JOY for soap fans as THIS Coronation Street favourite joins Emmerdale

There are two familiar faces heading to Emmerdale - and soap fans will recongise one as being a Coronation Street favourite...

Emmerdale fans are in for a treat, because the soap has announced that two new characters are heading to the village this spring... played by renowned actors Mark Womack and former Coronation Street favourite, Reece Dinsdale.

Mark, who is best known for his roles in Liverpool 1 and Murphy's Law, will be playing the character DI Malone, a police officer with a dark history.

Mark Womack joins Emmerdale ITV — Mark Womack has joined Emmerdale as a new police officer (Picture: ITV)

Mark is also married to soap favourite Samantha Womack, who played the legendary role of Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders.

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But actor Reece will be a very familiar face to soap fans after playing the role of ill-fated Joe McIntyre in Coronation Street between 2008 and 2010.

Reece will be swapping the cobbles for the Dales as he takes the part of mysterious new character, Paul.

According to Emmerdale, Paul is a face from Mandy Dingle's past who is set to cause a stir for her and Vinny - but how does he know the pair?

And what brings him to the village?

Reece Dinsdale joins Emmerdale — Former Coronation Street star Reece Dinsdale has joined the cast of Emmerdale (Picture: ITV)

Speaking of his new role in the soap, Mark said: "It’s always a lot of fun to play the bad guy and Malone definitely falls into that category. I'm looking forward to the audience seeing his twisted tale unfold on screen."

While Reece added: "I'm absolutely delighted to be joining the cast of Emmerdale.

"Having recently directed a couple of episodes, and seen at close quarters the superb work the cast, crews and creatives produce, I can't wait to become part of the team once again... albeit in a different capacity. Time to get my acting boots back on!"

Mandy Dingle and Vinny are up to no good in Emmerdale — New character Paul will have a connection to Mandy and Vinny... (Picture: ITV)

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have Reece Dinsdale and Mark Womack joining the Emmerdale family.

"Although playing very different characters, both come with huge stories that will see lives changed and big explosions in 2020.

"We're all very excited to see these two hugely talented and experienced actors grace our screens."

Both characters will be on screen in the spring - so watch this space.

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

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.