In August, Rob Jarvis joined the cast as Wendy Posner's (Susan Cookson) ex-husband Russell, later followed by Chloe Harris (Jessie Elland), the sister of Sarah Sugden's (Katie Hill) heart donor.
He was followed by Carol Butler (Laura Pitt-Pulford) in December, who was introduced as the sister of one of Meena Jutla's (Paige Sandhu) victims.
Ethan was described as "intelligent", and Digital Spy noted that he "inherited his father's strong sense of justice and worked hard to carve himself a successful law career".
Charles advises him not to cause a rivalry between himself and the Dingle family, but feeling he has worked too hard for his career to be ruined, he continues to demand justice for himself.
Liv Flaherty (Isobel Steele) later sees Aaron's boyfriend Ben Tucker (Simon Lennon) into a taxi.
"[10] Lennon also commented on the father and son relationship between Warren and Ben, "There are so many obstacles that come with having a loved one who is an alcoholic.
It can manifest in so many ways for the person struggling with it, and the people close to them...Ben has been involved in his Dad’s journey with alcoholism for years.
Chloe was introduced as the sister of Gemma Harris, a dead teenager whose heart was given to Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) in a transplant.
[18] Chloe is characterised as a sweet and genuine person who is secretly struggling with feelings of sadness, anger, and frustration.
[19] This is initially explained through her grief for her dead sister, but later into her tenure, it is revealed that she has a controlling father who is in prison.
She eventually loses interest in him and has casual relationships with Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) and Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter).
The storyline saw him tracking her location, letting himself into her room, photographing her and her belongings and eventually holding her hostage when she learns of his obsession.
Elland praised Emmerdale for covering a storyline about misogyny and sexism, a topic she described as "such a relevant conversation, especially in this day and age".
[23] Esme arrived in Emmerdale in October 2021 to make contact with Charles and Ethan and gives her son a letter.
Ethan wasn't so keen on talking to Esme due to her abandoning him, but built a relationship with her when the truth of Charles' past is revealed.
After Esme's arrival in the village, Mathurin, who plays Charles, told Digital Spy: "When I first joined Emmerdale, I knew that down the line, there would be other family members or people from the past coming in, but I wasn't sure exactly when that would happen.
"[24] In 2024, ahead of his hearing for dangerous driving, Ethan reveals to Charles that Esme has relocated to Brisbane and Naomi has joined her.
After Thomas was born on 28 October 2021, Kim fought to be a part of Thomas' life and stop Gabby from moving to Portugal with her grandmother Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen), leading to her making a deal with Diane that she would sign 20 percent of what she owned to Gabby, which was worth about 4 million pounds.
Hazel, played by Kate Anthony,[26] is the mother of Andrea Tate (Anna Nightingale), who had recently been killed in the maze fire by Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu).
First in April 2022 for the christening for her half-brother Thomas Tate (Bertie Brotherton) and again in September for Kim's wedding to Will Taylor (Dean Andrews).
[27] It was later confirmed that Gavin would act as a villain on the soap and would be a business partner of Al Chapman (Michael Wildman).
[28] When asked about his character's backstory, Richards said that Gavin grew up on a council estate in poverty but began a loan shark business through charging high interest rates.
He said that Gavin has a number of customers who cannot lend money from a bank and hinted that people who do not pay him back end up in hospital.
After noticing a resemblance to Lucas, Dawn realises that Alex is Clemmie's father also, meaning he was having an affair with her best friend when they were together.
In October, Alex returns to try and gain custody of both of his children, but ends up being tied up in a barn by Dawn's father Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) and stepmother Kim Tate (Claire King) and as a result is paid off.