List of Emmerdale characters introduced in 2005
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera Emmerdale in 2005, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Keith Richardson.
Max King
Max King, portrayed by Charlie Kemp, arrives in the village after backpacking with his girlfriend to attend his father's ill-fated wedding to Charity Dingle. He then gets a job at Paddy Kirk's vet practice to support more travelling ventures. However, he is conned by his father in order to get land. Tom uses Max's position as a vet to poison the animals kept by the owners who refused to sell the land.After having been bullied into poisoning the Briggs family's calves by Tom, a guilty Max decides to leave the village, sick and tired of his father's chicanery. He and Robert Sugden plan to leave Emmerdale and drive to London, but Robert's adopted brother Andy gets into a fight with Robert. Max breaks up the fight and decides that he did not want to go with Robert. He gets into Andy's Land Rover and asks him to drive him to the railway station. Robert, who had driven off, turns his car round and drove straight at them, causing Max to grab the steering wheel and send the vehicle off the road, through a stone wall and onto its roof. Andy makes a quick escape assisted by Robert, but Max becomes trapped in the car and is killed when fuel stored in the back explodes.
Phyllis King
Phyllis King is Tom King's aunt. She is the sister of Tom's father Albert, Phyllis first appears for Tom's ill-fated wedding to Charity Dingle. Often complaining, Phyllis only seems happy to see her favourite great-nephew Carl. She returns later in October 2005 for Max’s funeral and in February 2007 for Tom's funeral. She made her most recent appearance at Jimmy King's ill-fated wedding to Kelly Windsor in October 2007.It is very likely that Phyllis has died since 2007 as she hasn't attended any family events since, such as her favourite great-grand nephew, Carl King's wedding to Lexi Nicholls in 2009, or his funeral after being murdered by Cameron Murray in 2012, or Jimmy King's wedding to Nicola De Souza in 2010. Sheila Burrell, who played Phyllis, died in 2011.
Libby Charles
Libby Charles was the girlfriend of Andy Sugden. She appeared in 2005.Libby and her sister [|Tamsin] are first glimpsed on horseback by Andy and his younger brother Daz. The sisters come from money, and Libby asks Andy about renting out his stables. Andy hopes for a date, but is disappointed to learn she has a boyfriend. Libby begins working as a receptionist at the vets and has to fend off the flirtations of Max King. When she loses interest in her boyfriend, she begins dating Andy. She's rattled when she learns he had a relationship with underage Debbie Dingle, but she and Andy become closer and closer, with Libby even planning to open a business on his farm, giving pony rides to children. Their happy relationship ends when Andy learns Debbie has given birth to his child. Andy wants to do right by the baby, so he breaks up with Libby to be with Debbie. Libby puts up a good front, but is clearly hurt. A few weeks later, she announces her plans to spend the summer in Italy with her sister Tamsin. She offers to give Paddy Kirk her notice, but he fires her with immediate effect and she leaves.
Kayleigh Gibbs
Kayleigh Gibbs was a friend of Victoria Sugden.Kayleigh first appears in March 2005, attending Victoria Sugden's 11th birthday party. Kayleigh's father, DC Martin Crowe, is a police officer. She helps him to woo Louise Appleton and they soon move in with Louise. Kayleigh and Victoria enjoy winding Louise up. Martin finds out that Louise once killed a man, and decides he cannot stay with her, so he and Kayleigh move out. He does not tell Kayleigh the real reason why he has left Louise, and months later, she returns and asks Louise why they split up. Louise lies and says things just did not work out and Kayleigh, not believing her, says she never wants to see her again.
Although she no longer lives in the village, Kayleigh is still friends with Victoria and appears with her. Together they have sneaked into clubs, and egged the post office, causing a pregnant Viv Hope to collapse. In November 2008, Victoria and Kayleigh get money off various people in order to buy tickets to a New Year's Party, and in December, is seen when Aaron Livesy is bullying Victoria.
Kayleigh next appears in November 2009 and is involved in a bullying story with Hannah Barton. Kayleigh takes a disliking to Victoria being friends with Hannah and send her insulting text messages. After Hannah told her parents what had been going on, they confront Victoria, believing her to be just as involved as Kayleigh. Victoria promises that she will ask Kayleigh to lay off Hannah. However, the following day, she returns from school covered in cuts and bruises having got into a fight with Kayleigh. Victoria ends her friendship with Kayleigh and she is not seen again.
Ivan Jones
Adam Forsythe
Rita Brannigan
Rita Brannigan played by Emma Kearney made her first appearance on 18 July 2005. Rita was introduced as a new love interest for Paddy Kirk following his separation from Emily Kirk. Kearney had undergone weight loss prior to securing the role of Rita. She told Mike Glendenning of the Manchester Evening News: "I hadn't been to one of these groups before but when I got on the scales and saw the reading, I decided there and then that I was never getting that big again. I've never stuck to a diet before, but this isn't a diet, it's just a different way of living." Speaking her character Rita, Kearnery said "Paddy, who has just split from Emily, has a night out with Marlon and brings her back home. I had a great craic doing it, Rita's very bubbly and energetic and I'm waiting to see if she'll become a recurring character." She added: "I'd always watched Emmerdale so this was pretty big for me, sitting in The Woolpack with the cast and crew, but they're an awful humble and lovely bunch of people, very kind and welcoming and it was really nice to be able to work on it."Rita meets Paddy on a night out and they go back to Smithy Cottage but they wake up Paddy's estranged wife Emily, which leads to an awkward encounter. Rita then leaves. The following year, Rita returns when she bumps into Paddy, Marlon, Donna Windsor-Dingle and Toni Daggert. Rita recognises Marlon but he fails to recognise her but Paddy does, much to Toni's annoyance. Paddy and Rita reconect but when Toni is rejected, Paddy leaves Rita and takes Toni home.
Several months later, when Paddy takes a life drawing class, he is shocked when Rita is the nude model. Paddy later takes Rita for a drink in the Woolpack and she gives her number but fails to write it down and it is smudged, so he is unable to call her. When they meet at the class, Rita accepts it and they plan a date. However, a prank from the Dingle family leaves Paddy stuck in the middle of nowhere at the mercy of a charging bull. Rita rescues Paddy and they finally go on a date, which is almost cut short when Marlon's cab nearly runs over Rita. Paddy is able to save her in the nick of time. Rita begins praising Paddy heavily for saving her life and wants her parents, Jeff and Sue to meet him. Paddy is further annoyed when the Brannigans continually praise him and he snaps, which causes Sue to run off crying. Jeff tells Paddy that Rita's sister, Sally had been killed eight months earlier in a hit-and-run accident. Paddy tries to apologise but Rita refuses to listen.
Paddy, attempting to win Rita back, poses as a life model in one of her art classes and is successful. When Hari Prasad, Paddy's partner in the vet practice begins embezzling money from the company accounts, Rita notices it but thinks it is a mistake. After Hari is remanded in custody and business suffers, Rita talks to Jasmine Thomas and asks her to print an article in The Hotten Courier to reassure people about the vets. However, things backfire when Jasmine's boss, John McNally edits the article to point out the fraud and implicates Paddy. Paddy is furious and his mood is not helped when Rita organises a surprise party for him in the Woolpack. Paddy and Rita then agree to take a break from each other.
Jo Stiles
Effie Harrison
Effie Harrison is Jean Tate's live-in nanny. She is hired by Zoe Tate to live in Home Farm and look after her daughter Jean. Effie and Zoe become close, and Effie initially supports Zoe as she faces an attempted murder trial - after an altercation with Jean's father Scott Windsor - but their friendship splinters when Effie turns down Zoe's romantic advances and plea to run away with the kids. As Zoe becomes more erratic, Effie begins to doubt her innocence, and takes an offer from Sadie King to double-cross Zoe.Effie abruptly becomes lovers with Zoe and persuades her to revive the idea of leaving with the children. At the getaway spot, Effie and Jean are nowhere to be found, but Sadie is there, and she forces Zoe to sell her Home Farm. When Zoe returns home, Effie pleads with her to understand, but Zoe punches her. After Zoe evicts Effie, she asks Sadie for the £10,000 she was promised. Sadie instead throws a few pieces of change onto the street - "30 pieces of silver" - and tells Effie that Zoe is more of a woman than she'll ever be. Effie is left on her hands and knees, scrounging for change.