List of Emmerdale characters (2020)

Cara Robinson, portrayed by Carryl Thomas, made her first appearance on 9 January 2020. Cara is introduced as the mother of established character Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter),[2] who arrives in the village after receiving a voicemail from Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb) about the affair Moira had with Nate.[3] Cara attempts to persuade Nate to leave the village with her, but he stays in Emmerdale. When Nate is accidentally shot by Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), she returns, suspicious of Cain and Moira. However, as he feels guilty over the affair, Nate covers for them by lying to Cara about what happened, saying he was shot by random farm hustlers, and she leaves again. In October 2020, it was announced that Thomas would be reprising her role, with Cara set to make her onscreen return later in the month.[4]

The character's backstory states that Cara was in a relationship with Cain, but Cain's stepfather (then believed to be his father), Shadrach Dingle (Andy Devine), detested the pair together due to his racism. Cara fell pregnant, and when Cain's mother Faith Dingle (Sally Dexter) found out, she persuaded her to leave. After having the baby, Nate, Cara made numerous attempts to contact Cain but Faith intercepted in an attempt to cover up what she had done.

Detective Inspector Mark Malone, portrayed by Mark Womack, made his first appearance on 5 March 2020. Mark is a former colleague of Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow Blyton), and the boss of Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) former gang. Mark arrives in the village to investigate the shooting of Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter). He is later revealed to be a corrupted police officer, and he blackmails Will, Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) and Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) into working for him, threatening their arrest if they do not comply. When he is reintroduced to Harriet, the two begin to have an affair behind Will's back. When he learns that Harriet and Will are set to get married, Mark attempts to frame Will for possession of drugs. When Will learns what he is trying to do, he attacks Mark by bludgeoning him with a spanner. After Mark threatens Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley), she reports him to the police. When Mark learns of Dawn's police report, he tries to force her to suicide with heroin, which is interrupted when Harriet bludgeons him over the head. He gets up and attempts to fight, until Dawn shoots him three times, killing him.

Upon the announcement of his casting, the Emmerdale Twitter account described him as a "police officer with a dark history".[5] In an interview with Stephen Patterson of Metro, actor Womack talked about his character saying: "He likes messing with people's heads, especially Will's. I think he's generally just enjoys the whole game of it all. That's his thing, there's a bit of him that just enjoys manipulating people and getting them into situations and controlling people and that might be his downfall. He kind of loses control along the way and that might be what gets him." He hinted that Mark could be responsible for his own downfall, as well as the downfall of other characters, and added that he enjoys playing a villain.[6] Talking to Inside Soap, Womack described Mark as "very dastardly", and stated that "you wouldn’t want to lock horns with him". He added: "Malone will stop at nothing to get what he wants and is very Machiavellian. Even though Malone's a policeman, he behaves in much the same way as the criminals he’s going after."[7]

Paul Ashdale,[8] portrayed by Reece Dinsdale, made his first appearance on 15 April 2020.[9] Upon his casting, it was revealed that Paul would have a connection to established characters Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and her adoptive son, Vinny Ashdale (Bradley Johnson).[10] On his casting, Dinsdale commented "I'm absolutely delighted to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. Having recently directed a couple of episodes and seen at close quarters the superb work the cast, crews, and creatives produce, I can't wait to become part of the team once again – albeit in a different capacity."[9] Paul is revealed to be the ex-partner of Mandy, as well as the biological father of Vinny. It has been suggested that Paul and Mandy will rekindle their relationship.[11]

Upon his arrival in Emmerdale, Mandy sees him and confronts him. He asks to see Vinny, but Mandy states that she does not know of his whereabouts. However, when Paul sees Vinny in the village, he confronts him, using the alias Alex to befriend him. Mandy sees the pair together, and texts Paul from Vinny's phone, asking to meet him. When she meets with Paul, she insists that he should leave the village, until Vinny interrupts. When Vinny presses the pair, they admit that Paul is his father. Despite Mandy's mistrust of Paul, she allows the pair to see each other, and eventually, Paul rekindles his relationship with Mandy. Vinny discovers that Paul has a gambling addiction, and finds that Paul has stolen money from the Dingle family and a watch from Ellis Chapman (Aaron Anthony). Vinny asks him to attend an online addiction group, but when he discovers that Paul has not attended, he presses him to get help, and threatens to tell Mandy. Paul punches Vinny, and assaults him further while he is on the floor. Unwilling to tell Mandy, they claim that Vinny was the victim of a random assault.

Ben Tucker, played by Simon Lennon, made his first appearance on 22 September 2020. On his casting, Lennon expressed his excitement at appearing on Emmerdale, stating that he feels "lucky to be a part of such an established, fantastic show", and that he "can't wait to see what unfolds for Ben". When Ben's character details were announced, it was noted that he is a figure from Aaron Dingle's (Danny Miller) past, that Aaron becomes reacquainted with when he sees Ben working at a cafe. Lennon noted that the two characters "have a lot of history and it will all come to the forefront when they're reunited after a long time apart".[12] It was later confirmed that Aaron bullied Ben at school for his homosexuality, but since Aaron's realisation that he is gay, Jess Lee of Digital Spy noted that their reunion "could result in a romance developing between them".[13] Miller, who portrays Aaron, stated that due to the history of bullying, Ben finds it "quite hard to accept, and sort of move on with", but that Aaron will "try and make it up to Ben".[14]

Meena Jutla, played by Paige Sandhu, made her first appearance on 24 September 2020.[15] Meena is the estranged sister of established character Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker), who comes to the village to reconcile her relationship with Manpreet. It was also confirmed that she would be a love interest for Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle). On her casting, Sandhu commented: "Meena is such a fun and complex character to play and I'm really looking forward to seeing how people react to her".[12] Speaking to Digital Spy about her character, Sandhu stated that if she was "watching someone play this character", she "wouldn't like the character", and that Meena is "going to annoy some people" and "likes to wind people up, especially women, and flirt with men".[16] She noted that Meena will make enemies in the village, since there is a "selfish side" to her. She added: "Meena comes to the village because she wants a reconciliation with Manpreet, but there's always some selfish reason behind all she does".[16]

When she arrives in the Emmerdale village, Manpreet is unwelcoming to Meena, but Manpreet's husband Rishi (Bhasker Patel) later persuades her to give Meena a chance, and allows her to move in with the couple. Meena begins a relationship with David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden), but when Manpreet discovers this, she tells David to be wary of Meena. As a result, David cancels their first date, and informs her that he is not ready for a relationship. Meena learns what Manpreet has done, and as revenge, she purposely changes the direction of Rishi's Sat Nav, as well as taking his medication from the car and hiding Manpreet's phone. When Manpreet worries about his whereabouts, Meena pretends to come across Rishi in the direction she sent him, and pretends to have saved him. When Manpreet does not know how to thank Meena for saving Rishi's life, she suggests that Manpreet should talk to David about her again, in order to persuade him to give their relationship another chance. Speaking on Meena's actions, actress Sandhu stated that she is "guessing the audience won’t really like Meena after this", since her character is "trying to steer the situation so that it comes out with her in the best possible position". Sandhu added that in Meena's position, the plan has succeeded, since she has "gone from evil sister to saviour in Manpreet's eyes".[17]

Mackenzie Boyd, played by Lawrence Robb, made his first appearance on 29 October 2020.[18] Mackenzie is the brother of established character Moira Barton (Natalie J. Robb), and Duncan Lindsay of Metro wrote that his arrival means Moira's "life is set to be turned upside down". On being cast in the role of Mackenzie, Robb stated that he is "absolutely thrilled", and that he "has had so much fun playing around with the character already". Robb added that he "couldn’t be further from Mac in real life", so portraying him "will no doubt have its challenges".[19]

On Mackenzie's relationship with Moira, Digital Spy wrote: "Mackenzie had a close bond with his sister Moira when they were growing up together. Sadly, their time together came to an abrupt end when a surprising turn of events led to Moira leaving the family home forever." Actor Robb added that "From the point when Moira left, Mackenzie had it drilled into him that something happened and that's why Moira left He's got a preconceived idea of who she's become. Growing up from a relatively early age, he's got this idea of 'this is who my sister is'. Then when he arrives, Moira tells him it's slightly different". Actress Natalie J. Robb, who portrays Moira, praised the decision to bring Mackenzie into the programme. She stated that the decision was "talked about for quite a while really, and it was just knowing when the right time was going to be".[20]

Charles Anderson,[21] played by Kevin Mathurin, made his first appearance on 25 December 2020.[22] Charles is introduced as a new vicar in the Emmerdale village, when struggling vicar Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow Blyton) phones him to ask if he can perform the honours at Chas (Lucy Pargeter and Paddy Kirk's (Dominic Brunt) wedding. Digital Spy stated that Charles would be a "hit" with other villagers, and that be would "provide great support to Harriet".[22]

Charles' character and casting details were announced on 26 November 2020, alongside that of his onscreen son, Ethan (Emile John).[23] It was stated that when his son Ethan is accused of a crime he did not commit, Charles' "intense need to fight injustice" leads to a rivalry with the established Dingle family.[24] On his casting, Mathurin commented: "The show has always been a family favourite and my mum is a huge fan. The cast and crew have all been so welcoming and I am really looking forward to Charles' storylines in the Village."[23] Producer Sophie Roper stated that Emmerdale are "delighted" to be welcoming Mathurin to the soap, and noted the "dynamic new father and son duo" will "send shockwaves through the village as they find themselves embroiled in the heart of a thought-provoking story with one of our most loved families", referring to the Dingle family. She added: "With two actors of such great calibre, they're certainly set to make their mark on the Dales."[23]

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