Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale villain Dr Caitlin Todd has quickly become one of the soap’s most unsettling new arrivals, with her campaign against Jacob Gallagher showing no signs of slowing down. Over recent months, ITV viewers have watched Caitlin transform from a demanding senior doctor into a manipulative and sinister figure.
What initially appeared to be strict workplace supervision soon crossed the line into personal attacks, intimidation and increasingly inappropriate comments aimed at Jacob. Last week’s episodes appeared to offer the trainee doctor a glimmer of hope when Caitlin announced she’d be taking early retirement from her role at Hotten General Hospital.
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Believing he had finally escaped her influence, Jacob attempted to make peace after learning that Caitlin’s father had died, even presenting her with flowers and offering his condolences. However, Caitlin quickly made it clear that she had no intention of ending their feud.
This Tuesday’s (12 May) episode pushed the storyline even further when Charity Dingle discovered the extent of Caitlin’s behaviour towards Jacob. Desperate to stop tensions escalating and to keep her secrets under wraps, Charity warned Jacob to stay away from the former doctor altogether, fearful that Caitlin could expose the truth about baby Leyla’s real parentage.
But events took another dramatic turn when Charity later spotted Caitlin on a date with her ex-partner Vanessa in the Woolpack. The unexpected romance has left viewers questioning Caitlin’s motives and whether her fixation on Jacob could soon spread to other members of the Dingle clan. And the storyline is set to become even darker in the coming weeks.
While Dr Todd has rapidly become one of Emmerdale’s most talked-about newcomers, the actress behind her may already be familiar to soap fans. Caitlin is portrayed by Caroline Harker, who first appeared in the ITV soap in early 2025 before returning on a more permanent basis from February 2026 onwards.
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Acting runs firmly in Caroline’s family. Hailing from London, she’s the daughter of actress Polly Adams and actor Richard Owens, while her sister is acclaimed actress Susannah Harker. After studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama in North London, Caroline launched her TV career in the early 1990s, first appearing in Casualty, Chancer and Growing Rich.
From there, she steadily built an extensive reputation on the small screen across some of Britain’s biggest dramas and detective series. Viewers may have spotted her in shows including Middlemarch, Midsomer Murders, A Touch of Frost and Doctors. She also appeared as Wendy in the series Keeping Mum.
Her film credits extend beyond TV favourites, too, with appearances in The Madness of King George, Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle and Mothering Sunday. Now fully embedded in Emmerdale, Caroline has teased that Caitlin’s behaviour is about to spiral even further.
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Upcoming episodes of the Yorkshire-based drama will see Charity frantically trying to protect her family after Caitlin turns to blackmail, demanding £10k in exchange for keeping quiet about baby Leyla. According to Caroline, Caitlin’s retirement from the hospital only makes her more of a threat.
“The stakes feel very high,” she said. “Todd feels all powerful. I’m not sure she’s been down the blackmailing for money route [until now], but she’s done the manipulation before.”
She added: “Now she’s retired from the hospital, she’s got all that time to herself, so that’s very dangerous!”
The fallout of Caitlin’s actions is expected to have devastating consequences for Charity, who becomes so desperate that she considers selling her share of the Woolpack to Kim Tate. With Caitlin tightening her grip on the Dingles, and Vanessa partially caught up in the middle, Emmerdale’s latest villain storyline looks set to become even more explosive.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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