A familiar face is joining the cast of Emmerdale as a new villain.

Actor Joe Absolom, who most recently starred in Silent Witness and ITV’s Code of Silence, will be joining the Dales as mechanic Ray, an old contact of Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb).

Absolom is no stranger to soap land, previously known to audiences as Matthew Rose in EastEnders, appearing from 1997 until 2000. Other notable roles include playing Al Large in Doc Martin and Andy Warren in season two of The Bay.

Despite a calm and collected exterior, Ray will struggle to hide a more menacing streak to his character. He arrives on the scene claiming to sell farm machinery but it’s not long before his drug dealing hustle comes to light – leading to some trouble for Mackenzie.

“What an honour to join such a talented team at Emmerdale!” Absolom said in a press statement. “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!”

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said the team were “thrilled” to welcome Absolom to the cast and teased his villainous storyline ahead.

“It’s fantastic to have such a high calibre and immensely talented actor join our wonderful team to play the role of Ray,” she said.

“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 the second new Emmerdale addition announced this week, with Casualty star Jaye Griffiths also officially joining the cast.

Griffiths, who played Elle Gardner on the BBC soap, will enter the village as Celia, a no-nonsense farmer who will stir up some trouble for Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb).