Emmerdale signs up huge rival soap star just days after Jaye Griffiths joins cast

Emmerdale bosses have landed Casualty star Amanda Ryan, who will be joining the cast of the soap to play a police detective looking into Nate Robinson’s murder. This is a new role for Ryan, 53, who previously played a policeman’s estranged wife on the BBC medical drama. She is expected to make her first appearance in the Dales in the next few weeks. This marks a major addition to the ITV soap, which comes hot on the heels of another high-profile signing.

Jaye Griffiths has also joined the show and is set to shake things up in the village as a formidable new character with a dark side. Aside from starring in Casualty as Mel Sinclair, Amanda Ryan has also made brief appearances in several other British soaps, including Coronation Street, EastEnders, and Doctors.

In Emmerdale her character is bound to stir up drama as her arrival on the scene as a detective means the truth about Nate’s death with start to unravel. The farmhand was killed by John Sugden a few months ago, when he injected him with a substance that Nate ended up having a bad reaction to.

John panicked and dumped Nate’s body in a stream, before launching a cover up operation to make it seem like he had moved to Scotland and cut off his family in the process. Now that Ryan is on the scene, the John’s secrets may be exposed.

Meanwhile, Jaye Griffiths will soon make her debut as Celia, a farmer with a mysterious past and potential agenda. The actress is already known for her powerful performances in The Bill, Silent Witness, Doctors, and Casualty.

Emmerdale producers have said that her new role will challenge some of the village’s most established residents, including Moira Dingle in particular. Moira is already in trouble after being slapped with hefty fines for the environmental damage that is being caused by her farm.

The stakes are raised even higher when Celia arrives and wants to rent two of Moira’s fields. Although she is in a bad financial situation, Moira is reluctant to deal with Celia because of her negative reputation.

As tensions rise, Celia’s true nature starts to be revealed. When beloved vet Paddy is savagely attacked and hospitalised by one of Celia’s guard dogs, her reaction leaves other villagers deeply unsettled.

Executive producer Laura Shaw has teased the upcoming storyline, saying: “We are absolutely delighted to have Jaye Griffiths joining us to play the role of Celia. Having recently taken over a nearby farm, not much is known about mysterious Celia’s past before arriving on the outskirts of the village. While Celia has a tough edge with an air of respectability, the audience, and our villagers, will soon start to see what this woman is truly capable of.”

Griffiths also expressed her excitement about the new role, saying: “I was delighted to get this role – without giving the game away she is very different to anyone I have played before and I can’t wait to really get into the heart of her storyline.”