ITV Emmerdale star teases 'big plans' for newcomer Ella Forster amid soap debut

Emmerdale welcomed a newcomer on Tuesday night, Ella Forster, who is played by actress Paula Lane, as the new character made a dramatic debut in the village

Emmerdale welcomed a feisty newcomer on Tuesday night as new character Ella Forster made her village debut.

During the latest episode, Mandy Dingle arrived at the vets social, dressed in an extravagant Elizabeth Hurley inspired outfit complete with safety pins. However, it wasn't long until loud-mouthed managing director, Jules, rudely teased her about her black dress, leaving her blood boiling.

Things went from bad to worse when partner Paddy Kirk pandered to him and refused to introduce Mandy as his girlfriend. Later, Paddy opened up to Mandy about his insecurities around Jules, leaving his girlfriend hurt but she decided to support him at the event nevertheless.

But it wasn't long until Mandy overheard Jules lambasting his PA, Ella, to which Mandy consoled her. Later, when Jules made some more rude comments about Mandy, a furious Ella poured a drink over him declaring she was quitting her job. Returning to the group, Paddy mistakenly blamed Mandy for the chaos, leaving his girlfriend both humiliated and devastated.

After being told that it was Ella responsible for the commotion, Paddy rushed after Mandy, who refused to forgive him and pointed out he would never have treated his ex Chas Dingle like this, demanding that he leave. It remains to be seen what happens next but Mandy star Lisa Riley has teased her character and Ella's, played by Paula Lane, future.

Taking to Instagram, Lisa, 47, posted a picture of the duo's Tuesday scenes, writing: "Here's to plenty more Mandy and Ella fun" with a series of clapping emojis. It was revealed last year that former Coronation Street star Paula, 37, who played Kylie Platt on the cobbles, would be joining Emmerdale.

The ITV soap teased: "Paula’s character is compassionate and caring Ella Forster. Ella soon 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."

Talking about her new role, Paula 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!"

While producer Kate Brooks added: "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."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. *Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.