Sian Reeves joins Emmerdale

Sian Reeves joins Emmerdale (Image credit: PA Archive/Press Association Ima)

Sian Reeves is swapping the Scottish springs for the Yorkshire Dales as she joins the cast of Emmerdale. The Cutting It star will play Sally Spode, an old flame of Rev Ashley Thomas, and she's sure to cause tension between Laurel - who takes an instant dislike to her - and Ashley when she arrives in the Dales at the end of August. "I'm delighted to be joining such a celebrated show and looking forward to filming my first scenes," she admitted. "Sally was Ashley's first love and he is a bit unnerved to see her in the village." The show's producer, Gavin Blyth, is thrilled that Sian will be joining the award-winning soap. "We're delighted to welcome an actress of Sian's calibre to the show," he said. "We have a great story coming up for Laurel and Ashley and Sian's character will be right in the thick of the action, as the strength of their marriage is put to the test with unusual yet dramatic consequences." Sian, who has signed a six-month contract with Emmerdale, is currently starring in BBC1 drama Hope Springs opposite Alex Kingston. Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's new weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.