Emmerdale boss confirms another unexpected return – and chaos ensues
Emmerdale boss Laura Shaw has confirmed the return of Fred Kettle as Dylan Penders.
The homeless friend of April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) will return to the ITV soap in the coming months, bringing ‘huge problems’ with him.
As viewers, will remember, Dylan was one of the people April lived with in a Leeds squat when she disappeared from her family home last year. He’d kept an eye out for her after being approached by a stranger, and helped her to survive on the streets.
It became clear to April that her new mate was selling his body to support his drug habit, and was arrested when police raided their derelict house.
When he was released, April was keen to see him – with dad Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) following. He was convinced that Dylan would be a bad influence on his daughter, but reluctantly allowed him to stay in the village.
When Ketamine went missing from the neighbouring vet’s practice, the blame was instantly put on the teen and he returned to his life in Leeds.
Marlon caught up with him in hospital after an overdose and offered to pay for private rehabilitation – as long as he stayed away from April.
Guilt-ridden, Marlon later confessed the truth to her – that he had planted the drugs in Dylan’s pocket to make it seem like he was the thief – and she spiralled.
Stealing drugs from the vets, she overdosed and was rushed into hospital.
Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) attempted to build a bridge in her family, ordering them both to make amends.
She reminded the father and daughter that other people live in the same house as them, and the constant bickering needs to stop. They both apologised, but Marlon’s concern was only intensified.
It seems his worries are justified, as producer Laura Shaw confirmed to us the next stage in the storyline.
‘Fred Kettle, who plays Dylan, is coming back to the show’ she said.
‘We’ve got a couple of exciting new castings for that story, but I’ve been told I’m not allowed to tell you yet.’
Teasing even more, she added: ‘Watch this space.’
But what brings Dylan back to Emmerdale, and how will Marlon react?
