Paula Lane joins ‘Emmerdale’ and will appear on screen in January 2024

Former ‘Coronation Street’ actress Paula Lane has joined the cast of ITV’s ‘Emmerdale’ it has been announced.

Due to make her debut in January 2024, Lane will play the caring and compassionate Ella Forster. Ella finds herself out of a job when she sticks up for Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) who’s attending a Veterinary Ball with her partner Paddy. 

Far from a pushover, luck is soon to come Ella’s way when a chance encounter with Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) opens up an opportunity. And it’s not long before Ella is turning heads in the village.

Lane has a wealth of television and theatre credits to her name and is best-known for her role as Kylie Platt in ‘Coronation Street’. 

Reflecting on her new role, Paula Lane said: “I’m so excited to be joining the cast of ‘Emmerdale’. Everyone has been so welcoming and I can’t wait to start a new chapter playing the role of Ella. I’ve already heard there are big plans for her and I can’t wait to see her navigate a new life in the village and hopefully make some friends!”

Producer Kate Brooks said: “Ella is a complex and multi-layered character who comes to the village and certainly makes an impact. Ostensibly she’s a good, moral character, but is there more to her than meets the eye? We are absolutely thrilled to welcome an actor of Paula’s calibre to the show and we can’t wait to have her light up our screens.”

Lane begins filming this month. ‘Emmerdale’ airs weekday nights at 7.30pm on ITV and ITVX.