship with her son, Wilson said that she infantilises Charles since she is too motherly. She is used to caring for him, and upon her arrival to the village, she continues to do it despite him being a grown man. Claudette is religious and put Charles through Sunday school as a child. This made him religious, so she believes that she is the reason for him becoming a vicar, which she is "very proud" of.[20] Due to her religious beliefs, she disapproves of Charles and Manpreet being together due to not being married and "living in sin".[20] Claudette believes that Manpreet has led them into sin since she feels her vicar son would not do that. Wilson said that Claudette would stick around in the village for a long time to ensure that Charles is on the "straight and narrow" and hinted that she would not approve of Manpreet for a long time.[20]

Victor Anderson, played by Eddie Osei, made his first appearance on 8 June 2023. The character was not announced prior to his surprise arrival in the series, when he was introduced as Charles' (Kevin Mathurin) father being released from prison. Prior to his first scene, Charles was seen acting strangely and he later pays a visit to a high-security prison. He sees Victor out of prison and warns him to stay away from him and mother Claudette (Flo Wilson). Emmerdale producers confirmed that his sentence was long, but kept the reason for his imprisonment secret.[21]

Emmerdale producer Hannah Cheers said: "Victor's arrival in Emmerdale turns life for the Andersons upside down. The brilliant addition of Eddie Osei as Victor has allowed us to learn more about who the Andersons are and we can't wait for the audience to watch as the drama unfolds. While Claudette is confronted by the husband she prayed she'd never see again, Charles has to face up to painful past traumas and he makes no secret of the fact that Victor is not welcome here."[21] On his casting, Osei said that he felt privileged to be joining Emmerdale. He also expressed his excitement at being able to play "such an enigmatic character [...] who causes the Anderson family so much trouble".[21]

After struggling to settle back into his family unit, Victor reveals that he has been diagnosed with an unruptured aneurysm, though Charles suspects he is lying. He is later the sole suspect when a necklace gifted to Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) is stolen and he runs away when the police are called. Charles, who is a vicar, finds him dead in his church after a "sudden and tragic death".[22]

Suni Sharma, played by Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana, made his first appearance on 11 July 2023.[23] He was introduced as the cousin of Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) and nephew of Rishi Sharma (Bhasker Patel). Rishi, who has not seen Suni for some time, is delighted when Suni arrives unannounced for Jai's wedding as he prepares to get married to Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy). Suni arrives at a time where Jai is warring with Rishi over his real father. ITV hinted that Suni could be "just the ticket to restore harmony" in the Sharma family.[24] He was also confirmed to be a love interest for Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope).[24]

Suni was billed as a "confident, magnetic and very fashion conscious" character who would be bringing "some flair" to Emmerdale.[25] Suni is shown to be someone who goes after what he wants and is not afraid to be his true self. Ramana opined that Emmerdale is brilliant at "making sure there's accurate representation of real people and telling their authentic stories".[25] He was delighted to be cast on the soap due to watching it as a child with his parents. He was also excited to play a gay Asian character, since it would "give exposure to a demographic which is sadly still under-represented".[25] Executive producer Jane Hudson echoed Ramana's excitement and stated: "he certainly hits the ground running as we throw him right into the heart of a big Sharma story."[25]

Corey Sanderson, played by Kyle Rowe, made his first appearance on 2 August 2023. He arrives in the village giving Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) a job opportunity; Cain's son, Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter), sees them talking and is shocked when he sees Corey. It transpires that the two went to school together, and amidst financial problems, Nate heads to Corey's office and asks him for a job, but Corey explains that there is no work available. Viewers were immediately suspicious of Corey's intentions, noting his unprofessional office and "uneasy vibe".[26]

Nate visits Corey again and finds him with Caleb Miligan (William Ash), Nate's villainous uncle, and learns that they are working together. Nate is "thwarted" when offered money to keep quiet but eventually demands a job for his silence.[27] Corey's boss, Harry (Robert Beck), later arrives.[28]

Harry, played by Robert Beck, made his first appearance on 7 August 2023. He was introduced as the scary boss of Corey Sanderson (Kyle Row). Beck previously appeared on Emmerdale as Gavin Ferris, a love interest for Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles), and was excited to return to the soap in an unrelated role. He said: "I am thrilled to be working on Emmerdale again, it’s a great show that I have followed for years, with a fabulous cast. It has always had a special place in my heart. I had a fantastic time working on the show playing Gavin Ferris, 24 years ago. The cast and crew were so welcoming and of course, I met my wife because of that job so I have much to thank Emmerdale for! I'm looking forward to getting involved and to working with such a great bunch again."[28]

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw was thrilled to have Beck on the show and billed Harry as a dangerous and unpredictable character. She hinted: "Harry will bring drama and peril to some of our most loved villagers, with some twists and turns along the way that our viewers really won't be expecting!"[28]

Craig Reed, played by Ben Addis, made his first appearance on 17 August 2023. His casting was announced on 7 August 2023 when it was confirmed that his arrival would shake Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick).[29] It transpires that Craig and Lydia grew up together in a children's home. He was referenced on-screen in 2019 when Emmerdale explored Lydia's backstory, which involves falling pregnant at the home and fearing the repercussions, she does not confide in anyone about the pregnancy and eventually gives birth to a stillborn baby. She wrapped the baby up and buried him, with the baby's remains being found in 2019. Lydia reveals to husband Sam Dingle (James Hooton) that Craig is the father of the baby.[30]

After Craig meets Lydia at a careers fair in the village, it was confirmed that Craig would feature prominently on-screen after Lydia accepts a job offer from him. He was introduced as a successful businessman with a fancy car that impresses Lydia's stepson, Samson Dingle (Sam Hall). It was hinted by Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly that Craig's presence would make Sam feel threatened.[30] Shortly after his introduction, it was confirmed that Craig would rape Lydia in an issue-led storyline. Emmerdale were advised by Rape Crisis England & Wales on how to depict the storyline accurately.[31] The story is set to climax in Craig's death caused by a member of the Dingle family, as part of a whodunit plot.[32]

Sophie, played by Martha Cope, made her first appearance on 21 September 2023. Her casting was announced on Digital Spy on September 4.[33] She is introduced as the adoptive mother of Oscar, a son who Ryan Stocks and Gail Loman gave up for adoption after he was born in 2010.[34] Sophie got in contact with Gail when Oscar was thirteen years old as he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. Sophie asked Gail could be tested to see if she was a match, but lied about not being in contact with his father, Ryan. Sophie later takes Gail to meet Oscar after being tested.

Amit Sharma, played by Anil Goutam[35] is the brother of Rishi Sharma and the father of Suni Sharma, who was also recently revealed to be the biological father of Jai Sharma when he found his adoption papers. His casting was announced on 7 October.[36] Producer Laura Shaw told Digital Spy that "What you'll see with Amit is quite a dark and complex character, and although we see Suni wanting him to stick around, could Suni end up regretting that? Is Amit hiding another secret that threatens to blow the whole family apart?"[37]

• Characters and cast at itv.com
• Characters and cast at IMDb