Emmerdale is a British soap opera that first aired on 16 October 1972. The following characters made or will make their debut in 2026. The first character to appear was Summer, a private investigator hired by Joe Tate. Clive, a cancer patient who meets Cain Dingle at a support group made an appearance in March. April saw the birth of Leyla Sugden, the adoptive child of Sarah and Jacob Sugden. Then in June, Angela Lonsdale joined as DS Reid, who will be followed by Serena Sugden, a new member of the long-standing Sugden family. Additionally, several other characters appear throughout the year.