In Monday’s episode of Emmerdale (Monday, October 14) Moira answered
the phone to Debbie, who informed her of Zak’s death. With Zak’s funeral
taking place this week, will Debbie return to the Dales?
Debbie Dingle left the Dales for Scotland in 2019 and last year she was joined by her grandfather Zak Dingle.
With Debbie being his granddaughter and the pair being so close in his final months, it makes sense that she should be at the funeral – but will she make an appearance?
Zak’s death in Emmerdale
Following actor Steve Halliwell’s death last December, Emmerdale has been leading up on an on-screen funeral for his character Zak Dingle. In recent months, Zak’s ill health has been mentioned, with Cain travelling up to Scotland to see his poorly dad.
In Monday’s episode, Moira was speaking on the phone to Cain and told him to give Debbie and Zak her love – not realising that he was no longer with them.
Shortly after suffering another seizure, Cain surprised Moira by arriving home early. He shared the news that Zak was doing much better and had ordered Cain to return home.
However, while he was in the shower, Cain’s phone started ringing. Moira answered and was told by Debbie that Zak had sadly passed away. Further episodes will see Cain tell the rest of the family and they reminisce about Zak before the funeral takes place at the end of the week.
Fans call for Debbie return
From finding out Charity and Cain were her mum and dad to the acid attack on Ross Barton, Debbie has been involved in some pretty hard-hitting storylines, so it’s no surprise that fans want to see her back.
Spoilers tease a surprise guest at Zak’s funeral and fans are praying it’s Debbie. “Would be weird if Debbie didn’t come to the funeral,” one fan said on X, with another adding: “‘We need Debbie back.”
A third fan tagged actress Charley Webb, writing: “Hope it’s @miss_CharleyWebb who returns. Debbie is great,” while a fourth said: “Debbie is my all time favourite Emmerdale character. Having her back even for an episode will be AMAZING.”
Is Charley Webb returning?
In an interview with whattowatch.com last year, Charley spoke about her Emmerdale exit and admitted she had no regrets about leaving.
“It felt like the right time for me personally to make that jump from Emmerdale and I don’t have any regrets about it,” she said. “I’m ambitious to push myself and it’s just about choosing the right projects from now on.”
Also, due to reported behind-the-scenes friction between Charley and the soap, Charley’s return to Emmerdale seems pretty unlikely. But some fans have suggested a recast. “Debbie with a new head. How many heads has Ben Eastenders had so far last count?,” joked one fan.
Since leaving Emmerdale, Charley has appeared in a few TV shows. Most notably in the Yorkshire Ripper drama The Long Shadow, in which she starred in four episodes.
