Lydia and her effect on the village
SHE’S HAD EMMERDALE VIEWERS IN STITCHES WITH HER KOOKY CHARACTER, AND KAREN BLICK IS HAVING A BALL…
If you’d told us an eccentric widow whose best friend is a stuffed parrot called Steve would be Emmerdale’s most entertaining new arrival of 2017, we’d have thought you were daft. But in loopy Lydia Hart, the show has found itself a real diamond. You never know what she’s going to say or do next, and she then goes on to stun us with her depth and wisdom. This week, she’s stuck in a sticky situation with boss Rishi, leading to more farcical fun for the kooky cleaner…
“To know I’ve made people laugh is a lovely feeling,” beams Karen, who joins us for a chat about Lydia’s antics. “A woman came up to me recently and said, ‘You make me laugh out loud while I’m having my tea!’. I find that really nice because I think a bit of light relief is needed with so many things going on in the world.”
As boss Rishi demands to talk to her employee ‘Una’ – whom Lydia has created to hide the fact she’s working every hour God sends doing all the duties herself – the harassed cleaning lady has to think on her feet. So poor Lydia finds herself pretending to be her staff member!
“She’s made up Una because she is struggling to honour all the hours she has committed to, and she’s breaking the employment laws,” says Karen. “That’s why Lydia has been tired and scatty. She’s feeling financial pressure, and has now dug herself a bigger hole. Lydia has told everyone Una’s an Irish lady – apologies for the accent when Una finally emerges!”
It’s going to be interesting to see Lydia convince Rishi that Una is real, and explain herself if the truth comes out. But no matter what she does, Karen reckons the people of Emmerdale will be able to forgive her. While she may be slightly mad, Lydia is incredibly likeable.
“I think she’s kind and warm, and her heart’s in the right place,” grins the star. “People ask me if I’m similar to Lydia, and I’d like to say no, but my husband might disagree! I hope I share those nice qualities with her, but I like to think I’m more socially aware than Lydia is. She says exactly what she thinks and doesn’t censor it – I’m a bit more sensitive than that!”
Despite her sharp tongue, lovelorn Lydia finally bagged a bloke when she got together with
Sam Dingle recently. The couple seem like a match made in heaven, and
Karen hopes that they stay together…
“I love working with James Hooton [aka Sam],” shares the actress. “My favourite scene was the one where Sam and Lydia had a date in the shop, and David was listening in the background. It was so funny to film and Matthew Wolfenden [David] was laughing so hard. It’d be lovely if Lydia and Sam had an amazing Dingle wedding and finished off the celebrations with a nod to Dirty Dancing. Seeing Sam and Lydia do that famous routine at their reception would be a highlight for me!”
We predict that life won’t be dull for the smitten Dingle with Lydia at his side, and it’ll be interesting who else the chipper cleaning lady will befriend. She’s only been there a short while, but Lydia is one of the best connected characters in the Dales.
“It’s true, Lydia has had nice scenes with nearly everybody now,” enthuses Karen. “She’s been established in the Woolpack, at Home Farm and other staple areas of the village. I’ve really enjoyed the mix – and I can’t wait to see where she goes next!”
To know that I’ve made people laugh is such a lovely feeling!