Sarah is discharged from hospital The Dingles get set for Christmas
Emmerdale’s No 1 family tells us why you can’t beat being a member of soapland’s favourite clan...
Being a Dingle, there’s never a dull moment…” CHARLEY
When the Dingles arrived in the village in 1994, viewers had no idea the family would be leading the charge for a full Dales takeover! Fast-forward to 2018, and the Dingles dominate the village, delivering top drama and comedy on a nightly basis. The only people who love them more than Emmerdale fans are the actors who play the crazy clan – and we got a selection box together to talk about why being a Dingle is the best job in soap.
“There’s always something happening in
Emmerdale and, being part of the Dingles, there’s never a dull moment,” laughs Charley Webb, who plays Debbie. “I started on the show when I was 15, and I have a lot to thank Jeff Hordley [Cain] and Emma Atkins [Charity] for – because having them as my mum and dad on the show made a huge difference. They helped create the person I am now.”
For Jeff, the past 18 years have been full of drama, but he reckons nothing was quite like his first day in the Dales.
“It was nerve-wracking!” he shares. “I arrived with Shadrach and Charity for Butch’s funeral. I remember driving over from Manchester, pinching myself, thinking, ‘I can’t believe I am going to be one of the Dingles’. It was a strange feeling and a strange day – but one I have fond memories of. Cain’s a great character who’s constantly evolving, and I love that.”
The Dingles’ deep and abiding love for each other is one of their hallmarks, so it makes sense that the actors are close in real life. For Eden Taylor
Draper, who plays
Belle, her co-stars aren’t just colleagues, they are family.
“I haven’t been to drama school, but
I have learned so much from the brilliant actors
I’ve worked with
at Emmerdale,” she enthuses.
“Jane Cox [Lisa] and Steve
Halliwell [Zak] have taught me so much. I’ve grown up with them, so they’re like real parents!”
It’s a sentiment that used to be echoed by Charley, but these days she says it’s a little different…
“I’ve become the parent with Jeff and Emma,” grins the star. “They ring me for advice now, when it used to be the other way around.”
Cain and Charity are no longer together, though Emma says that the dynamic between her and cast mate Jeff has never changed.
“We get along like brother and sister,” she explains. “We can really annoy one another, yet at the same time we have a closeness that means we can trust each other.” This spirit of generosity and giving has helped newcomer James Moore settle in nicely as Charity’s secret son, Ryan. He can’t wait to get more involved with the rest of his on-screen family. “Ryan’s humour and attitude to life resonates well with the Dingles,” he says. “He’s a Dingle at heart and deserves the full treatment! I think he’ll thrive as part of the family.” Meanwhile, young Isobel Steele, who plays Liv, reckons fans love to see the interaction between Dingle relatives. “The relationship between Liv and Aaron really seems to appeal to the audience,” reckons the actress. “That closeness is real between me and Danny Miller [Aaron], and I think people enjoy something so real on screen.” Keeping it real is definitely a priority for the veteran Dingles, in particular,
Mark Charnock, aka Marlon.
“You still try hard after all these years to do your best,” he insists.
“That's what's lovely about the job – it keeps you on your toes because your character is evolving all the time. There aren’t many other acting jobs where you can say that!”