Zak Dingle star Steve Halliwell will get the tribute he deserves as Lisa Riley confirmed the Emmerdale cast and crew recently started to film a special episode. Ranvir Singh was back at the helm of ITV 's Lorraine this Thursday, August 15, as she welcomed the soap star and grilled her over the latest drama in the Yorkshire-based programme. The Mandy Dingle actress notably revealed that her on-screen alter ego will face heartbreak ahead of her wedding with Dominic Brunt 's Paddy Dingle as her dire financial situation pushed her to sell her services as a financial dominatrix.
But during their exchange, Lisa Riley also shared details about an upcoming memorial episode, filmed as a tribute for the late Steve Halliwell, an "ultimate icon of Emmerdale" according to his former co-star. "We started shooting the memorial episode, actually, Monday just gone (August 12)", Lisa first announced, adding Steve Halliwell was like a father to her. "And our beloved Steve Halliwell, you know, he's like my father for years in the show, he taught me so much and we're doing a dedicated episode for him.
That's what he deserves. Yeah, he is the ultimate icon of Emmerdale, the king of the Dingle family and he deserves everything and more. We'll do him proud.
" Steve portrayed Mandy's uncle Zak Dingle on the show from 1994 until his death in 2023 , though he hadn't appeared in the show months prior to his passing. The actor died on December 15, 2023, at 77 years old after a long period of ill health , .