Emmerdale actress Emma Atkins has declared the upcoming 'Corriedale' crossover episode will be 'spectacular in the best and worst way', as her character Charity Dingle finds herself at the heart of the chaos.
Charity Dingle's Ticking Timebomb
Charity Dingle, played by Emma Atkins, is described as the soap's 'premier problematic Queen'. Her current storyline is a tangled web of deception that even by her own dramatic standards is a significant mess. Charity is currently pregnant, but not with the embryo she agreed to carry as a surrogate for her granddaughter, Sarah Sugden, and Jacob Gallagher. The baby is also not her husband Mack Boyd's.
Instead, the child is the result of a one-night stand with former lover Ross Barton. Charity is pretending to everyone, especially Sarah, that the pregnancy is from the successful embryo transfer. Only her sister Chas Dingle knows the full truth. Her ex-girlfriend Vanessa Woodfield knows the baby might not be Sarah's, but Charity let her believe it was Mack's. Ross Barton himself is convinced he is the father, leading Charity to forge a paternity document to shut down his suspicions, all while he befriends her husband Mack.
'A Manic Chase' in Corriedale
This immense pressure is the backdrop as Charity is confirmed to play a major role in the highly anticipated 'Corriedale' crossover event, which unites the worlds of Emmerdale and Coronation Street. The episode, set to air in December 2025, promises an 'unlimited carnage' and will usher in a new ITV 'power hour' of soap.
Speaking about the announcement, Emma Atkins told Metro: 'We all wanted to be in it! Luckily with my character, she’s fully involved, in a manic chase to the airport. I was thrilled to be part of it.' She praised the production, stating, 'I’ve seen little snippets and I have to say, we’re in safe hands. We’ve got a brilliant production team, the stuff I’ve seen, it’s like a film!'
An 'Unimaginable' Character Cross
The crossover will see unlikely pairings, with one confirmed interaction between Charity and Coronation Street's pregnant Shona Platt, played by Julia Goulding. A released trailer shows Charity calling for help while trying to comfort a distressed Shona.
Reflecting on the scene, Atkins said: 'It was really moving. As Emma, I got to watch Julia and Jack (P. Shepherd) pull off some hugely emotional stuff. Being in the room watching them, I was like wow! They are awesome.'
When asked how she believes the audience will react to the explosive episode, the actress did not hold back. 'I think the audience is going to be devastated and mind-blown,' she said. 'It’s going to be spectacular in the best and worst way.' With Charity's secret life on the verge of exposure, viewers can expect the dramatic fallout to be central to the crossover's action when it airs.
