Annie Sugden , the longest running character.
The following is a list of the top 100 longest serving Emmerdale characters who have been featured in the show as of 31st January 2020 . It only includes appearances within the main programme and not the spin -offs .
The list is sorted by default in the order of time between first and last appearances of a character in years and months. Some guest characters, who only made short-term appearances which would otherwise allow them to be included in this list such as Thomas King , PC Mike Swirling and Sandra Flaherty are excluded.
Some characters who have had more than one actor, such as Jack Sugden , Tom Merrick and Priya Kotecha are indicated by a • in the Actor column. The actor listed in each case is whoever played the character most recently.
Please note: A '#' in the Most recent appearance column indicated that a character is still in the show.
#
Name
Actor
First Appearance
Most recent appearance
Time between first and last appearance
1
Annie Sugden
Sheila Mercier
16th October 1972
10th February 2009
36 years, 4 months
2
Jack Sugden
Clive Hornby •
16th October 1972
21st February 2008
35 years, 4 months
3
Robert Sugden
Ryan Hawley •
22nd April 1986
1st November 2019
33 years, 7 months
4
Eric Pollard
Christopher Chittell
30th September 1986
#
33 years, 4 months
5
Alan Turner
Richard Thorp
23rd March 1982
4th June 2013
31 years, 3 months
6
Kim Tate
Claire King
12th December 1989
#
30 years, 1 month
7
Seth Armstrong
Stan Richards
16th May 1978
24th December 2004
26 years, 7 months
8
Victoria Sugden
Isabel Hodgins •
31st March 1994
#
25 years, 10 months
9
Zak Dingle
Steve Halliwell
20th October 1994
#
25 years, 3 months
10
Sam Dingle
James Hooton
14th February 1995
#
24 years, 11 months
11
Mandy Dingle
Lisa Riley
20th July 1995
#
24 years, 6 months
12
Jamie Tate
Alexander Lincoln •
24th September 1996
#
23 years, 4 months
12
Joe Tate
Ned Porteous •
13th June 1995
30th October 2018
23 years, 4 months
14
Marlon Dingle
Mark Charnock
17th October 1996
#
23 years, 3 months
15
Paddy Kirk
Dominic Brunt
20th February 1997
#
22 years, 11 months
16
Lisa Dingle
Jane Cox
13th August 1996
6th June 2019
22 years, 10 months
17
Amos Brearly
Ronald Magill
16th October 1972
6th July 1995
22 years, 9 months
18
Joe Sugden
Frazer Hines
16th October 1972
11th August 1994
21 years, 10 months
19
Betty Eagleton
Paula Tilbrook
12th April 1994
25th December 2015
21 years, 8 months
20
Ashley Thomas
John Middleton
5th December 1996
9th February 2018
21 years, 2 months
21
Belle Dingle
Eden Taylor-Draper •
25th December 1998
#
21 years, 1 month
21
Donna Windsor
Verity Rushworth •
26th August 1993
9th September 2014
21 years, 1 month
21
Terence Turner
Nick Brimble •
30th April 1985
21st May 2006
21 years, 1 month
24
Bernice Blackstock
Samantha Giles
25th November 1998
28th November 2019
21 years
25
Michael Feldmann
Matthew Vaughan
13th February 1990
4th January 2011
20 years, 11 months
26
Diane Sugden
Elizabeth Estensen
23rd November 1999
#
20 years, 2 months
27
Andy Sugden
Kelvin Fletcher
4th July 1996
16th August 2016
20 years, 1 month
28
Kathy Brookman
Malandra Burrows
26th November 1985
1st November 2005
20 years
29
Charity Dingle
Emma Atkins •
30th March 2000
#
19 years, 10 months
29
Cain Dingle
Jeff Hordley •
30th March 2000
#
19 years, 10 months
31
Bob Hope
Tony Audenshaw
19th September 2000
#
19 years, 4 months
32
Rodney Blackstock
Patrick Mower
24th October 2000
#
19 years, 3 months
33
Nicola King
Nicola Wheeler
10th January 2001
#
19 years
34
Faith Dingle
Sally Dexter •
30th November 2000
25th October 2019
18 years, 11 months
35
Henry Wilks
Arthur Pentelow
16th October 1972
29th August 1991
18 years, 10 months
36
Rhona Goskirk
Zoe Henry
17th September 2001
#
18 years, 4 months
37
Gabby Thomas
Rosie Bentham •
25th December 2001
#
18 years, 1 month
38
Kelly Windsor
Adele Silva
10th August 1993
27th May 2011
17 years, 9 months
39
Shadrach Dingle
Andy Devine
30th March 2000
17th November 2017
17 years, 8 months
40
Viv Hope
Deena Payne
10th August 1993
13th January 2011
17 years, 5 months
41
Laurel Thomas
Charlotte Bellamy •
3rd September 2002
#
17 years, 4 months
42
Chas Dingle
Lucy Pargeter •
16th October 2002
#
17 years, 3 months
43
Matt Skilbeck
Frederick Pyne
16th October 1972
7th December 1989
17 years, 2 months
44
Debbie Dingle
Charley Webb
24th December 2002
#
17 years, 1 month
45
Jackie Merrick
Ian Sharrock •
21st November 1972
16th August 1989
16 years, 9 months
46
Pearl Ladderbanks
Meg Johnson
30th July 2003
#
16 years, 6 months
46
Sandie Merrick
Jane Hutcheson •
21st November 1972
11th May 1989
16 years, 6 months
48
Aaron Dingle
Danny Miller •
24th December 2003
#
16 years, 1 month
49
Carly Hope
Gemma Atkinson •
13th June 2001
2nd June 2017
16 years
49
Donald Hinton
Hugh Manning
25th October 1977
28th October 1993
16 years
51
Jimmy King
Nick Miles
19th February 2004
#
15 years, 11 months
51
Terry Woods
Billy Hartman
2nd February 1995
13th January 2011
15 years, 11 months
51
Marian Rosetti
Gail Harrison •
16th October 1972
1st September 1988
15 years, 11 months
54
Noah Dingle
Jack Downham •
1st March 2004
#
15 years, 10 months
55
Zoe Tate
Leah Bracknell
12th December 1989
22nd September 2005
15 years, 9 months
56
Caroline Bates
Diana Davies
21st February 1984
5th August 1999
15 years, 6 months
57
Edna Birch
Shirley Stelfox
25th May 2000
26th October 2015
15 years, 5 months
58
Tom Merrick
Jack Carr •
6th November 1972
10th February 1988
15 years, 3 months
59
Nick Bates
Cy Chadwick
26th November 1985
30th September 1999
14 years, 10 months
60
Sarah Sugden Jr.
Katie Hill •
6th June 2005
#
14 years, 7 months
61
Dolly Skilbeck
Jean Rogers •
22nd February 1977
15th August 1991
14 years, 6 months
62
Samson Dingle
Sam Hall •
12th January 2006
#
14 years
63
Val Pollard
Charlie Hardwick
1st February 2004
25th December 2017
13 years, 10 months
63
Christopher Tate
Peter Amory
14th November 1989
18th September 2003
13 years, 10 months
63
Janie Harker
Lesley Duff •
27th November 1972
9th September 1986
13 years, 10 months
66
Pat Sugden
Helen Weir •
6th November 1972
26th August 1986
13 years, 9 months
67
Katie Sugden
Sammy Winward
18th July 2001
9th February 2015
13 years, 7 months
68
Scott Windsor
Ben Freeman •
10th August 1993
14th January 2007
13 years, 5 months
69
David Metcalfe
Matthew Wolfenden
26th November 2006
#
13 years, 2 months
70
Cathy Hope
Gabrielle Dowling •
9th February 2007
#
12 years, 11 months
70
Heath Hope
Sebastian Dowling •
9th February 2007
#
12 years, 11 months
72
Doug Potts
Duncan Preston •
30th April 2007
#
12 years, 9 months
73
Sarah Sugden
Alyson Spiro •
7th April 1988
16th November 2000
12 years, 7 months
74
Arthur Thomas
Alfie Clarke •
26th August 2007
#
12 years, 5 months
75
Sandy Thomas
Freddie Jones
6th November 2005
19th February 2018
12 years, 3 months
76
Sam Pearson
Toke Townley
16th October 1972
22nd November 1984
12 years, 1 month
77
Elsa Chappell
Natasha Gray •
8th February 1990
12th December 2001
11 years, 10 months
78
Brenda Walker
Lesley Dunlop
2nd April 2008
#
11 years, 9 months
79
Biff Fowler
Stuart Wade
10th March 1994
1st November 2005
11 years, 8 months
80
Leyla Harding
Roxy Shahidi
11th August 2008
#
11 years, 5 months
81
Steph Stokes
Lorraine Chase
3rd September 2002
30th October 2013
11 years, 1 month
82
Paul Lambert
Mathew Bose
10th September 2004
2nd September 2015
11 years
83
Alice Bates
Rachel Tolboys •
14th February 1991
12th December 2001
10 years, 10 months
84
Rachel Hughes
Glenda McKay
7th September 1988
12th May 1999
10 years, 8 months
85
Moira Dingle
Natalie J Robb
17th July 2009
#
10 years, 6 months
85
Matty Barton
Ash Palmisciano •
17th July 2009
#
10 years, 6 months
87
Angelica King
Rebecca Bakes •
6th August 2009
#
10 years, 5 months
88
Jai Sharma
Christopher Bisson
11th September 2009
#
10 years, 4 months
88
Priya Kotecha
Fiona Wade •
14th September 2009
#
10 years, 4 months
90
Billy Hopwood
David Crellin
3rd July 1997
19th October 2007
10 years, 3 months
90
Edward Ruskin
George Little
5th February 1973
24th May 1983
10 years, 3 months
92
Bill Middleton
Johnny Caesar
28th February 1984
1st March 1994
10 years, 1 month
92
Archie Brooks
Tony Pitts
15th November 1983
30th December 1993
10 years, 1 month
94
Eve Jenson
Suzanne Shaw •
31st August 2001
2nd August 2011
10 years
95
Lady Tara Thornfield
Anna Brecon
31st July 1997
28th May 2007
9 years, 10 months
96
Jacob Gallagher
Joe-Warren Plant
12th August 2010
#
9 years, 5 months
96
Emma Nightingale
Rachel Ambler
19th January 1995
1st June 2004
9 years, 5 months
98
Amy Wyatt
Natalie Ann Jamieson •
8th October 2010
#
9 years, 3 months
99
Elliot Windsor
Luca Hoyle •
28th March 2011
#
8 years, 10 months
99
Emily Kirk
Kate McGregor
5th May 1999
6th March 2008
8 years, 10 months
99
Albert Dingle
Bobby Knutt
21st December 1995
21st October 2004
8 years, 10 months
99
Jock MacDonald
Drew Dawson
3rd November 1981
18th September 1990
8 years, 10 months
