Mark Charnock gave insight into what his Emmerdale character Marlon Dingle's story will entail coming up to the show's 50th anniversary.
Emmerdale is set to celebrate an incredible milestone in October that few soaps get to enjoy. Airing for 50 years, the village residents are gearing up for a week they'll never forget.
Over the last few months, viewers have watched as scandal, murder and heartache plagued the village. Meena was sent down for her crimes but the likes of Faith Dingle is still having to battle her terminal cancer and Marlon Dingle also suffered a stroke which has left him physically disabled.
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To prepare for the role, Marlon's actor Mark Charnock underwent rigorous training and personal support from the Stroke Association to ensure the character's development had authenticity. Speaking to The ECHO, Mark said: "It's been an amazing journey.
"I was blessed because I know when they were doing this storyline they could've picked any number of characters so I was thrilled and daunted they chose Marlon. By then they had already done volumes of research. They were doing day-to-day breakdowns of how it would impact a character's life."
With Marlon and Rhona's wedding just around the corner, the character has worried he won't be able to walk down the aisle like he promised her. When asked how the character's stroke will affect the big day, actor Mark said: "It will affect it quite profoundly because he's always a health risk given what he's been through.
"If he gets over excited or over tired it could happen to him again. It's such a page-turner. It's really moving."
The ECHO also asked what the show had in store for Marlon for the 50th anniversary. Mark has been with Emmerdale for over 25 years, first appearing back in 1996.
Mark said: "The whole thing about Marlon right now is how he progresses as close to a person can get to getting back to themself. Once he had the stroke he was almost an outline of the person he used to be and he's trying to sketch himself back together.
"Without giving too much away, there is some progress but there are some knockbacks. The 50th episodes are jaw-dropping."
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