Joe Absolom joining Emmerdale as new villain Ray

As an old contact of Mack, what brings him to the village?

Emmerdale has today announced that Joe Absolom will be joining the soap this summer.

Joe will play Ray, an old contact of Mackenzie who arrives at the farm claiming to be selling farm machinery. However, it’s not long before his true drug dealing ways become clear.

Despite Ray’s calm and collected exterior, it’s clear a menacing streak hides just below the surface.

On joining Emmerdale, Joe Absolom said "Well what an honour to join such a talented team at Emmerdale! It’s an iconic show and I’m grateful to be part of it. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Ray!"

To which the show's producer Laura Shaw added "We are thrilled to welcome Joe Absolom to the cast. It's fantastic to have such a high calibre and immensely talented actor join our wonderful team to play the role of Ray."

"Charming, charismatic and effortlessly likeable, Ray is an extremely complex character who very quickly shows his dark and villainous side to some of our most loved villagers, leaving them in no doubt as to what he’s capable of."

Joe is no stranger to soapland, having starred in EastEnders as Matthew Rose from 1997 to 2000 and was involved in a number of key storylines. He's also familiar to ITV audiences with roles in Doc Martin, The Bay and is currently winning over critics and viewers alike in Code of Silence,

Emmerdale continues Mondays to Fridays at 7.30pm on ITV1 with first look episodes available from 7am on ITVX