Emmerdale fans THRILLED to spot THIS familiar face in the village - and they already want the newcomer to STAY!

Emmerdale

Emmerdale fans are already calling for Cara Robinson to be made a regular character...

Tonight's Emmerdale saw Nate Robinson's mum, Cara, arrive in the village... but fans will recognise the actress as a former Family Affairs star, Carryl Thomas.

Long-time soap fans will remember Channel 5's soap Family Affairs, which aired between 1997 and 2005, and tonight actress Carryl, who played the soap character Kelly Boulter between 2003 and 2005, made a surprise appearance in Emmerdale.

Cara Robinson arrives in Emmerdale ITV

Eagle-eyed soap fans will recognise actress Carryl Thomas from Channel 5 soap Family Affairs (Picture: ITV)

The actresses swapped the suburbs of London for the Yorkshire Dales as she arrived in Emmerdale as Nate Robinson's much talked about mum, Cara. And she certainly didn't disappoint.

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Fans were loving her straight-talking, no nonsense attitude towards Cain Dingle as the pair came face to face again after more than two decades, and viewers were calling for the character to be made a new regular for the soap...

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Cara arrived in the village with a bang - quite literally - as she ran a drunk Moira over as she wandered into the path of her car.

Nate's mum was en route to visit him when the collision happened, and she soon did the honourable thing by taking an inebriated Moira to hospital to be checked over.

Drunk Moira in Emmerdale ITV

Moira's drinking got out of control tonight (Picture: ITV)

Of course the two women didn't know their connection until later on when Nate and Cain arrived at the hospital.

While Cain was only there because he was listed as Moira's next of kin, Nate was visiting along with Matty having been out searching for a missing Moira all day.

Drunk Moira in Emmerdale ITV

Cara ran Moira over after she drunkenly stumbled in front of her car (Picture: ITV)

But the last person Cain and Nate expected to bump into was Cara... and soon the penny dropped for Nate's mum as Moira revealed that had happened between them both.

As the true extent of what Nate has been up to since arriving in the village last year was revealed, Cara was far from happy and didn't hide the fact she was disappointed in her son for breaking up a family.

Cara Robinson arrives in Emmerdale ITV

Could there be romance on the cards for Cara and Cain? (Picture: ITV)

But while Cain made it very clear to Cara that he was fuming about her keeping the fact they had a son together a secret, fans also noticed there was still a spark between the pair.

Could soap bosses make fans wishes come true and bring Cara in as Cain's next love interest?

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.

Claire Crick
Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 


After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off


She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 


As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.