Martha Cope is adding another soap to her filmography (Picture: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)

A new face is set to cause chaos in Emmerdale – and soap fans may recognise her.

Martha Cope isset to join the soap in a ‘major storyline,’ a source has revealed, after shocking fans as Dotty Cotton’s (Milly Zero) mum Sandy Gibson in 2021.

Coronation Streetviewers may also recognise the actor as she turned up in Weatherfield as Joanne, a woman Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) met on a singles’ night who later proved difficult to remove from his life.

Ahead of her arrival in the Dales, here’s everything you need to know about the actor and what her role in the soap will entail.

Who is Martha Cope?

Martha Cope, 53, is best known for her roles in British soaps including various appearances in Doctors.

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In Soapland, she has aksi appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and EastEnders in small roles as well as some more prominent characters.

TV fans may recognise the actor from Men Behaving Badly, Peak Practice, and Holby City.

She also starred as the regular character Anna Gregory in Family Affairs from 2002 to 2003.

She has appeared in The Bill seven times in seven different roles from 1994 to 2008.

It seems she may have always been destined to appear on our screens, born to parents Renny Lister and Kenneth Cope, both of whom were actors.

Who did she play in EastEnders?

Martha is best known to EastEnders fans for playing Sandy Gibson, the mother of Dotty Cotton, in 2021.

Sandy arrived back in the Square in 2021 wreaking havoc in Dotty’s life (Picture: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)

Originally played by Caroline Pegg, Sandy’s past alcohol problems led her to a fleeting relationship with the notorious Nick Cotton (John Altman), after which she fell pregnant with Dotty. Sandy initially kept her pregnancy a secret but ultimately revealed all to Nick while he was in prison.

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Drug user Sandyturned up in Albert Square again, now helmed by Martha, and was soon causing chaos, trying to get money from her daughter and leaving on Christmas Day after dropping the bombshell that Dotty’s father was Rocky (Brian Conley) rather than Nick Cotton (John Altman).

This later turned out to be a lie as Rocky revealed he never slept with Sandy, making it impossible for him to be her father.

Who will she play in Emmerdale?

Following her explosive time on Albert Square, Martha is set to be part of a ‘huge storyline’ in the Dales, an insider has said.

According to The Sun, a source said: ‘Martha will appear later this year and kick off a huge storyline. She’s making a guest appearance but she has an unmatched soap pedigree so she’s bound to impress fans.’

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

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