Emmerdale's new villains pave way for deadly twists, classic feuds and high drama

We have two new faces joining Emmerdale next week, and the potential for both is huge.

Not only will the ITV soap be welcoming some brilliant new cast members and TV favourites, but the characters themselves are almost blank canvases. Just minimal details have been revealed so far about new villain Ray and possible second villain Celia, a farmer no doubt set to be a rival to Moira Dingle.

Poor Moira could be caught up in both storylines and the drama that follows the new arrivals in the village. Ray will be played by Joe Absolom, whose top credentials include EastEnders, Doc Martin, The Bay and more recently Code Of Silence.

As for Celia, the mystery farmer is portrayed by Casualty and The Bill favourite Jaye Griffiths. It's safe to say the castings of both TV stars have created a buzz on set, with stars thrilled to be working alongside them.

Fans have been equally excited to see what the two new cast additions will bring to the village, praising both of them and eager to find out what their characters will get up to. The jury is out for now on whether Celia will be a baddie or not, with so much more to be revealed about the newcomer - while Ray appears to be very much confirmed as the latest village bad guy.

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What we can reveal for now is that Celia's entrance next week leaves one life on the line, while there's possible drama in the works for her and Moira. Vet Paddy Kirk spots a sheep trapped in the fence of Celia's land and goes to help it, only to be attacked by a dog.

The brutal attack leaves him in a life-threatening condition and he's soon rushed to hospital. When Paddy is later advised to confront the farmer it doesn't end well, and soon Paddy is left furious with Celia no doubt causing havoc.

At some point we'll see Moira and Celia come face-to-face too amid Moira's troubles on the farm, which are set to continue. Actress Natalie J Robb recently told The Mirror in an exclusive interview that Celia and Moira "will be rivals" as she hinted at some big drama there.

Bringing the show back to the farming roots, we could well see some classic soap feuding going on - or perhaps the pair might even unite. Expect tension and possible clashes though, as Celia will be keen on the land surrounding Moira's farm amid her financial woes.

It's said the newcomer "clearly means business" and will go to whatever lengths to get her own way, while she no doubt has a past with so much mystery surrounding her when she arrives. Sooner rather than later Celia's intentions will be clear.

Soap producer Laura Shaw recently shared: "While Celia has a tough edge with an air of respectability, the audience, and our villagers, will soon start to see what this woman is truly capable of.” It's one of her guard dogs that attacks Paddy too, and her reaction to the incident will show her "true colours".

It's been a while since we had a character like Celia on the show, and not just a standard villain but someone who causes chaos, upheaval while also harbouring secrets of their own. A proper rivalry, and someone to give Moira a reason to fight back, is just what we need and hopefully Celia will bring all the carnage.

As for Ray, fans will no doubt be fearing "another villain" and "another dark character" isn't what the show needs, amid complaints over dark storylines in soaps. But if Ray is anything like what cast members have described, we are certainly in for some huge scenes ahead, and possibly one of the best villainous villagers we've had for a long time.

Joe's performance has been described as "scary" and "menacing", with Mike Parr teasing the stuff so far is "really good". Fans will obviously make their own minds up on the character, but with him set to unsettle the lives of more than one resident, and possibly trigger the return of a character confirmed to be heading back to the show, it is all to play for.

There will be a dangerous outsider in the village in Ray, with it said some of fans' most loved characters will face danger along the way. We already know that Mackenzie Boyd and Aaron Dingle feature in massive episodes this September, with "life-changing" twists ahead, so could this involve Ray?

We also know that some of the teens will be dragged into his drug dealing world, so Ray's actions are set to no doubt impact the entire village. He's capable of anything, so we're willing to assume a villager or two, maybe more, will want him out of the way, and may find themselves up against him.

Expect angst, danger, twists and turns and tense scenes. To have two troubling characters with so much to be revealed arrive at the same time, and amid all the recent twists including John Sugden turning killer, Robert Sugden's return and Joe Tate's whodunnit and the rest, it's an epic time to be tuning into the soap, with it no doubt set to get stronger and more gripping as the weeks and months go on.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads.