Emmerdale stars Karen Blick and Danny Miller have praised the show’s plans to pay tribute to long-serving cast member Steve Halliwell following his death last year.

The ITV soap recently announced that Steve’s popular character Zak Dingle will be celebrated with an on-screen funeral.

Steve, who’d played Zak since 1994, sadly passed away in December at the age of 77. In the fictional world of Emmerdale, Zak is currently living away in Scotland. Upcoming scenes will see news reach the village that Zak has passed away.

Speaking to Digital Spy on the red carpet at the Radio Times Soap Awards on Saturday (July 13), Karen – who plays Lydia Dingle – explained: “We knew that everybody at Emmerdale was going to honour and respect the iconic character that Steve played.

“I read the script yesterday and it made me cry. The audience are in for a treat. It’s very sad, but it’s incredibly heartwarming and it’s a wonderful tribute to Steve and Zak Dingle.”

Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle, also told Digital Spy: “Zak will become the heart of the show again for a short time.

“It will bring the Dingles even closer together, which is great. Emmerdale have always been really good at keeping the Dingles at the heart of the show.”

Asked how the cast feel about filming such poignant scenes, Danny replied: “It affects people differently, but we’ve grieved Steve. He was one of the first people I met when I joined Emmerdale. He was always a big figure for me – a sounding board and a shoulder for me.

“This is a lot more about doffing the cap to Zak. It’s a happier affair, as opposed to dwelling on it. [Steve] wouldn’t want us to do that – he’d want us to have a bit of a laugh with it. That’s hopefully what we’ll be doing when it comes round.”

Emmerdale’s new producer Sophie Roper announced the special Zak tribute episode earlier this month.

Speaking at the time, Roper explained: “We’re going to be marking Zak’s passing – the iconic Zak Dingle character – in the coming months with a Dingle funeral.

“That’s very difficult for a lot of people who work on our show and a lot of our viewers who have grown and loved Zak for many, many years, but there’ll be a hugely fitting tribute for such an iconic character coming up.”

The Radio Times Soap Awards took place at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on Saturday (July 13). Emmerdale took home two prizes on the night, with Lisa Riley (Mandy Dingle) winning Best Comedy Performance and Chris Chittell (Eric Pollard) receiving the Special Recognition gong.