EastEnders and Doc Martin star joins cast of Emmerdale as old Mackenzie contact – with a dark past

Ray's charm and charisma hide a "dark and villainous side".

Ray (Joe Absolom) stands against doors in a blue jacket and white t-shirt

ITV

Published: Saturday, 31 May 2025 at 10:48 am

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A familiar face will join the Emmerdale cast this summer – with Joe Absolom confirmed as a new addition to the ITV soap.

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Absolom is best known for his previous roles as Al Large in Doc Martin and Matthew Rose in EastEnders, and recently appeared as Braden Moore in Code of Silence.

The 46-year-old will play Ray, an old contact of the Mackenzies whose charisma and charm hide a complex character with a menacing streak and a dark past.

Ray (Joe Absolom) stands with his hands in his pockets in a blue jacket, white t-shirt and grey trousers

Joe Absolom as Ray. ITV

The calm and collected new arrival will rock up at the farm claiming to be selling agricultural machinery before his nefarious intentions become all too clear.

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw revealed the show's excitement at adding Absolom to the cast.

She said: "It's fantastic to have such a high-calibre and immensely talented actor join our wonderful team to play the role of Ray.

"Charming, charismatic and effortlessly likeable, Ray is an extremely complex character who very quickly shows his dark and villainous side to some of our most loved villagers, leaving them in no doubt as to what he’s capable of."

Absolom is clearly excited to get stuck into the new character and find out how the Dales have in store for him.

He said: "Well, what an honour to join such a talented team at Emmerdale!

"It’s an iconic show and I’m grateful to be part of it. I can’t wait to see what’s in stock for Ray!"

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Emmerdale airs Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.

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Ned Holmes

Ned is a sports writer at RadioTimes.com. He has covered a host of sports from EFL football, international cricket and golf all the way through to bike polo and triathlon.

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