Emmerdale star Lisa Riley has revealed that a big new storyline is on the way for her character Mandy Dingle.
The popular cast member shared some new spoilers while catching up with Digital Spy at an Inside Soap Awards photoshoot this month.
Mandy is already taking centre stage this week as she’s due to tie the knot with her fiancé Paddy in this Thursday’s hour-long episode (August 15).
Show bosses are keeping quiet about whether Paddy will still want to marry Mandy after he finds out about her secret side hustle as a ‘financial dominatrix’.
Lisa chatted to us while taking part in Emmerdale’s official nominees photoshoot for the Inside Soap Awards 2024.
Digital Spy went behind the scenes with the cast in Leeds as they posed for their glamorous photos, which appear in this week’s issue of Inside Soap.
Asked about Mandy’s future, Lisa told us: “The creativity that goes with the wedding is just unbelievable.
We spoke with Laura Shaw, the producer, about the script and we knew which way it was going.
“Without giving too much away, obviously Mandy wants her fairytale wedding. She wants her happily-ever-after. So fingers crossed it will all work out the way she planned it and Paddy will be very, very happy. But she’s been a bit naughty, hasn’t she?”
Looking ahead beyond that, Lisa shared that Zak Dingle’s upcoming funeral storyline will lead to a big bombshell for Mandy.
In future scenes, word reaches the village that Zak has sadly passed away. This storyline has been written in as a tribute to long-serving cast member Steve Halliwell, who passed away last December at the age of 77. He’d played Zak in the ITV soap since 1994.
Lisa continued: “Things get really, really busy. We’ve got our beloved tribute to Steve Halliwell. That’s going to take us all the way through up until Christmas and then there’s an actual storyline for Mandy, which is going to be a real [bombshell], off the back of that. That’s all I can say, but the viewers are going to be very, very shocked!”
Lisa is up for the Best Comic Performance prize at the Inside Soap Awards this year, while the Dingles are in the running for Best Family.
She told us: “It’s amazing to be nominated. I’m so flattered – you always are. It’s always the awards that are voted for by the public that mean the most.
“The writing for Mandy is just incredible. I can have one line in a six-page scene and it’s funny. Obviously working with Dominic [Brunt, who plays Paddy] again, we have this unbreakable bond together.
“So long may the comedy keep coming – it’s nice for the episodes. Although there might be some drama coming up for Mandy soon!”
Asked why Emmerdale should win Best Soap this year, Lisa replied: “I’m saying this as a viewer – I love watching Emmerdale. The scripts are great, the cast are great, it’s not a cliché but it’s a team.
“We have the crew, we all get on, we have banter on set and that comes through the screen. We’ve got a happy ship, the ship is sailing every day. You can’t fake that, you really can’t. It’s nice that we can bring the trophies back to Yorkshire where they belong!”
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Source: USA Today
