There’s no doubt 2022 will live long in the memory with Emmerdale celebrating its 50th anniversary through some major storylines and shock exits while soap villain Meena Jutla, played by Paige Sandhu, finally got her comeuppance.
As well as murderous Meena's reign of terror, the explosive milestone month in October also saw the loss of several cast favourites as a deadly storm swarmed the village.
As we come to the end of an unforgettable year we have taken a moment to look back on all of the cast members we have loved and lost this year, along with any newcomers for 2023.
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Who has left Emmerdale in 2022?
The following characters have departed Emmerdale this year.
- Gavin
- Ellis Chapman
- DS Rogers
- Carol Butler
- Meena Jutla
- Jason Denshaw
- Alex Moore
- Kit
- Sandra Flaherty
- Faith Dingle
- PC Harriet Finch
- Liv Dingle
- Diane Sugden
- Tracy Metcalfe (temporarily)
- Aaron Dingle
- Al Chapman
- Kerry Wyatt (temporarily)
- Vanessa Woodfield (temporarily)
Who is leaving in 2023?
Fiona Wade, who is known for playing Priya Sharma on the ITV soap, is reportedly set to depart her role in early 2023, with her exit storyline currently being kept under wraps. It has been reported that after 11 years she will leave the show to "pursue other acting roles".
Priya has been involved in a number of other prominent storylines, including an arranged marriage and battling an eating disorder.
Fiona has Emmerdale to thank for her career - but the soap also provided the setting for her to meet her future husband, who appeared on the show in 2017.
Simon Cotton played the role of Home Farm client Hugh Bryant and while his character didn't hang around the Dales for too long, he made a long lasting impact on Fiona.
Despite the fact they only shared one scene together, there was clearly chemistry between Fiona and Simon who went for dinner before embarking on a relationship. They went public with their romance in 2018 and are now engaged.
Who is arriving in the village?
Acclaimed actor, Will Ash, joined the Dingle family this Christmas, playing Caleb Miligan, a well connected, successful businessman.
There was a surprise in store for Cain, played by Jeff Hordley, when his long lost brother Caleb turned up unannounced. However, it was far from a happy festive reunion as Caleb had lots of difficult questions he wanted Cain to answer.
Caleb’s arrival is set to make things even worse between warring siblings, Cain and Chas (Lucy Pargeter). It soon becomes clear that Cain has kept Caleb’s existence a secret from her since they were teenagers.
Calm and in control, rich and successful, at first glance Caleb is everything his brother isn't, but will the pair find they have more in common than they thought? What secrets from the past will come back to haunt them and how will the rest of the family react when Caleb strolls into town?
His arrival certainly promises to shake things up for the Dingles and make 2023 start off with a huge bang! Will has a variety of other television and film credits, most notably playing the roles of Christopher Mead in Waterloo Road and Steve Robinson in Clocking Off.
Will said: “I’m thrilled to be joining such an iconic show. Emmerdale is packed full of fantastic actors and I'm really looking forward to working alongside them. Caleb is a fantastically complex character and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
As ever, we'll continue to bring you the big Emmerdale news about what is happening in the village. You can visit our Emmerdale homepage to find the latest gossip about the soap and its stars.
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