The top earner on Emmerdale has reportedly been unveiled.
The ITV soap, which has been a mainstay on our screens since its first episode in 1972, has kept us all gripped with its dramatic plot twists and turns.
Over the years, we’ve met some truly iconic characters too from the famous Yorkshire Dales, from legends like Kim Tate (played by Claire King) and Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), to newer faces such as Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).
But it seems there’s one cast member who is allegedly making a pretty penny from their time on the show – and it might not be who you’d expect.
According to The Mirror, the pay structure across Emmerdale, Coronation Street and EastEnders is the same, with actors receiving a fee per episode that can vary from £400 to £2,000, along with a guaranteed number of episodes each year and a repeat fee.
While it’s not clear who the highest paid star on Emmerdale is, reports over the years have given us an idea of what some of our favourite cast members might be earning
Claire King, who has played the legendary Kim Tate since 1989 (with a break after ten years before returning in 2018), is said to be the soap’s highest earner ever and is among the best-paid actresses in soap history.
She’s also a Strictly Come Dancing alum, having partnered with Brendan Cole in 2006, and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, although she had to leave the Channel 4 reality series early for medical treatment. Her fee is said to be an eye-watering £230,00, reports Leicestershire Live.
Claire taking the top spot might come as a shock to those expecting Chris Chittell – who is the soap’s longest-serving actor playing Eric Pollard. It’s been claimed that Chris is given a hefty £200,000 annual salary for portraying Eric, a role he’s embraced since 1986.
Other cast members fees that have been reported on include Emma Atkins, who has played Charity Dingle since 2000. She is said to be pocketing a cool £200,000 each year from her work on the beloved soap.
Jeff Hordley, famed for his portrayal of Emmerdale’s resident tough guy Cain Dingle, reportedly bags the same as Emma: an impressive £200,000 yearly salary.
As for Danny Miller’s character Aaron Dingle, he has appeared in more than 1,400 episodes of the show therefore he would have racked up a fair salary over his 13 years, going off the rate of £400 to £2,000 per episode.
Meanwhile Zak Dingle actor Steve Halliwell – who sadly died aged 77 in 2023 – likely had an annual salary of around £200,000. He was a part of Emmerdale from 1994 until his death, a total of 29 years.