Emmerdale fans were left stunned upon discovering that Jonny McPherson had portrayed a completely different character prior to his role as Dr Liam Cavanagh.

Jonny became part of the cast in 2014, taking on the role of the much-loved village doctor, Liam. Since then, he’s won over viewers and has been involved in numerous major storylines.

From his various romantic entanglements to the tragic death of his daughter Leanna (Mimi Slinger), Liam’s journey in the Dales has been anything but dull.

Particularly in February, when an intense storyline involving a limousine accident had fans on tenterhooks, fearing that Liam might be written out of the show – thankfully, he wasn’t.

Liam has also rekindled his romance with Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) after parting ways with Ella Forster (Paula Lane), reports Leicestershire Live.

However, the love story between Liam and Chas hasn’t been without its challenges, and following the turmoil and drama surrounding Ella, the couple reluctantly postponed their wedding this month.

Interestingly, it appears that Liam wasn’t Jonny’s first role on Emmerdale as he had previously made several appearances on the ITV soap.

In 2008, he briefly appeared in the Dales as another doctor, Jonathan Boam – who assisted Donna Windsor (Verity Rushworth) following a car crash. This marked Jonny’s debut in television.

Two years later, he returned to the screen – this time as a nurse on duty on the night Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock) was struck by a train.

Devotees of Emmerdale have been expressing their amazement upon learning about actor Jonny McPherson’s previous roles on the iconic soap.

A recent post on an Emmerdale enthusiast’s Facebook page, which included a snapshot of Jonny from his earlier appearance, prompted a user to remark: “Jonny McPherson on Emmerdale in 2010.” This revelation surprised another fan, who responded: “Well I didn’t know that.”

Echoing the sentiment, another chimed in with: “Same here there are so many actors in it now that played different people.”