Zak Dingle was a mainstay in Emmerdale for nearly 30 years

following his introduction to the soap in 1994.

Originally a boxing hardman, Zak evolved into a loving family

man and the nation cried with him when he discovered his wife Lisa had died in her chair following their second wedding. Sadly, actor Steve Halliwell passed away last December and Emmerdale producers have made clear their intentions to give him an on-screen send off.

As that looks like it will soon play out, we take a look at Zak Dingle’s best moments.

Zak’s arrival

Zak Dingle arrived in Emmerdale in October 1994 and immediately started feuding with the locals.

Previously a bare-knuckle boxer, Zak challenged Ned Glover to a bare-knuckle fistfight, which he lost.

He also started a feud with local family the McAllisters, who he blamed for his son Ben’s death a few months prior.

Zak was initially only supposed to be in a few episodes, but he made such a mark that Steve Halliwell was asked to stay on. The rest, as they say, is history.

Meeting Lisa and Belle

Zak met Lisa in 1996 and the two were instantly smitten. They married in 1998 and later that year at Christmas, Lisa gave birth to Belle. It was a big surprise as Lisa hadn’t even known she was pregnant.

Zak and Lisa’s relationship was far from plain sailing – who can forget Joanie taking Zak away from Lisa for a while? – but they always found their way back to each other.

Emmerdale Zak Dingle: Losing Lisa

While not a good moment, we did get to witness some of Halliwell’s best acting as Zak lost his soulmate, Lisa.

In 2019, Lisa was diagnosed with a heart condition and was given only a short amount of time left to live. They decided to re-marry, but the marriage was a short one.

Following the wedding, Lisa returned home to change out of her dress. Zak later found her, apparently asleep on the sofa. However, when Zak tried to wake up his new bride, he realised that she had passed away. Sobs.

Butch’s death

Zak suffered a lot of sorrow during his time in the Dales. One of the earlier moments saw his son Butch killed when a lorry crashed into the vehicle he was travelling in.

Zak later discovered that his mechanic wife Lisa had worked on the lorry before it crashed and the couple were briefly torn apart as the grieving father blamed her for Butch’s death.

Emmerdale Zak Dingle: Diagnosed with cancer

In 2001, Zak was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but he refused to have treatment.

This resulted in the family kidnapping him in bid to make him see sense. Zak eventually went to hospital and made a full recovery.

There was a touching scene years later in 2016 when Zak’s cancer was revisited. Knowing Zak had previously fought testicular cancer, David Metcalfe turned to him for some advice after he was told that he’d have to lose a testicle as part of his own battle against cancer.

Cain discovers the truth

Bad boy Cain was initially introduced to the show as Zak’s nephew, but it was later revealed that Zak and his brother’s wife Faith had had an affair and Zak was in fact Cain’s dad.

This truth came out during a heated argument between the pair. The two went on to have a strained relationship. This came to a head in 2011 when Cain was viciously attacked and left for dead. Zak was later revealed to be the culprit.

Emmerdale Zak Dingle: Nervous breakdown

Following his attack on Cain, Zak suffered with depression. He hit the bottle and became erratic and paranoid.

One episode saw him kill some chickens after he convinced himself there was something wrong with them. Another occasion saw him wandering the Moors while seeing visions of his dead son Butch.

He also became convinced that his cancer had returned. It later became apparent that he was suffering a nervous breakdown and he was sectioned. Halliwell was praised by fans for his emotional portrayal during this storyline.

Final scene

Zak’s final episode aired in June 2023. During a light-hearted scene, Zak was shown beeping the horn on his mobility scooter as Dan Spencer, who was working at the garage, called him Evel Knievel.

Dan then asked him how many buses he’d driven over lately, with Zak joking that the potholes were enough of a challenge. Dan remarked that it was nice to see Zak out and about.