Emmerdale 40th exclusive: Rik Makarem hints at the return of old characters

Emmerdale fans could be in for a treat after Rik Makarem, who plays Nikhil Sharma, hinted that we could see the return of some of the soap’s famous faces from the past, during this week's 40th birthday celebrations.

Speaking exclusively to stv.tv, Nikhil admitted: “We might see a couple of returning characters.”

Making a zipping motion with his hand to suggest his lips are sealed on the subject, he continued: “I’ll get my hands slapped if I reveal what might be happening. but I think people will be happy to see the cast line-up.”

We look forward to finding out the exact details over the next few days...

Meanwhile the actor, whose character Nikhil will be heavily involved in the eagerly awaited live episode this Wednesday (October 17), has been speaking about how much the soap has changed during its 40 year run.

“It’s much more modern and much more up to date with many different age groups I think. That’s the good thing about the show, it has a good balance between the serious storylines and the fun storylines.

“I think it connects with a lot of people and the good thing about our show is we don’t rely on any tricks, we don’t rely on big stunts, we don’t rely on any kind of effects.

“They keep the faith with the characters, the storylines and the actors to play it. And I think that’s why it connects to people so much.”

This Wednesday fans of the soap will watch in awe as the cast deliver 60 minutes of non-stop action which includes two weddings, the birth of two babies and the death of one “well-loved” character – something which Rik admits was a “shock” even among the actors.

“It’s all a big, big secret, I know the cast and the crew when they found out the way the death storyline was going to play out everyone was really shocked and I think it’s going to add real spice and drama [to the show]. The stakes are very high, it’s very exciting.”

Emmerdale’s 40th birthday week kicks off tonight (October 15) with episodes running every weekday evening at 7pm.

The week-long action will include a bitter feud between Jimmy and Carl King, after Carl sneakily sells his share of the business to Charity behind his brother’s back.

Chas faces a headache as she tries to marry Dan as quickly as possible and leave the village before her lies and deceit become public knowledge, and Katie and Declan have to face Megan’s wrath after she finds out they have fleeced for her the cool sum of £250,000.

Elsewhere, Debbie goes into labour but there are fears she might not make it in hospital in time to have the directed cord blood collection that will save her daughter Sarah.

And the villagers are left in shock when the body of one of the locals is found, sparking a major police inquiry.

The live episode is being screened from 7pm until 8pm on Wednesday – don’t miss it! stv.tv will be covering the episode with live updates on all the action online, so make sure to check back on our dedicated Emmerdale site for all the latest.

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