Jaye Griffiths is joining Emmerdale in a role that’s already drawing fire—and she’s bringing guard dogs. The veteran stage and screen actress boards the long-running ITV1 and ITVX soap as Celia, a neighboring tenant farmer whose arrival throws the local community into turmoil.
Celia rents land from Kim Tate—never one to back a quiet hire—but it’s Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb) who clocks the red flags first, refusing to rent her fields to the newcomer. Moira’s early wariness proves prescient when Paddy (Dominic Brunt) is mauled and hospitalized following an encounter with one of Celia’s dogs. And that’s just her first week.
While producer Laura Shaw describes the character as having “a tough edge with an air of respectability,” insiders say Celia will waste no time shaking up the village’s fragile alliances—particularly among Emmerdale’s entrenched farming clans. With the Bartons and Sugdens still operating inside the show’s agricultural sphere, Celia’s arrival signals more than just fresh livestock—it’s a strategic disruption.
Griffiths called the character “unlike anyone I’ve played before,” hinting at a darker dynamic in the works. If early episodes are any indicator, the village may be in for more than just territorial disputes.
