Appeared 30th July 2003 -

ITV.COM New Face

Thursday | 30.07.03

Emmerdale’s Edna Birch is to get a new sparring partner.
Soap veteran Meg Johnson is uprooting herself from Brookside Close and joining the cast in the Dales as glamorous granny Pearl Ladderbanks.

And Meg – who viewers will recognise as Brookie’s long-suffering Brigid McKenna – promises that Pearl’s arrival is going to put Edna’s nose out of joint.

She laughs, “Edna is shocked at her brashness and how she flirts with the men. Pearl won’t stand any messing though and she’s quite rude to Edna, but in a funny way.”

And it won’t just be the devoutly Christian Mrs Birch who finds Pearl a shock to the system. Her wild dress sense will bring some vivid colour to the Dales.

Meg explains, “It’s outrageous! She loves flowery and colourful clothes – there’s a lot of pink in her wardrobe. You never see Pearl out without her face on and her hair done.”

Will Edna be able to hold on to admirers Len and Jarvis with Pearl around?

The Emmerdale oldies have been getting closer for months now but neither is willing to reveal their true feelings for the other.

And the arrival of flamboyant newcomer Pearl Ladderbanks has really put a cat among the pigeons. Especially when she invites Len out on a date.

Peter Martin, who plays the amorous grandad, explains, "When Pearl turns up on the scene she's this glamorous older lady with designs on Len and to be honest with you, I think he's a bit frightened of her!

"It's a long time since his wife died, and he's not used to female attention, so he just wants to run a mile." And Len prefers Edna, despite her reputation as village battle-axe.

He adds, "His feelings for her have developed over time. Everyone else thinks she's a witch, but Len sees a good side to her, and really likes her."

Will he make his feelings known?

ITV.COM A Diamond For Pearl?

Tuesday | 17.02.04

Emmerdale veteran Len Reynolds makes an unexpected proposal of marriage.

The much-loved local has found a new lease of life thanks to girlfriend Pearl Ladderbanks and wants to make their relationship permanent.

Len has suffered a lot of heartache during the last few years. He arrived in Emmerdale to join son Sean and his family but soon his errant offspring left the family to start a new life with lover Lady Tara.

Nevertheless, Len soon became a permanent fixture in the Dales thanks to his strong bond with daughter-in-law Angie. But her untimely death in a tragic car accident left Len and her children Ollie and Marc devastated.

And when both Marc and Ollie moved on with their lives - and out of the village - Len was forced to consider his options. Surrounded by close pals Jarvis and Edna, Len soon settled down again - but when he attempted to make a move on prickly Edna, Len soon felt rejected again.

So when Pearl merely nods and says she'll think about his romantic proposal, Len worries that he's headed for heartbreak once again.

Will Pearl agree to become the next Mrs Reynolds?

ITV.COM Chequered Past

Thursday | 24.03.04

Emmerdale’s Edna Birch is about to get a nasty surprise.

The prudish pensioner is the subject of a search by pal Jarvis Skelton after requesting he finds out information about her grandmother.

Proud Edna is convinced her relative was a high society mover and shaker, who won respect and admiration from all around her.

But when unsuspecting Jarvis puts his family tree research into action, he discovers Edna’s grandmother had a reputation for all the wrong reasons.

It turns out that the lady in question made her living by working as a prostitute - and was notorious in her time. And poor Edna has no idea that her family was famous for such raunchy reasons.

The news comes as a delightful surprise to Edna’s mischievous pals Laurel Potts and Pearl Ladderbanks, but Jarvis knows it is bound to cause the straight-laced local painful embarrassment.

Will Jarvis tell Edna the truth?