Last updated at 19:53, Thursday, 01 March 2012

A West Cumbrian TV actress is set to appear in Channel 4’s popular teenage soap Hollyoaks.

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Emma Rydal, 41, of West Croft, Brigham, has been in Chester this week filming four episodes which are due to be screened next month.

She will play Mel, who is the mother of one of the soap opera’s main characters.

Emma said: “I can’t give too much away at the moment. She is a bit of a nasty character and is really going to shake things up.

“It has been a great role to play and the rest of the cast have been really friendly; a pleasure to work with.”

She will make her first appearance on April 19 and will appear in episodes to be broadcast from April 23 to 25.

In 2003 Emma played Maz in ITV’s Coronation Street, having an on-screen flirtation with garage mechanic Tyrone Dobbs.

Emma has also appeared in TV series The Royal, Playing the Field and Bafta award-winning film East is East.

More recently she has been running a drama school in her home village and has set up her own theatre company, called La’al Marra Productions.

In August her play True won the audience award for being the favourite production at the 24:7 Theatre Festival in Manchester. It had its debut at Cockermouth’s Kirkgate Centre before transferring to the festival for a six-night run.

The play, about mother and daughter relationships, starred Emma and actress Roberta Kerr. It was directed by Workington actor David MacCreedy.

Emma then turned the production into a short film, True, which was premiered at Cockermouth’s Kirkgate Centre in January.

The film was directed by Cockermouth actor and director Toby Gaffney and starred a host of West Cumbrians.

True has now been nominated in the Best of the Fringe category at the Manchester Theatre Awards.

Due to local demand it will be performed at the Kirkgate on March 16 and 17 at 8pm.

Simon Anderson Photography, of Keswick, will be at the event to take pictures of mums and their daughters for Mother’s Day.

Emma, a mother-of-two, added: “I am really looking forward to performing the play again and ecstatic about it being up for the award.

“I have had so much support from local people and I can’t thank them enough.”

First published at 19:23, Thursday, 01 March 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk