Emmerdale’s new villain confirms ‘dark’ twist for Dylan and says ‘intentions are bad’
Actor Joe Absolom has teased what to expect from his character, Ray
Dylan will be returning to the village soon(Image: ITV)
Emmerdale’s latest villain that will grace our screens this summer has confirmed that there will be a “dark” twist in store for Dylan Penders.
Actor Joe Absolom will be making his debut in the ITV soap as Ray, an old contact of Mackenzie’s. He’ll be arriving in the village this summer, claiming to be selling farm machinery but it’s not long before his true drug dealing ways become clear.
Emmerdale producer, Laura Shaw, teased: “We are thrilled to welcome Joe Absolom to the cast. It’s fantastic to have such a high calibre and immensely talented actor join our wonderful team to play the role of Ray.
“Charming, charismatic and effortlessly likeable, Ray is an extremely complex character who very quickly shows his dark and villainous side to some of our most loved villagers, leaving them in no doubt as to what he’s capable of”.
Viewers may recognise Joe from his wide range of roles including Doc Martin, The Bay and most recently playing the role of Braden Moore in Code of Silence.
Speaking about his new role, Joe shared: “Well what an honour to join such a talented team at Emmerdale! It’s an iconic show and I’m grateful to be part of it. I can’t wait to see what’s in stock for Ray!”
Joe Absolom will be making his Emmerdale debut this summer(Image: ITV)
The highly acclaimed actor spoke exclusively with Digital Spy as he teased what fans can expect from his new role.
He shared: “Well, the character is called Ray. He arrives in the village and he’s always got cash. So you’ve always got to be wary of someone with cash these days,” he explained.
“We don’t quite know why he’s got that cash yet and we’re going to find out slowly. But he starts talking to Dylan, played by Fred Kettle. So I do a lot of scenes with Fred and Amelia Flanagan, who plays April.”
Dylan was first introduced earlier this year when April Windsor ran away from home after finding out she was pregnant. She befriended Dylan, but he recently did a stint in rehab to overcome her drug addiction.
Joe hinted that Ray’s arrival could look more into Dylan’s drug use, as he heads straight for Lewis Barton’s cannabis farm.
He added: “That’s what Ray is there for. That’s what we’re entering into. So I think his intentions are bad, at the minute.”
Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
