Emmerdale spoilers from new boss with sad exit, dramatic stunts, new arrival and shock blast from past

Emmerdale's newest producer has promised dramatic stunts, a new arrival and a blast from the past for one couple. Sophie Roper has officially begun her new tenure at the helm of the ITV soap alongside fellow producer Laura Shaw.

It was announced in June that alongside Laura, Sophie will take creative responsibility for Emmerdale’s storytelling, casting and the production process. She has already been undertaking the role since April of this year when her predecessor Kate Brooks was appointed the new producer for Coronation Street.

It has meant she has moved from her previous role as a story producer for Emmerdale which she has held since joining ITV’s multi-award-winning Yorkshire-based soap in July 2016.

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Sophie commented last month as her new role was confirmed: "As a lifelong soap fan, I feel privileged to be part of such an iconic and well-loved programme and I'm thrilled to be taking the show forward as Producer, alongside an incredibly talented and dedicated team.

"Emmerdale truly is a special place both on and offscreen and as we embark on this next chapter, I look forward to bringing more bold and groundbreaking drama to the Dales."

Now, Sophie has revealed what Emmerdale fans can expect in the coming months, starting with a sad farewell for the Dingles. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Sophie said: "The Dingles have been at the heart of our show for 30 years now and will continue to be so.

"As many of you know, we lost Steve [Halliwell] recently so we're going to be marking Zak's passing in the coming months with a Dingle funeral." She added: "It's very difficult for a lot of people who work on the show and for a lot of our viewers who have grown and loved Zak for many, many years. But there will be a hugely fitting tribute to such an iconic character coming up."

But there is more than heartache in the Dingle world as Mandy Dingle and Paddy Kirk prepare to tie the knot - 25 years after they first said 'I Do'. Sophie said: "It is Mandy and Paddy so that is going to be filled with fun! We've had Mandy's dress made in-house by one of our dressmakers... it's going to be very Mandy so look out for the fun in and amongst all that with the Dingle clan."

Away from the long-standing characters, there are also some new and returning faces to look out for over the next few months. "I'm pleased to confirm we'll have Oliver Farnworth (previously Coronation Street and Hollyoaks) joining us as a new casting. He's coming into the show as a new Sugden.

"The Sugdens, just like the Dingles, are an iconic family group in Emmerdale and we're keen to cement them back in the show," Sophie told us. "So Oliver's a great new addition, incredibly talented, and we're very much looking forward to welcoming him and he's going to bring lots of drama to the Dales."

But it sounds like he won't be the only newcomer as Caleb and Ruby Milligan are going to be confronted with someone from their pre-Emmerdale life. Sophie said: "Caleb and Ruby have landed in the village and has a real impact but we don't know a huge amount and there's lots in terms of their history, particularly Ruby's, which is unknown.

"We're going to see a bit of a blast from their past come back and really give us some more about this complicated relationship between this husband and wife and also the complicated family dynamics we have there."

And as ever in soap land, the high-level drama will continue as Sophie teased: "As much as we've got the hard-hitting stories, we've got a lot of stunts coming up, some which we are filming this week. I'm not going to tell you too much but what I can tell you is there will be fire engines involved. It's going to be a really explosive week of Emmerdale."