The Calder family made their Emmerdale debut in 2001 after the actors took part in the ITV reality show SoapStars
Remember when Emmerdale ventured into the world of reality TV to find a new soap family? This is what the Calder gang is up to now…
Back in 2001, following on from the popularity of Popstars which formed pop group Hear’Say, ITV commissioned Soapstars which set out to find a new family to join Emmerdale.
The series followed thousands of contestants as they battled to be cast as part of a new family, and were judged by drama producer Yvon Grace, casting director Paul de Freitas, and Emmerdale scriptwriter Bill Lyons.
When the winners were eventually announced, they bagged themselves a coveted three-month contract on Emmerdale. Dee Whitehead was cast as Maggie Calder, Mark Jardine as Phil Weston, Elspeth Brodie as Lucy Calder, Jason Hain as Craig Calder, and Ruth Abram as Jess Weston.
The family made their debut on-screen debut in November 2001. However, things didn’t turn out as well as they’d hoped as not even a year later they were axed in 2002.
Soap bosses said at the time: “We have been delighted with all five of the actors from day one and they have all turned in very impressive performances. We can’t fault their work and their impressive acting ability.” But what have the actors been up to since leaving Emmerdale?
Dee Whitehead
Dee Whitehead played Maggie and was introduced as Rodney Blackstock’s (Patrick Mower) old pal. She was in charge of running the holiday village in Emmerdale. The forgotten Home Farm Holiday Park was initially opened up in 1991 by Frank Tate (Norman Bowler).
Maggie was involved in several big storylines in her brief appearance from November 2001 until August 2002. As well as being involved in a car crash she had an affair and also feuded with Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler).
Her exit storyline saw her move to Scotland. Following her soap exit actress Dee went on to star as Janet Brown in BBC drama The Chase in 2006. But since then, she’s had no further TV or film credits.
Mark Jardine
Phil caused ripples of drama in the Dales during his stint. Actor Mark Jardine has arguably been the most successful of the soap family.
After appearing in Emmerdale, he appeared in Heartbeat spin-off The Royal and Yorkshire sitcom Barbara. He also starred in crime drama Diamond Geezer alongside David Jason, in which he played Webster.
Mark also swapped the Dales for the cobbles and has made several appearances on Coronation Street. He first appeared on the cobbles in 2010 as a doctor, and returned in 2015 as side character Graham during David (Jack P. Shepherd) and Eva’s (Catherine Tyldesley) search for David’s then-wife Kylie (Paula Lane).
Elspeth Brodie
Elspeth player youngster Lucy Calder. And following her soap exit, she opted for a major career change, with Elspeth now working behind the camera.
After appearing in Emmerdale, Elspeth went on to star in two episodes of crime soap The Bill as Sarah Fuller, and short film A Burst of Love as Fran. She also starred in the drama flick Acts of Godfrey as Sheila Timms.
She also found huge success as a dialogue coach. Elspeth has contributed to hit films including 2012 musical masterpiece Les Misérables, war flick The Book Thief and even Disney movie Maleficent that starred Angelina Jolie. She also worked on mystery flick Oldboy, campus thriller The Riot Club and 2021 film The Road Dance.
Jason Hain
Teenager Craig Calder was played by Jason Hain. Not much is known about what he has been up to since leaving Emmerdale. He appeared in 54 episodes of Emmerdale before leaving in 2002.
His iMDB page claims Jason had one credit in the Valentine’s Day special of karaoke game show Night Fever back in 2002. But since then hasn’t gathered any more film or TV credits.
Ruth Abraham
Ruth Abraham – who played Jess Weston for 13 episodes – has stuck around in the acting industry. She went on to appear in rival soap Hollyoaks as Midwife Wilson, as well as a reconstruction on CrimeWatch as Clare.
Her CV boasts several advertising credits too. These include ads for medical insurer BUPA, clothing store Matalan, and food brand Birdseye.
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX
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