Former EastEnders star Joe Absolom joins Emmerdale cast

The 46-year-old will play Ray, an old contact of Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), in the ITV soap, having previously played Matthew Rose in BBC soap EastEnders from 1997 to 2000.

ITV says Ray will arrive at the farm claiming to be selling farm machinery, but it is not long before his true drug-dealing ways become clear.

Absolom said of his new role: “Well, what an honour to join such a talented team at Emmerdale. It’s an iconic show and I’m grateful to be part of it. I can’t wait to see what’s in stock for Ray.”

ITV says Absolom’s character will have a “calm and collected exterior” with a hidden “menacing streak”.

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said: “We are thrilled to welcome Joe Absolom to the cast. It’s fantastic to have such a high-calibre and immensely talented actor join our wonderful team to play the role of Ray.

“Charming, charismatic and effortlessly likeable, Ray is an extremely complex character who very quickly shows his dark and villainous side to some of our most loved villagers, leaving them in no doubt as to what he’s capable of.”

The actor also appeared as Al Large in the ITV comedy drama Doc Martin between 2004 and 2022, and most recently played the role of Braden Moore in Code of Silence.

It comes after ITV announced it was to air its first ever crossover between Coronation Street and Emmerdale, with fans able to vote for the characters they would like to see meet and interact.

The hour-long crossover episode will air in January 2026 as ITV and STV announce a new hour of soap schedule, which will see half hour Emmerdale episodes air at 8pm, followed by 30-minute episodes of Coronation Street at 8.30pm.