New Emmerdale star warns you may hate Serena Sugden ‘in the best way’
The Sugden clan are undisputed Emmerdale royalty, right alongside the Tate dynasty and the sprawling Dingle family tree, and the powers that be behind the soap are actively working to strengthen the premier families of the Dales.
‘At the heart of last year, I wanted to cement the families in our show,’ producer Laura Shaw said. ‘Everyone always talks about the Dingles, but I felt like we needed to build up some of the other families – that’s probably what I’m most proud of.’
She then went on to tease: ‘There’s going to be a couple of arrivals to strengthen both the Tate and Sugden clans!’
One of those arrivals happened in yesterday’s episode of the ITV soap, when Serena Sugden, played by Casey Al-Shaqsy, finds an absolutely broken Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) by the side of a lake.
Their initial interaction was rough. Despite Serena’s kindness, Charity’s raw emotion was incredibly difficult to contain, and when Serena tried to physically comfort her, Charity instinctively lashed out with a punch to the newcomer’s face.
Serena was undeterred, though, and she sat down beside her, her non-threatening energy slowly lowering Charity’s defences, and slowly but surely, she began to unburden herself.
Despite them being perfect strangers, or perhaps because of that fact, Charity finally feels comfortable to let all of the pain she’s internalised since being sexually assaulted by Dr Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker) pour out, before admitting the depth of the lie she’s trapped in regarding her daughter, Leyla and her granddaughter.
Validating Charity’s feelings while supporting her, Serena suggested that Charity’s case would be bolstered if she told the police about the blackmail campaign, it would work against her argument that Charity consented to what she did to her.
A grateful Charity thanked Serena for her kindness and support, and Serena headed on her route. The destination? Emmerdale village, for a family reunion.
With Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill). The granddaughter that Charity told her about.
Are we seeing the problem there?
Well, thus far, Serena seems pretty heroic, right? According to Casey, though, we might well end up hating Serena – ‘in the best way’.
‘So Serena as a person, I’d say she puts her foot in her mouth quite a lot,’ Casey teased.
‘She’s quite loud and a little bit outspoken. I do think there’s elements of both good and bad in her.
‘She’s come into a lovely family situation. Or is it lovely? You’ll see.’
On becoming a limb on one of the richest soap family trees, Casey said: ‘I would say it feels amazing to be a Sugden.
‘It feels like I’m becoming a very small part of history actually. She’s going to mingle with a lot of different characters, I think, and I’m very, very happy about that because there’s some incredible legends and amazing actors and people to work with.
‘Let’s just say she’s going to be an incredible person to play, and hopefully you all love her or hate her in the bestest ways.
‘So with that, I’ve actually given you absolutely nothing, so I hope you enjoy that!’ she finished with a chuckle.
Upon the initial announcement of her casting as Serena, Casey said: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining such an iconic show and playing a Sugden! Serena is a fantastic character with so much going on beneath the surface. I can’t wait for the audience to see the drama unfold.’
Laura Shaw added: ‘The Sugdens are a core part of the Emmerdale fabric, and we are thrilled to welcome Casey to the family.
‘Her character will be at the heart of some extremely gripping and unexpected storylines, forcing her to make difficult choices that will have dramatic consequences for some of the village’s biggest names.’
