Emmerdale is set for explosive upcoming scenes as Jai's mother, Georgia Sharma, is making a return to "ruffle feathers" on the eve of her son's wedding to Laurel Thomas.
Originally played by The Bill star Trudie Goodwin, the role has been recast and will now be played by former EastEnders actress, Lin Blakley.
Soap fans will recall that Lin, 75, played Pam Coker in the BBC One soap from 2014 until 2022.
In the upcoming Emmerdale scenes, Georgia speaks her mind and ex-husband Rishi (Bhasker Patel), son Jai (Chris Bisson) and Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) are instantly at the mercy of her harsh opinions.
While things will be awkward with Jai, who is still not speaking to Rishi, as he’s understandably furious he kept the secret of his adoption from him.
Rishi is still unable to admit to Jai who his real father is, and there appears to be no attempt to reconcile.
With the wedding day looming and the rift between Rishi and Jai showing no signs of abating, will Georgia be able to heal this fractured family?
Producer Kate Brook explained of the storyline: "We're thrilled to have an actor of Lin's calibre step into the role of the formidable Georgia.
"A force to be reckoned with, she'll have a secret for the Sharmas that could potentially blow their world apart."
While Lin Blakley added: "How lucky am I to play such a strong character as Georgia. So different from roles I’ve played of late.
"I have enjoyed every single minute. Gorgeous cast and crew!! And the gorgeous Dales. Thank you Emmerdale."
It comes as Emmerdale announced that actor Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana will be joining the ITV soap.
The Bay actor will be taking on the role of "confident" and "magnetic" cousin Suni and the latter's arrival leaves the Sharma family surprised.
Suni will make his appearance ahead of Jai's nuptials to Laurel and it soon transpires Rishi has not seen his nephew for some time.
Rishi is delighted when he turns up unannounced for his cousin Jai’s wedding and is privately hopeful Suni's arrival can help restore the equilibrium in his relationship with Jai.
With Jai’s wedding days away, could the arrival of Suni be just the ticket to restore harmony?
Suni may also prove a pleasant distraction for recently single Nicky, played by Lewis Cope…
Executive Producer Jane Hudson said: "Suni arrives just in time for the wedding of his cousin Jai to Laurel but it’s Nicky who soon is making the most of his arrival.
"We are delighted to have Brahm join the Emmerdale family. He certainly hits the ground running as we throw him right into the heart of a big Sharma story."
While Brahmdeo added: "I’m delighted to join the Emmerdale family. Having watched the show with my mum and dad growing up it feels surreal. I’m so grateful to everyone here for making me feel so welcome.
"Confident, magnetic and very fashion conscious Suni looks forward to injecting some flair to the Emmerdale village. He’s not afraid to be his true self and go after what (and who) he wants.
"I think what Emmerdale does brilliantly is making sure there’s accurate representation of real people and telling their authentic stories.
"Bringing a wonderful character like Suni to life on a continuing drama is incredibly important to me as it gives exposure to a demographic which is sadly still under-represented so I truly hope to do him justice, and thank Emmerdale and it’s fans for the privilege."
Brahmdeo will be on screen in the coming weeks and Emmerdale viewers will recognise him from ITV’s The Bay, where he played Saif Rahman.
The actor, who has also appeared in films Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Enola Holmes 2, is also known for his popular online sketches on his social media accounts.
Emmerdale continues on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV and ITVX.
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