Emmerdale is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that appear during 2019, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producer, Jane Hudson. The first character to be introduced is Vinny (Bradley Johnson), the adoptive son of Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley), followed by Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards), the biological father of Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), in February. Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), the father of Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley), and Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter), a farmhand, were introduced in April. Jamie Tate's (Alexander Lincoln) family, consisting of wife Andrea Tate (Anna Nightingale) and daughter Millie Tate (Willow Bell), made their debuts in June. Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson), the mother of Lee Posner (Kris Mochrie), first appears in July, followed by Al Chapman (Michael Wildman) the father of Ellis Chapman (Asan N'Jie/Aaron Anthony) in August. September features the introductions of Danny Harrington (Louis Healy) and Derek (Tommy Cannon) in guest stints. Additionally, multiple other characters were featured during the year.
Vinny Dingle
Vinny Dingle, played by Bradley Johnson, first appears on 4 January 2019. The character and Johnson's casting details were announced on 28 December 2018. Vinny is introduced as the 16-year-old son of Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley), who returns after a 17-year absence, having lived in Southampton with her son. Riley explained that Vinny is similar to Mandy, creating "a lot of scope" and big stories. The actress praised Johnson and enjoyed working with him, describing the prospect of Vinny's future stories as exciting.
Since Mandy had sex with her former husband Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) before leaving in 2001, it is suggested that he could be Vinny's father. Allison Jones of Inside Soap predicted that the identity of Vinny's father could "blow the Dingles apart". When Paddy meets Vinny, he does not question if he could be his son. Brunt confirmed that the writers had not decided how to conclude the story. Lucy Pargeter, who portrays Paddy's partner Chas Dingle, thought that Vinny's paternity could "go in any direction" and could have implications for Paddy's relationship with her son Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).
Vinny departed in the episode broadcast on 8 January 2019. Following his exit, Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy described Vinny as "bumbling and awkward" and thought he resembled Paddy, believing the character's parentage would be a good storyline in the future. Kilkelly enjoyed Johnson's portrayal of Vinny and thought that there was scope for Vinny to be "a great character in his own right", adding that the soap was missing "a comic young male presence" following the death of Gerry Roberts (Shaun Thomas).
When Vinny discovers that Samson Dingle (Sam Hall) has pawned a wedding ring that belonged to Samson's dead mother, Vinny covers for him so that Sam Dingle (James Hooton) is not upset. When Sam threatens to throw Vinny out, Samson reveals that it was him. Upon confiding in Sam, Samson and Lydia Hart (Karen Blick), he reveals that Mandy is not his birth mother, but his stepmother, and that Paul Ashdale (Reece Dinsdale) is his father. Vinny became an official Dingle after drinking out of the welly boot on Sam and Lydia's wedding. However, his real last name was revealed after Mandy stated Paul's last name was Ashdale.
In 2024 It was revealed that Tina Dingle Is his biological mother.
Bear Wolf
Bear Wolf (otherwise known as "Edward"), played by Joshua Richards, first appears in February 2019. The character was referenced on-screen during January 2019 episodes, where it was suggested that he could be the father of Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) following an affair with Paddy's mother. Richards' casting details were announced on 15 January 2019. Bear is introduced when Paddy's partner, Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter), and friend, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock), encourage him to meet him in Belfast at a wrestling convention. He is billed as a "ageing pro wrestler". Multiple members of the Emmerdale cast filmed scenes in Northern Ireland for Bear's introduction. Richards expressed his delight at joining the cast and filming in Yorkshire. He added that Bear is "a great character".
Gail Loman
Gail Loman, played by Rachael Gill-Davis is the girlfriend of Ryan Stocks (James Moore). She originally appears in one episode, 19 February 2019, when she goes on a date with Ryan. They share a kiss, but she ends up mortified when she finds out that he is attracted to Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley). Just over four years later, Gail reappears in Emmerdale on 25 May 2023. At first Ryan is very sceptical of why she has come back after four years of no contact, however they end up dating again. Gail ends up getting a job as a kitchen assistant in The Woolpack, but ends up fulfilling a barmaid position instead, after Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) fired her.
In September 2023, it was revealed that her and Ryan had more history together than that one date in 2019. On 21 September 2023, it was revealed that in 2010, Gail gave birth to a son named Oscar (Harley Hamilton), who was adopted by a lady named Sophie Grisham (Martha Cope), and Ryan is his father. Sophie has made contact with Gail because Oscar, now thirteen years old, has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Therefore, Gail gets tested to see if she is a match. After she has been tested, Gail agrees to meet Oscar, who isn't upset about being put up for adoption as Sophie has given him a good life. On 4 March 2025, it was announced that Gill-Davis would leave the series. A source told The Mirror that Gill-Davis wanted to "spread her wings." The source also said: "Rachael has loved her time on the show but it’s time to go. Bosses felt the character wasn’t inspiring much story and so it was all very amicable. The door has been left open but it’s a definite goodbye for now. Rachael is looking forward to spreading her wings and showing off her talents on other shows." She left On 7 May 2025
Will Taylor
Will Taylor, portrayed by Dean Andrews, first appears on 17 April 2019. Andrews' casting details were announced on 21 January 2019, but further details about the character, including his name, were embargoed until his first appearance. Will is the father of established character Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) and the former partner of Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow Blyton), who was an undercover police officer during her marriage to Will and assisted in his arrest. The character is also introduced as a rival for Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley). Andrews expressed his delight at joining the cast of Emmerdale, which executive producer Jane Hudson also reiterated. She praised his performances and teased that he would "shake things up" for some characters. Andrews later admitted that he found it hard to keep his role a secret and looked forward to exploring the character.
Prior to his introduction, Harriet began being tormented by an unknown person. When Dean arrives, it emerges that Will is the tormenter and he and Dawn are working together to get revenge on Harriet for sending Will to prison. Andrews told Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy that Will is resentful towards Harriet for sending him to prison, partly because it meant he became estranged from Dawn. The actor wanted to explore Will's emotional state. Dow Blyton observed that Harriet does not expect to see Will again and explained that Will and Dawn "want her to suffer as much as they have; they want to ruin her life." The actress added that Harriet would try to "reach out" to Will after discovering he is responsible because she naturally seeks the best in people.
Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson, portrayed by Jurell Carter, made his first appearance on 25 April 2019. The character was introduced during the Big Night Out week of episodes, where he shares a kiss with Rhona Goskirk (Zoë Henry). He later secures a job working on Moira Dingle's (Natalie J. Robb) farm and pursues a relationship with Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson). He later begins a sexual affair with Moira behind Amy and Cain Dingle's (Jeff Hordley) backs. After Cain learns of the affair, he takes Moira and Nate out on a boat to confront them. As he and Nate fight, Nate reveals that he is Cain's son. Months later Nate is accidentally shot by his father Cain. Nate later makes up to his family after the revenge scheme on his father. After Moira's hit-and-run accident, Nate takes the blame for the incident after Belle was charged with 4 offences. Nate was given a 2-year suspended sentence and an 80-hour community order along with a 6-month driving ban.
Nate begins a casual relationship with Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh) in February 2020 and after she discovers she is pregnant Nate pledges to stand by her and they become a proper couple. Tracy gives birth to their daughter Frankie in February 2021 but after suffering in silence for months she is diagnosed with post-natal depression after she attempts to take her own life, admitting herself to a psychiatric ward in order to get the help she needs. Nate struggles to adapt as a single father but soon receives support from Cain. When Tracy returns to the village the couple struggle to get back on track as Nate finds it hard to leave Tracy on her own with Frankie should she find it difficult to cope. Their relationship hits crisis point in December 2021 when Tracy discovers Nate's one-night stand with Fiona Murphy (Yemisi Oyinloye), the new girlfriend of her half-sister Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick). Unable to forgive him, Tracy accepts a job offer in Nottingham and leaves with Frankie the following month, devastating Nate in the process.
After a one-night stand with Chloe Harris (Jessie Elland) in April 2022, Nate is pursued by Naomi Walters (Karene Peter) and they begin a relationship in August 2022. This is met with adversity from the village as it transpires Naomi witnessed the attack on Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) and has refused to cooperate with the police and name the attacker. Despite a kiss with Tracy, Nate remains with Naomi as she settles into life at the village. However, she eventually leaves when she decides Nate and life in the village is too boring for her. Nate and Tracy quickly reunite and marry, although this ends sharply when it is revealed at Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and Thomas King's (James Chase) wedding in February 2024 that Tracy has been having an affair with Nate's uncle, Caleb Miligan (William Ash). Although Nate tries, he cannot forgive his wife and they separate, eventually forming an amicable co-parenting relationship.
In September 2024, Tracy and Nate grow close again and agree to give things another try. They happily plan a move to Shetland together, with Frankie, where Nate has been offered a job. Tragedy strikes, however, when Moira - who, unbeknownst to everyone, is suffering from a brain tumour - makes a misguided pass at Nate, which he immediately rebuffs. When Cain and Tracy discover this, they wrongly believe Moira and Nate have reignited their affair, despite Nate's protests otherwise, and Moira is unable to clearly explain what happened. Cain violently attacks Nate and disowns him, while Tracy refuses to move to Shetland and tells Nate they are over. A devastated Nate disappears off-screen, with Tracy and Cain learning soon afterwards of Moira's tumour and subsequently Nate's innocence. Despite attempts to reach out, Nate ignores all contact.