List of ''Emmerdale'' characters (2000)

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera Emmerdale in 2000, by order of first appearance.

Gloria Weaver

Gloria Weaver (previously Pollard) is the fourth wife of Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell). She was portrayed by veteran actress Janice McKenzie and appeared on a recurring basis between 2000 and 2004.

Carlos Diaz

Carlos Diaz, portrayed by Gary Turner, made his first appearance on 9 March 2000. Turner departed the series 2001, but reprised the role for a guest stint in 2004.

Carlos arrives in the village as a chef and later begins a relationship with Nicola Blackstock (Nicola Wheeler). Carlos begins an affair with Nicola's half-sister, Bernice Thomas (Samantha Giles). Carlos proposes to Nicola when he thinks she is pregnant and she accepts. Bernice understands that Carlos is only in a relationship with Nicola because she is pregnant, but when she learns that this is not true, she is horrified and insists that Nicola tell Carlos. Angry at Nicola's lies, Carlos tells her about his relationship with Bernice and that she could be expecting his baby at their wedding. Nicola reacts badly and attacks Carlos with her bouquet, before telling the congregation about the affair, stunning her father Rodney Blackstock (Patrick Mower) and Bernice's husband, Ashley Thomas (John Middleton). The wedding is cancelled and Carlos leaves the village after learning that Ashley is the father of Bernice's child. Three years later, Carlos returns to the village, to Nicola's shock. He learns that Bernice has left the village and despite initially deciding to stay, he changes his mind and leaves again.

Cain Dingle

Charity Tate

Shadrach Dingle

Edna Birch

Bishop George Postlethwaite

George Postlethwaite, Bishop of Skipdale is the local bishop and Ashley Thomas' (John Middleton) boss. He has appeared from 2000 to 2010 and was often known as Bishop George.

When Ashley decides he wants to marry Laurel Potts (Charlotte Bellamy), George is against the marriage as he believes that Ashley is rushing into things. Ashley announced his resignation from the priesthood - so he could marry - to the shock of the Bishop. Ashley later withdraws his resignation, causing George to once again say that Ashley is quick to make decisions. Eventually, the Bishop gives his approval and marries the couple in November 2005. Among the ceremonies he has conducted include the marriage of Tom King (Ken Farrington) and Rosemary Sinclair (Linda Thorson) on Christmas Day 2006 and the baptism of the Hope twins in May 2007. He also appears to judge village competitions.

When the death of his housekeeper leaves George lonely, Laurel tries to matchmake him with Emily Kirk (Kate McGregor), despite the age gap between the two. While Emily and George spend more time with each other, he is persuading her to become a priest. In October 2008, Bishop George announces that Emmerdale's village church, St. Mary's, is to close due to low attendance at services. The congregation, organised by Nicola De Souza (Nicola Wheeler), start a village choir and enter a competition, where they win an effort award. However, the church is still to be sold to Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) and the last service will be on Christmas Day 2008. However, on Christmas Day, Nicola organises a sit-in at the Church and invites all the press including Calendar. This causes Eric to pull out of buying the site, and the Bishop tells Ashley the following day that he may continue services in the church until a new buyer is found. He returns in January to tell the Thomas' that the church has been bought and they must be prepared to leave. However, the following day the church's new owners, Mark (Maxwell Caulfield) and Natasha Wylde (Amanda Donohoe), give the church back to the community and Ashley keeps his job. In February 2009, he visits the village when Ashley and Laurel have to tell him that Jasmine Thomas (Jenna-Louise Coleman) has run away after murdering someone while Laurel is being charged with perverting the course of justice. He appears frequently appears during Sally Spode's (Siân Reeves) time in the village. Her husband was a vicar who he thought was abusing her so sent him to a health retreat. In 2010, he realises that it is Sally who is ruining the Thomas family's lives and apologises.

Bob Hope

Caleb Dingle

Caleb Dingle is the father of Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and the brother of Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell). He appeared in 2000 to reunite with his daughter.

Married firstly to Vera-Lynn, with whom he had Mandy, he remarried secondly and gained four stepsons.

Rodney Blackstock

Faith Dingle

Faith Dingle is the ex-wife of Shadrach Dingle (Andy Devine). She appeared in 2000 and 2004 played by Gillian Jephcott. In March 2016 it was announced that she would be returning, she made her return on 6 February 2017 this time played by Sally Dexter, however she was credited for the first couple of episodes simply as Woman in Barn as her identity was kept a secret.

The ex-wife of Shadrach, Faith is the mother of Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Chas (Lucy Pargeter), grandmother of Aaron (Danny Miller), Kyle (Huey Quinn) and Debbie (Charley Webb) and great-grandmother of Sarah (Katie Hill) and Jack. She had an affair with Shadrach's brother Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell), who is Cain's father. First appearing in 2000, Faith returns to Emmerdale in October 2004 for celebrations to mark Zak and his family's 10th anniversary in the village. She tries to get to know her granddaughter, Debbie, but Cain does not let her.

Faith and Shadrach's marriage was not a happy one, including many affairs and violence on both sides. Faith left her family when her children were young and did not see them again until they were in their twenties.

In February 2017, Faith is found hiding in the barn at Wishing Well Cottage and meets her great-granddaughter, Sarah, who has no idea who she is. She asks Sarah to keep her presence secret and to supply her with things. When Debbie becomes suspicious of Sarah's behaviour, Sarah takes her to meet Faith, only to find Faith has gone. At the B&B, Faith collapses in the bathroom and is found by Doug Potts (Duncan Preston), who calls an ambulance. When Faith is taken outside, she sees Cain and Chas, who are not pleased to see her. While in hospital it emerges that she is Sarah's benefactor, having made herself penniless by donating £20,000 for Sarah's cancer treatment. Faith is horrified when she discovers that Aaron was raped by his father when he was young and told him that he did the right thing to change his name to Dingle. At Aaron's wedding to Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), a woman arrives with the police and tells them that Faith murdered her father.

Faith later hosts a psychic night at The Woolpack, panicking Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney) who killed her husband James (Bill Ward) the previous year. Faith makes out as though she knows this after overhearing Emma confessing in church, however Emma realises that Faith cannot know the truth when Faith believes that James committed suicide. After an emotional heart-to-heart with Chas, Faith rejects a hug from her, leaving Chas furious and heartbroken. It is later revealed that Faith has had a double mastectomy after battling breast cancer.

In October 2018 it was revealed that Faith was the one to push Kim Tate (Claire King) down the stairs and into a Champagne Fountain after Kim bad mouthed the whole Dingle Clan. Faith was one of three suspects but was later confirmed to be the culprit after Charity Dingle confronted her after she accused her son Noah Tate of committing the crime.

Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap praised Faith's reintroduction, describing Faith as "a wonderfully wicked addition" and "fun, frivolours and feisty". She added, "we're under no illusion that she can also be an evil cow when she wants to be! Bring on the episode where we get the nitty-gritty on why her kids hate her so much..."^[1] In August 2017, Dexter was longlisted for "Best Newcomer" and "Funniest Female" at the Inside Soap Awards.^[2] Both nominations made the shortlist.^[3] Dexter did not win any awards.^[4] She was also nominated for the "Best Newcomer" accolade at The British Soap Awards 2017, however lost out to Coronation Street's Rob Mallard, who portrays Daniel Osbourne.^[5]

Chloe Atkinson

References