Digital Spy
Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale favourite Emma Atkins has spoken exclusively to Digital Spy about the next chapter of Charity Dingle’s storyline – and how she felt about saying goodbye to a popular co-star.
Charity faced a bittersweet farewell this month as her beloved son Noah left the village to pursue a job opportunity abroad. These scenes marked the end of Jack Downham’s 17-year stint in the role.
Since then, Charity has been focusing on protecting her granddaughter Sarah Sugden, who’s responsible for the accidental killing of evil Dr Todd.
We caught up with Emma while she was taking part in a photoshoot to celebrate Emmerdale’s nominations for the Inside Soap Awards 2026. You can see all the amazing pictures in the new issue of Inside Soap, which is out today (18 August).
Check out our video from the photoshoot at the top of the page, then read on for Emma’s exclusive DS Q&A…
ITV
Hi Emma! How does it feel to be up for Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards 2026?
“It doesn’t feel real, to be honest. It’d be gorgeous to win but it’s always an absolute privilege to be nominated. I feel like you half-win anyway when you get nominated, so it doesn’t really matter!”
The Dingles are also up for Best Family again…
“Well, being a Dingle is one reason that I get nominated a lot, purely just for having that name attached to my character! (Laughs.) When that happens and I’m part of the Best Family nomination, I’m chuffed.”
Why do you think fans should get behind Emmerdale for the Best Soap prize?
“I just think we’ve had an incredible year. There’s been lots of powerhouse stuff and it’s also been very funny with characters like Kev coming in. There’s light and shade and lots of nuance within storylines. I love that about Emmerdale and I think it’s one of our best assets.”
ITV
How did you feel when you found out that Sarah would be Dr Todd’s killer?
“We knew that the end was nigh with Todd but we didn’t really know which way it was going to go until we had some meetings just prior to the shooting of those episodes, so we could get our heads around what was happening.
“When we learned that Sarah was going to be the accidental perpetrator, I knew that it would somehow involve Charity jumping in to be the protector. She’ll do everything she can to make sure that Sarah doesn’t go down for involuntary manslaughter, so it’s a great storyline.”
What does this mean for Charity’s future?
“The good thing about soap is that it’s ever-evolving – things can turn in a heartbeat! But at the moment it’s looking quite grim for Charity. She’s aware that she’s taking that mantle and she’s prepared to go down for the crime. She’ll take the blame now and she sees it as her penance and justice for the lies that she’s told. She wants Sarah to be free to bring up the baby.”
Can we expect the secret about baby Leyla to be revealed soon?
“I think for the foreseeable, the secret stays a secret, but it is dripped slowly but surely across the village. Charity has already made the choice to tell Mack, who’s in on the secret. I love the way it’s been gently interwoven, as it makes it more interesting.”
How do you look back on the work you’ve done on the Dr Todd story?
“I feel very challenged and extremely proud, judging by the feedback. It was really difficult to do it, but I always think that you should take yourself out of your comfort zone and give some real truth to the storyline, otherwise you do a disservice to people watching. A storyline about sexual assault has to be dealt with correctly and I hope to God that I’ve done a good job.”
ITV
How important will Charity and Serena’s friendship be moving forwards?
“I love the bond they have. Initially Charity thought that she’d told her secrets to a complete stranger in this ethereal way, because they were out in the middle of nowhere together.
“Charity never thought she’d see Serena again, so when she bumped into her in the pub, it was such a shock. She worried that Sarah would find everything out, but Charity has now realised that she can trust Serena.”
How was it to say goodbye to Jack Downham, who played Noah, when he left the show recently?
“We couldn’t really cope with the fact that we were going to say goodbye. It’s emotional thinking about it, because we’ve gone on such a journey as friends and then obviously as a mother and son combo on screen.
“There’s nothing not to love about that human being. Everybody adores Jack. He’s got an energy that is just infectious. He’s just a gentle, wonderful soul and he’s bloody good. It was emotional filming but he had a lovely send-off and we already miss him!”
See a full Inside Soap interview with Emma in the new issue of the magazine, out now, containing exclusive photos with her and five other cast members. Votes for the Inside Soap Awards 2026 can be cast by clicking here.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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