Who is Caleb? (Picture: ITV)

The Ghost of Christmas Past visits Cain (Jeff Hordley) in prison in Emmerdale on Christmas Day – in the form of his secret brother, Caleb.

Played by Waterloo Road’s William Ash, Caleb is not a welcome sight to Cain as he wastes no time questioning Cain about why he deprived Caleb of the chance to get to know his family. Cain warns him to stay away from Emmerdale and from the family.

It’s clear that Caleb intends to make his presence felt in the village, but first a special flashback episode on Boxing Day fills us in on the rivalry between the two brothers and why we haven’t heard Cain utter the word ‘Caleb’ the entire time we’ve known him. The scenes take us back to 1991, exploring what happened to turn the relationship between the brothers so toxic that they’ve had no contact for over 30 years.

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw has teased what we can expect from Caleb.

Chas had no idea about Caleb (Picture: ITV)

‘Calm and in control, rich and successful, at first glance Caleb is everything his brother isn’t, but will the pair find they have more in common than they thought?’ she said. ‘What secrets from the past will come back to haunt them and how will the rest of the family react when Caleb strolls into town? His arrival certainly promises to shake things up for the Dingles and make 2023 start off with a huge bang!’

William Ash has described his character as ‘fantastically complex,’ so he should fit in perfectly with the rest of the Dingles. But his arrival comes at a huge moment for the family.

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With Cain in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and several of his family members covering up the fact that it was his son Kyle who actually shot Al Chapman, it’s hardly the moment for a reunion with long-lost family member.

And what will Chas (Lucy Pargeter) make of the fact that Cain has been concealing another sibling from her?

‘He comes across as very charming and open and wanting to make a connection with the family, cos they’re going through a lot’, William Ash recently told us, discussing his arrival to the village as Caleb.

A flashback episode will reveal more about Caleb and Cain’s connection (Picture: ITV)

‘He comes in and really helps them deal with what they’re dealing with but you can’t help think there’s something else going on, from my point of view I think he’s really genuine and he’s just interested in having a family that he’s never had.’

Also taking part in this recent chat was Jeff, who reflected on the moment he was told Will had been cast in the soap – and how he feared he was about to be replaced!

‘Initially I thought “they’re bringing in a younger Dingle, what are they doing that for, are they trying to replace me?!”‘, he said.

‘You always get a bit protective about your character and when I found out it was Will, it was like “this is great,’ it’s the best thing that could have ever happened. It feels like Caleb has been here for a long time, the character’s written so well, he’s got a charm and Will brings that across really beautifully.

‘Cain does have a connection to him, he doesn’t like him but there’s something about him that he wants to connect with. The flashback episode that’s coming up, you get to see young Cain and Caleb. The reason he says that Faith is dead…there was the episode in the Woolpack with Cain and Chas, he said his coping mechanism with his mum was to say his mum has died, this is why he says that to Caleb, it’s not ‘She’s dead get lost”. There’s a reason for that.’

And we’re very much looking forward to finding out more!

Who is Caleb really?