Emmerdale cast: who is leaving, returning to and joining the cast?

There’s certain to be a summer of drama on Emmerdale as the soap gears up to dive into its biggest storylines.

Bernice Blackstock recently made her way home and has been causing havoc since.

But as one returns, another leaves as it’s recently been confirmed Luke Posner (Max Parker) will depart the soap this year.

We don’t currently know the reason behind his exit, but there’s sure to be plenty of twists and turns leading up to his departure.

As the Emmerdale cast chops and changes, keep up to date with all the movement with our handy guide below.

Read on for everything you need to know.

LEAVING

Luke Posner (Max Parker)

It’s been confirmed by Emmerdale that Luke Posner will be departing soon – and in fact, it’s thought he has already filmed his final scenes on the soap. Luke has been at the centre of drama recently, and will continue to be as his time in Emmerdale draws to a close. His involvement in Lee’s death will be uncovered and it’s sure to rock Wendy and Victoria’s lives.

RETURNING

Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles)

As first reported by Metro, Bernice is coming back to the Dales and she will likely make waves when she does! Speaking about her return to the soap after she left in 2019, actress Samantha Giles had this to say!

“As an actress leaving a role that you love is always a hard decision and I’d been lucky to work so consistently for so long which is rare in our business, so I knew the time had come to be brave and take the leap back in 2019 to pursue my other passion of writing and focus on getting my first book published.”

Laura Shaw, producer of Emmerdale added: “I am thrilled to have Samantha Giles returning to Emmerdale as Bernice. Samantha is such a fabulous actress and her portrayal of Bernice is a wonderfully warm, complex mix of tragedy and comedy that always brings a whirlwind of fun and drama.

Constantly misunderstood, often getting things terribly wrong, Bernice promises to cause quite a stir from the moment she lands back in the village and will certainly turn lives upside down as she tries to navigate through the changes since she left.”

Wondering about the other soaps? Read more of our cast guides 

• Hollyoaks cast: who is leaving, returning to and joining the soap?
• Coronation Street cast: who is leaving, returning to and joining the soap?
• EastEnders cast: who is leaving, returning to and joining the soap?
• Neighbours cast: Who is joining, returning to and leaving the soap?

Visit our dedicated Emmerdale page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV guide.