October 16th 2024.
Unfortunately, Debbie Dingle won't be able to attend her grandfather Zak's funeral, but Emmerdale has given us an update on her absence. As we all know, this week the villagers are mourning the loss of the beloved Dingle legend, which is a reflection of real life actor Steve Halliwell's passing last year. It's been a tough week for the Dingles, with Cain returning from Scotland early after visiting his father, who had been living off-screen with Debbie for some time. Moira received a heartbreaking call from Debbie, informing her that Zak had passed away. According to Debbie, Zak had a wonderful morning poaching and passed away peacefully with a smile on his face.
Zak's death has left the family and friends heartbroken, and they all gathered at Wishing Well Cottage to share their memories. Meanwhile, Charity was desperately trying to reach her grieving daughter in Scotland. In tonight's episode, we found out that Debbie was struggling the most as she was the one who found Zak's body. The Emmerdale cast paid tribute to Steve Halliwell and Zak Dingle, remembering him fondly.
Cain, played by Jeff Hordley, reflected on filming the funeral episode and shared that there were some poignant moments. However, off-camera, they made sure to have some laughs, as Steve always enjoyed a good giggle behind the camera. Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, also shared her thoughts on the production of the episode. The whole process was nostalgic for the Dingle family, with the producer Laura and scriptwriter Peter Kerry being part of the development team for the Dingles many years ago. The director, Jeff Naylor, also directed Steve's first ever episode as Zak. It was a blessing for the family to have so many familiar faces involved in the episode.
Lucy Pargeter, who portrays Chas Dingle, reminisced about her time working with Steve. She described it as being in nursery every day, with Steve as their head teacher, always encouraging them to have fun. James Hooton, who plays Sam Dingle, shared some fun memories of Zak's character, including the time they tried to convince people that a crying Elvis doll was a crying Mary Magdalene. He also mentioned the ridiculous storyline of trying to send Butch into orbit, but they always tried to make it believable and have fun with it.
Eden Taylor-Draper, who plays Belle Dingle, described Steve as the funniest man ever. She saw him as a father figure, best friend, stand-up comedian, and counselor, all rolled into one. She believes that Steve's spirit lives on through the Dingle family, as they all have traits of his, whether it's their sense of humor or things they bond over.
In the episode, Cain and Sam drove back up North to bring their dad home, while Moira explained to their son Matty why Debbie won't be attending the funeral. She simply can't face it and would rather remember Zak as he was. This news worried Moira, as Cain needed his family's support during this difficult time. When the brothers returned, they revealed that they had to transport Zak's casket in the Dingle van, as per Zak's request to be buried within 48 hours of his passing.
The whole family gathered at Wishing Well to remember Zak and honor his wishes for the funeral ceremony. Want to stay updated on all the latest soap spoilers? Join Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community with over 10,000 fans and get access to exclusive interviews, must-watch videos, and spoiler galleries. You can simply click on the link and join the chat. Don't forget to turn on notifications, so you never miss out on the latest updates.
Cain also shared some of his father's instructions for the ceremony, including being laid to rest on Wishing Well farmland with a rowan tree planted at his head, which he believed would ward off his ex-wife Nellie. Now that we know Debbie won't be returning to the village, it's anyone's guess who the mystery person is at the graveside in tomorrow's episode. With such a big family, it could be anyone.
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