Emmerdale star Charley Webb reveals first look at new role two years after quitting Dales as Debbie Dingle
EMMERDALE star Charley Webb has shared a peak at her huge new stage role after quitting the ITV soap.
Charley, 35, is best known for playing Debbie Dingle on ITV from 2002 until 2021 but will be seen in the West End later this year.
She’ll join the UK tour of James Graham’s play Quiz based on hit game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire alongside Rory Bremner, who will play presenter Chris Tarrant.
The cast will also include I May Destroy You’s Lewis Reeves and Waterloo Road star Mark Benton.
Charley shared a snap from rehearsals last night and told fans on Instagram: “First look at Quiz rehearsals. 10 days until we open.”
The twice Olivier nominated play tells the story of the infamous ‘Coughing Major’ scandal which engulfed hit quiz show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2001.
Charles Ingram won the £1 million prize on the show, but he was denied the winnings due to suspicion of cheating.
The comedy was adapted into an ITV drama in 2020, but the touring show claims to have new evidence, and asks the audience to “put fingers on keypads and answer the ultimate 50/50: guilty or not guilty?”
The Quiz tour begins on September 18 in Chichester and runs until December 2 and will visit theatres across the country.
These include Glasgow, Cardiff, Bath and Birmingham.
Elsewhere, Charley is also taking on the part of WPC Anna Lawson in ITV series The Long Shadow, which revisits the five-year long hunt for Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.
Charley recently shared snaps from the set of the drama which is due to air later this month though an exact date has not yet been announced.
The news comes after Charley’s Emmerdale co-star Jeff Hordley revealed he is “desperate” for her to come back to the soap as his on-screen daughter Debbie.
When asked if he would like to see Charley pick up where she left off and return to the Dales, Jeff exclusively told The Sun: “Absolutely, all day long. I’m in touch with Charley an awful lot but I think she’s kind of busy doing other things.
“There is always room for her to return – she was such a massive character in the show and such an important and integral character.
“She did so many fantastic storylines, it would be great to see her back.”
Since her departure from Emmerdale Charley has focused on raising her three children who she shares with fellow Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden.