List of recurring and minor Emmerdale characters

Ever since the first episode, there have been thousands of characters who have appeared on the show in a minor, guest or recurring role. They still have a role on the show today, whether it be a member of the emergency services, a friend of a regular character or someone who only passes by the village briefly.

The first
"See also: 1972 minor characters"

The first ever minor character was Alec Saunders (played by Alan Tucker), who appeared in Episode 1 and was never seen again. The first recurring character was the role of Barney, a postman who was regularly seen drinking in The Woolpack. Played by George Malpas, Barney appeared intermittently between 1972 and 1978.

Police
Police play a pivotal role in the show, as many of the characters find themselves in trouble, or in harm's way. And so it is up to the police to come to the village and sort things out. A great number of officers, detectives, sergeants and inspectors have returned to Emmerdale time and time again, with some villagers even getting to know their names, and vice versa. Other characters, such as Abi Peterson and Nancy Ryan are not just used for their job but are active players in storylines.

PC Mike Swirling, who has appeared sporadically since 2004, is one of the longest running minor characters and with well over a hundred appearances to date. The recurring officer with the most appearances is Ian MacArthur, who appeared in 182 episodes between 1980 and 1993.

Some of the officers who have appeared multiple times include:

Medical professionals
Doctors, nurses, paramedics and GPs are all typical character types that return to care for regular characters. Dr Cavanagh was a minor character that was promoted to a regular in 2018. Doctor Jermaine Bailey was another character who appeared for a few months before also being promoted to a regular character for the whole of 2016 before he left.

Fire services
Firefighters are also vital in the 'minor character' category and show up whenever there's a fire. They are less used than the police or medical characters and so there is less chance of returning characters. Recurring and minor characters who happen to be firefighters include Jez Hudson, an unnamed fire officer (played by Phil Croft) and Ted Barker.

Romantic interests
Some minor characters arrive in the form of a romantic partner of an already established character. Sometimes these can transform into fully-fledged regular characters too, but others act as a plot device. Good examples of these characters include Alex Mason, Flynn Buchanan and Ed Roberts, who were all linked to Aaron Dingle.

Family
"See also: Families"

Some recurring characters happen to be related to regular characters, which is a good excuse for sporadic visits.

The Dingles
"See also: Dingle family"

The Dingle family are one of the most popular, and probably biggest, families on Emmerdale''. ''Many members of the family have appeared as main characters, with numerous still in it. However, the show has always found a way to explore the extended family appearing in minor, guest or recurring roles. The Dingles who have appeared in a smaller capacity are:

Longest runnning minor characters
"See also: List of longest running characters"

List of prolific minor characters
"See also: List of appearances"