With Jai and Charity’s engagement announced, Mr and Mrs Sharma and their stunning daughter Priya are set to arrive in Emmerdale, keen to meet their future daughter-in-law. Jai’s and Nikhil’s formidable and demanding yet witty mother Georgia Sharma will be played by actress Trudie Goodwin, best known for her role as Sgt June Ackland in The Bill.
Georgia’s business-obsessed husband Rishi Sharma will be played by actor Bhasker Patel, who has a wealth of TV and film credits including Trial and Retribution and Holby Blue. Their fun-loving and flirtatious daughter Priya will be played by actress Fiona Wade. Fiona has appeared in Lewis, Silent Witness, Where the Heart Is and three series of Grange Hill from 1997-99.
With a wedding to arrange, the Sharmas intend to get their feet well and truly under the table in the coming months and Georgia is quick to take Charity to task, unsure she is marriage material for her beloved eldest son.
Trudie Goodwin says “I’m absolutely thrilled to be playing Georgia in Emmerdale. She is a difficult-to-please woman who is set to make life difficult for Charity. I can’t wait to start filming next week”.
Stuart Blackburn, Emmerdale series producer says “I’m delighted to welcome Trudie, Bhasker and Fiona to the cast. There are plenty of trials and tribulations in store for the ever popular Sharma family.”
With the sweet factory to run, Jai (Chris Bisson) and Nikhil (Rik Makarem) have been working hard but as the rest of their family arrive on the doorstep (on-screen from early November), life is going to get a lot more complicated for the brothers.
EMMERDALE: SMALL VILLAGE, BIG DRAMA
www.itv.com/emmerdale
Emmerdale is produced by ITV Studios and appears on ITV1 Monday to Friday at 7pm with an extra episode at 8pm every Thursday.
For updates and announcements please follow us on twitter @emmerdale
