Debbie’s still in the dark about Joe
Debbie’s life has never been easy, but Charley Webb wouldn’t change it…
While her daughter Sarah was having major surgery, Debbie Dingle was being interrogated by police about Ross Barton’s acid attack. Meanwhile, her fiancé Joe had vanished – and Debbie still has no idea he’s dead, or that her dad Cain believes he killed him. Add to the mix the chance that Debbie might be pregnant with Joe’s child, and it’s a wonder she’s not gone right off the rails already! But Charley Webb, who plays Debbie, is cool, calm and collected as we grab her for a catch-up…
Hello, Charley! The pressure is definitely on for Debbie at the moment, isn’t it?
Yep – it’s one thing after another! But she’s just trying to focus on Sarah now, and while she’s still thinking about the fact that Joe has disappeared, she’s making the effort to get on with her life.
Does she suspect Cain and Graham were involved in Joe’s very sudden exit?
Absolutely not – she has no suspicions at all. She thinks that Joe has literally just left. She reckons Cain is acting a bit weird, but she doesn’t realise how much he’s panicking. She thinks he’s trying to help her.
Cain and Debbie are very close – is being a Dingle something that you treasure?
Oh, yeah. If I know I have scenes with Jeff [Hordley, aka Cain] and Emma [Atkins, who plays Charity], I know it’s going to be easy, even if it’s really emotional – just because we are so in-tune and very close.
If you could play another Dales character, who would you choose?
It would be somebody like Laurel, as she’s so different from Debbie. Would I like to have Bob Hope on my arm? Well, Laurel and Bob have just split up – but yeah! Everyone loves a bit of Tony Audenshaw.
Is there a former Emmerdale cast mate you would like to have back on the show?
Sheree Murphy [aka Tricia Dingle]. Sheree is my best friend, but the character of Tricia was amazing, and they should never have killed her!
How would Debbie fare if she and Kim Tate went head to head?
They are very different – Kim is an out-and-out bitch, but there’s sensitivity there with Debbie. She’s still formidable, though – Debbie is hard, and she won’t give up…