List of Emmerdale characters (2017) facts for kids

Emmerdale is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2017, by order of first appearance. Gerry Roberts (Shaun Thomas) became the first character to be introduced in the beginning of January as the friend of Lachlan White (Thomas Atkinson). Maggie, (Philippa Howell), Ethan (Michael Warrender) and Jason (Samuel Edward-Cook) then made their debuts in February. Nell Fairfax was introduced in March as a friend of Jai Sharma's (Chris Bisson), while Matt (Jack Hickey) arrived in May as the ex-boyfriend of Carly Hope (Gemma Atkinson). Tim Richards (Mark Moraghan) arrived in July as the uncle of Chrissie White (Louise Marwood). In September, Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) was introduced as the father figure of Joe Tate (Ned Porteous). October saw the birth of Isaac Dingle. Jessie Grant (Sandra Marvin), Sebastian White (Lily Westmoreland) and Dee Dee (Mia Gibson-Reed) all made their first appearances in November. Additionally, multiple other characters appeared throughout the year.

Gerry Roberts

Gerry Roberts, played by Shaun Thomas, made his first screen appearance on 5 January 2017. He is introduced as the cell-mate of established character Lachlan White (Thomas Atkinson). Gerry's death won the accolade for "Most Devastating Soap Death" at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards.

Maggie

Maggie, played by Philippa Howell, made her first appearance on 10 February 2017. Howell was contracted for eight episodes as dementia patient Maggie. The character was among Howell's first roles since she returned to acting after 20 years as an actors' agent.

Ethan

Ethan, played by Michael Warrender, made his first appearance on 23 February 2017. Warrender auditioned for the role at the end of 2016 and learned he had secured the part shortly before Christmas. He commented, "My agent called and said the director loved me and wanted to give me the role. I couldn't believe it, I was just so shocked. It was a brilliant Christmas present." Warrender began filming in January 2017 and Emmerdale marked his first role. Ethan is Aaron Dingle's (Danny Miller) cellmate.

Jason

Jason, played by Samuel Edward-Cook, made his first appearance on 23 February 2017. Jason is an inmate at HMP Hotten, who is aggressive towards Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller). Edward-Cook called Jason a "twisted, angry young man" and thought it was left to the viewers to guess the reason why.

Nell Fairfax

Nell Fairfax, played by Scarlett Archer, made her first screen appearance on 30 March 2017. Archer was a fan of the show, before she was cast as Nell. She found the filming schedule to be "quite terrifying". She said she enjoyed playing Nell, adding "It's always fun to play someone who is quite different from you in real life, and Nell is very much that. I'm much more grounded and more confident than her!" Nell was introduced as a new friend for Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson).

It was announced on 9 July 2017 that the character would be departing the serial at the conclusion of her storyline. Nell's departure comes "as a blow" for Jai, with Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy predicting the departure would feature "more of the same" drama that Nell had featured in prior to her departure. Producers chose to not disclose details of Nell's departure at the time of its announcement. Nell departed during the episode broadcast on 12 September 2017.

Matt

Matt, played by Jack Hickey, made his first appearance on 12 May 2017. The character and casting details were announced on 9 May. Matt is the former boyfriend of Carly Hope (Gemma Atkinson), and the father of her son, Billy, who died shortly after he was born. Matt departed the village with Carly on 2 June 2017.

Tim Richards

Tim Richards, played by Mark Moraghan, made his first appearance on 5 July 2017. The character and Moraghan's casting were announced on 13 June. Tim is Chrissie White's (Louise Marwood) biological uncle.

Graham Foster

Graham Foster, played by Andrew Scarborough, made his first appearance on 5 September 2017. Graham Foster is Joe Tate's (Ned Porteous) father figure and legal guardian. Scarborough's exit from the serial was announced on 3 November 2019, with the actor filming his final scenes within the coming weeks. Graham made his last appearance on 27 January 2020 as a corpse after being murdered by Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather).

Andrew Scarborough began playing Graham in September 2017.

Isaac Dingle

Isaac Dingle made his first appearance on 3 October 2017. He is the son of Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) and Moira Barton (Natalie J. Robb).

Jessie Grant

Jessie Grant (also Dingle), played by Sandra Marvin, made her first appearance on 2 November 2017. Marvin was confirmed to be a regular cast member after her first scenes were aired. Of joining the show, Marvin commented "I was nervous stepping on set for the first time, especially in The Woolpack which is the iconic hub of the community, but I felt very relaxed as everyone has been so welcoming. I've already had the obligatory photo by the village sign!" Jessie is the new headteacher of the local primary school. Marvin said Jessie is also new to the area. She will be interacting with the younger characters and their parents in the school setting. Marvin also said, "There's lots in store for Jessie but I can't say too much yet." On 12 August 2019, it was announced that Marvin had chosen to leave Emmerdale after nearly two years in the role of Jessie. She left on 16 September 2019.

Sebastian White

Sebastian White, played by Lily Westmoreland, made his first appearance on 9 November 2017. He is the son of Rebecca White (Emily Head) and Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley)(alleged). The character is portrayed by infant actress Lily. Head commented that Lily is well behaved on set and rarely cries.

Dee Dee

Dee Dee, played by Mia Gibson-Reed, made her first appearance on 24 November 2017. She is the daughter of Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles) and the half-sister of Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham). Gibson-Reed's casting as Dee Dee was announced in November 2017 and it was confirmed she would be appearing for a guest stint.

Other characters