Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley has confirmed a major character return for beloved patriarch Zak Dingle’s funeral in upcoming scenes, and now fans are desperate to know who is set to come back to the village.

The ITV soap is set to pay tribute to Zak and actor Steve Halliwell who played him for nearly 30 years, following his death aged 77 last year.

Speaking to The Sun, the Mandy Dingle actress confirmed that a familiar character will be in attendance for the emotional event.

‘It was emotional to film but there is going to be someone coming from the past who will have repercussions for Mandy and Paddy and Vinny especially moving forward,’ she teased.

This has sent fans into a spin, as they try to guess who the imminent return will be.

On Reddit, fans have been speculating a return for Emily Kirk, who was once married to Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt).

‘Didn’t Emily leave Emmerdale to train as a vicar? Maybe she returning to officiate at the funeral? Could she be persuaded to stay on and replace Charles?’ One fan suggested.

Another added: ‘I would massively welcome a return from Emily, who would make an impact on Paddy and Mandy, and I suppose Zak was her father in law so a return would be feasible’

With Paddy and Mandy having just tied the knot after a tumultuous few months, could Emily come back and throw a spanner in the works?

Emily’s name isn’t the only one in the pot, though, as other fans wonder if Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb) will make a return.

Zak is currently living with Debbie in Scotland, so could she possibly make an appearance at the funeral?

Another fan threw in the possibility of Delilah Dingle (Hayley Tamaddon), pointing out that ‘Del was quite intimately involved with Paddy at one point!’.

Earlier this year, actress Hayley Tamaddon confirmed that she would return to the soap ‘in a heartbeat’, so could she be set to appear on our screens?

Whichever character the return is set to be, we are certainly looking forward to the drama they will bring!