Actress Pauline Quirke to join Emmerdale
Actress Pauline Quirke has signed up to join the cast of ITV1 soap Emmerdale, it has been announced.
The star, who is best known for her role in the comedy series Birds Of A Feather, will play Hazel, the mother of Aaron's love interest, Jackson.
"The show has really moved on; it's consistently good, there are some great characters and great storylines," Quirke said.
The actress starts filming next month and will appear on screens in August.
"I'm really looking forward to joining the show. My mum was a fan back when it was called Emmerdale Farm, so it's always been a part of my life," Quirke said.
"I've never done anything like this before so it's something different for me and I'm very happy to be a part of it."
Series producer Gavin Blyth revealed the actress will become part of an "enormous and gripping storyline" this autumn, which will involve Jackson and Aaron.
Since Birds Of A Feather ended in 1998, Quirke has starred in several TV dramas including The Sculptress, Cold Blood, Carrie's War and Missing.