It’s hard to believe that Emmerdale’s the Dingle family have been in the lives of soap fans since the 90s, remaining in the village for the past three decades.
Some of the original members of the group are still there too, including matriarch Zak Dingle, while the family has also suffered huge losses.
As the Dingles have expanded over the years, a new generation of the famous soap family are now growing up in the Dales – while there’s always a newcomer or two also making their mark.
Many of the cast who play the characters have been on the show for years, and some since they were super young.
(Image: ITV)
While there have been a few recasts, including Faith Dingle as well as Aaron and the much younger characters, viewers have grown to know and love the cast members currently playing each of them as though they’ve always been in that role.
Dingles young and old have all undergone a major transformation or two over the years, and here’s a look at some of the characters then and now…
Cain Dingle
The original village bad boy first graced our screens back in the year 2000, as the nephew of Zak.
But in a twist it was soon confirmed he was actually Zak’s son after his mother Faith had an affair.
Since then he’s been a part of huge storylines including his discovery that he had a daughter, Debbie, with cousin Charity, and later discovering he had a secret son too named Nate.
There’s been huge changes for Cain in his personality and his personal life over the past 20 years – but that’s not all.
After a return to the village in the mid-00s, Cain actor Jeff Hordley ditched his famous long hair and fringe combo, for a shorter and more grown up look.
He’s still one not to be messed with even though he’s become more of a family man!
Belle Dingle
Belle was born on the ITV soap on Christmas Day in 1998, while current actress Eden Taylor-Draper took over the role in 2005.
Cheeky Belle was the most adorable little youngster, and was the first Dingle to make it into a private school being super keen with her education.
She had help from Tom King’s widow Rosemary who offered to pay the fees, while the family also raised what they could for her to carry on attending there.
Belle soon proved she was a Dingle through and through when Matthew King stole their money, and she has certainly proved her place in the family for the past 16 years too.
Actress Eden is all grown up now, as is Belle, with viewers often forgetting she’s no longer ‘little Belle’.
She looks totally different from her childhood days, which is a given seeing as it’s been 16 years since she joined the soap.
Charity Dingle
(Image: ITV)
Charity Dingle has definitely been through it over the years, and has been at the centre of huge storylines from the off.
From marriages ending catastrophically, to her criminal ways, there’s always drama when Charity is around.
Making her debut in 2000, it wasn’t long before she was causing trouble for the Tates – having a fling with Zoe while being married to her brother Chris.
Charity was also reunited with daughter Debbie in the village, who had been fostered by Paddy Kirk and ex partner Emily.
In the years to come, she would go on to be reunited with her long-lost son Ryan, who she was told had died at birth.
Emma Atkins has played the role the entire time, with Charity now having been in the village for 21 years – with a break or two here or there.
Do you enjoy reading about the soaps? Sign up for all the best soap news from the Mirror here
In that time, she’s undergone one of the biggest transformations of all the Dingles.
She looks totally different now to the 00s, ditching her super short blonde do for a much longer look, while she has recently had a bit of a trim.
Charity might look totally different to her younger days, but she certainly is the same old character.
Debbie Dingle
(Image: ITV)
Another character who has undergone a serious makeover of sorts since their first appearance is Debbie, played by actress Charley Webb.
Debbie was 13 years old when she arrived in the village as the foster child of Paddy and Emily, only to discover she was the secret child of Charity and Cain.
Things did not get off to a good start for the trio, but over the years they’ve become super close – and Cain would do anything for his daughter.
(Image: ITV)
Actress Charley was only 14 years old when she joined the ITV soap, so it’s no wonder she looks so different almost 20 years later.
She has undergone quite the makeover from time to time as she’s grown up both off screen and on screen, and she looks pretty different now to when she started out on the soap.
The stunning actress, who shares three children with co-star Matthew Wolfenden, recently returned for a brief stint while it’s not clear if and when she will be back again.
Now, just like she grew up in the village her daughter Sarah is doing the same.
Debbie’s had her fair share of heartache from weddings, prison stints, missing lovers, Sarah’s health scares and more recently she was revealed to be Al Chapman’s secret other woman.
Noah Dingle
The son of Charity Dingle and villain Chris Tate, Noah was born on the show back in 2004 while his mother was in prison – having been framed for his dad’ murder.
He was never really sure whether he was a Tate or a Dingle, and his relationship with Charity has often been strained – with Noah feeling pretty left out at times.
(Image: TV Grab)
More recently, he’s gotten close to his fellow younger characters Sarah, the daughter of his sister Debbie, as well as his cousin Samson.
While there’s hope that things will change for him in regards to his relationship with his mum, something that has definitely changed is his appearance.
We wouldn’t say that he’s entirely unrecognisable, but he looks so grown up!
(Image: ITV)
His blonde straight hair is now a little darker and full of curls, and of course the teenager looks a lot older than when he was little.
Noah has been played by actor Jack Downham since 2009, who took on the role when he was around seven or eight years old.
Like his fellow younger cast members, and other Dingles, he has grown up in front of the eyes of the viewers and is taking centre stage in a lot more storylines.
Samson Dingle
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
One of the Dingles not seen as much as on screen as the others is Sam’s son Samson.
The teenager recently appeared more amid drama for his stepmother Lydia, who faced accusations of fraud.
He proved he was just as much a Dingle as the rest as, armed with a bat, he prepared to take revenge on the group of men who mugged Lydia.
(Image: ITV)
He’s also appeared in scenes with cousin Noah, who confided in him over his hopes to be in the army.
Samson faced heartache at a young age following the sad death of his mother Alice in 2006.
In recent scenes, he’s looked so grown up – and we don’t doubt we will be seeing more of him ahead.
Chas Dingle
Another popular Dingle is Chas, who has certainly mellowed on the show in the past few years – while she’s still as feisty as ever.
Now married to Paddy Kirk, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the pub landlady, with her facing her fair share of Dingle drama.
She’s also faced tragedy with the loss of her baby daughter Grace, as well as the loss of her father.
Now, she’s enjoying getting closer to her mother Faith again, while she continues to be one of the matriarchs of the family.
When she first arrived in 2002, she wasn’t really a major Dingle when it came to storylines but that soon changed.
Another thing different about Chas is her appearance, even if it’s only slight changes, and she’s definitely taken more responsibility over the years with son Aaron and family life in general.
Aaron Dingle
(Image: ITV)
Next up is Chas’ son Aaron who is a huge favourite with fans, played by actor Danny Miller.
Danny took on the role in 2008 and has played him ever since, through some pretty huge storylines.
From coming to terms with his sexuality, his self-harming, and him opening up on the horrific sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his father Gordon when he was a child, viewers have seen him go through a lot.
They adored his marriage to Robert Sugden and their journey as a couple, so Robron fans were understandably gutted and heartbroken when they split and Robert went to prison.
Having now been in the village for 13 years, viewers have seen the character grow up a lot – with him looking like a totally different person to his teenage years.
Sarah Sugden
(Image: ITV)
Our penultimate Dingle who has certainly changed in the past few years is Sarah Sugden, daughter of Debbie Dingle and Andy Sugden.
Technically she’s had a complete makeover, because the character was previously played by another actress for years before Katie Hill took over in 2017.
But Sarah herself has really grown up in the past few years, while battling huge storylines including having cancer, undergoing a heart transplant and her loneliness after her mother moved away with her brother Jack.
(Image: ITV)
The stunning character, now 16, will soon take centre stage again as she collapses in upcoming scenes.
Her family will rally around her as she grows anxious, before admitting her true feelings about her heart donor who she received her new heart from around three years ago.
Sam Dingle
Finally on our list is Sam Dingle, who hasn’t aged a day but at the same time looks so different.
Sam is one of the longest-serving members of the Dingle family, after making his debut in 1995.
(Image: YTV)
The character was pretty underused for a while, before he became a key figure in the Dales in the 00s
Actor James Hooton has portrayed the role for almost 30 years, and Sam continues to be the character most of the family go to when in trouble or needing advice.
Of course there are more Dingles out there and in the village, including Mandy and Marlon, but the pair haven’t aged a day.
(Image: ITV)
The characters don’t look that different at all in fact, but they are two of the most memorable Dingle members to date.
Then there is matriarch Zak too who has undergone a makeover of his own over the years, with his black hair now grey – but he’s still wearing the familiar jacket and hat combo we all know and love.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.