Jason Donovan appears on Emmerdale tonight playing himself as a special guest for Lydia Dingle’s birthday, but what did Emmerdale’s Lydia Dingle – played by Karen Blick – reveal about the experience?
Jason Donovan appears on Emmerdale tonight playing himself as a special guest for Lydia Dingle’s birthday,
Emmerdale’s Lydia Dingle wasn’t the only one to be starstruck when Jason Donovan sang ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ at a private concert in her honour.
Actress Karen Blick confesses that the scenes – shown tomorrow night – required no acting. For she was as smitten as her Emmerdale character was meant to be, as she hung on every word of Jason’s private performance – arranged for Lydia by her pal, Kim Tate.
Kim’s kindness came after cash-strapped Lydia had to use the £200 she’d saved to buy a concert ticket to see the former Neighbours star for bills.
And Karen, 51, says watching him sing was a dream come true for her too. She tells the Mirror: “I loved Jason back in the day in Neighbours and I can still remember watching him as Scott when he got married to Kylie’s character, Charlene. It was massive! I have always been a fan of Neighbours.”
READ MORE: ‘Sharing a private jet with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood was like a chemical factory’
When she heard he was going to be on set, she adds: “I did a little dance in the office. I then did warn the team no acting would be required. I knew I would be starstruck and gobsmacked too!”
And Jason was even better than she had expected. “On the day of filming, I found myself getting quite giddy and I did have to pull myself together thinking ‘don’t be swooning over Jason Donovan!’” Karen laughs. “Jason is normally used to performing to large numbers in big arenas, so it must have felt a bit strange being in the Woolpack with just a few cast members. But he was such a lovely man and had time for everyone.
“He sang ‘Too Many Broken Hearts.’ It felt magical and it was such a privilege to listen to him.” Of course, she managed to snatch an obligatory selfie with the singer. “Yes me and James [who plays Lydia’s husband Sam] both got a little selfie afterwards, which was nice!” she says.
Karen reveals that Lydia was hiding a very guilty secret from her pal Kim, played by Claire King, as she watched the impromptu gig. “Emmerdale being Emmerdale, things don’t run smoothly,’ she warns. “There are lots of twists and turns along the way, but just before Lydia enters the Woolpack, she has been attending an illegal shooting party on Kim’s land. Her and Sam organise it after Sam persuades Lydia that Kim isn’t really a friend.”
Kim orders Lydia to the pub, where Lydia’s dreams come true with a Jason Donovan concert.
Disappointed when Kim only donated a bottle of cheap plonk for the Christmas fair, she goes along with the shoot – only for it all to go horribly wrong when Kim gets trapped in a snare they have set to catch game animals. Karen adds: “Everything goes from bad to worse.”
While she will confirm that Lydia and Sam will have a frosty Christmas financially, she won’t divulge whether she and Kim’s friendship will warm back up. Away from the more dramatic storyline, the actress feels the financial woes the Dingle couple face will resonate with many viewers.
“There is such a huge pressure at Christmas and Lydia and Sam are definitely feeling that” explains Karen. “They have got a big family, huge bills to pay. I think one of the reasons why the Dingles do resonate with everyone is because there is a Dingle for everybody – someone who we can connect with in that family. People can relate to the challenges they face.”
Although Karen admits she loves spoiling her family at Christmas, she also likes to find gifts in charity shops and on Vinted – just like her character. “I do like spoiling them but this year I am trying to be good,” she says. “ love shopping on Vinted and in charity shops. I always have a good scout around for any bargains.
Sam Dingle (James Hooton) and Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) make plans.
“I’ve been buying a few things on Vinted recently. I went to get one parcel yesterday from a locker, only I couldn’t reach it. I stood trying to jump up and then suddenly this lady pulled up in her car and asked if I was alright. She ended up giving me a leg up to get it! So, I’d like to say ‘thank you’ to the random stranger who did give me that leg up!”
Looking forward to spending the festivities at the Yorkshire home she shares with her husband of 14 years, Simon, and their two children, she says: “We love Christmas. I am going to be cooking for six this year. We do a mixture of things on the day and what we have started to do is have a starter, then a break, so the kids can play with their toys and then we will have our main course later, followed by cheese and biscuits in the evening. So, it is one long meal over the day!”
Meanwhile, she is looking forward to 2026, when she hopes the Dingles will enjoy more dramatic storylines. Her love for her character has only strengthened during the nine years she has played her. “I love everything about Lydia,” she says. “It’s the duality of the character and yes she can be a really simple creature, but there are also a lot of layers to her.
Yorkshire born Karen Blick loves playing Lydia Dingle on Emmerdale.(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
“She has quite a complicated life and she has a fantastic friendship with Kim – although after the shooting party, Lydia can’t live with herself afterwards! I love how she sees the good in people but then at other times, she has a real Dingle element and loves being part of that family.”
In no hurry to leave Emmerdale any time soon, she adds: “Every year is a ‘pinch me’ gift. I’m a Yorkshire actress, I work on a fantastic Yorkshire soap and I’m not far away from home. I wouldn’t leave by choice. In this job, nothing is obviously taken for granted so we never know what might happen, but I am happy on Emmerdale and I love working with all the cast. Claire and I are great friends and we share a dressing room.”
Still nurturing her memories of her special scenes with Jason, she is thinking of honouring him in her family’s Christmas playlist. “Maybe we can play a bit of Jason and Kylie’s Especially for You,” she jokes. “Seriously though, Jason was so kind, he did a brilliant job and he is very talented.”
It seems Jason found the whole experience equally memorable. He says: “I was incredibly excited to have been asked to make a cameo appearance in Emmerdale as myself. Filming was great fun and all of the cast and crew were extremely welcoming. Singing in the Woolpack set was definitely an experience I won’t forget.”
