Former Emmerdale star Ryan Hawley is set to make a return to Soapland after a five-year absence. The actor will star in the upcoming series of BBC’s Casualty as newcomer Jamie Cleveland.

Ryan, 38, is best known for portraying Robert Sugden in Emmerdale from 2014 until 2019. Robert was a fan favourite on the ITV soap, thanks to his relationship with husband Aaron Dingle, played by Danny Miller, capturing viewers’ hearts.

Robert exited the Dales in 2019. He attacked Lee Posner, who had assaulted his sister Victoria Sugden. As a result, he was jailed for 14 years.

Ryan Hawley is joining Casualty

After departing Emmerdale, actor Ryan has appeared in a number of TV shows. He has starred in Silent Witness as Michael Robson and also All Creatures Great And Small as Sid Crabtree.

However he will finally make his soap comeback as Jamie in Casualty. It’s set to break fans’ hearts as they have been hoping for a return for Robert now Aaron is back in Emmerdale.

The character is a member of the board at Holby City Hospital. He will be introduced in the first episode of the show’s new boxset, Storm Damage.

The first episode of 12-part series sees Cam make a ‘tough decision’ as a storm threatens Holby. Also, and Stevie forms a surprising connection. Meanwhile Tariq attempts to help Rash.

Who is Jamie Cleveland in Casualty?

Additionally, it appears newcomer Jamie will play a big role in telling the story of nurse Cam’s past.

Actor Barney Walsh, 26, who joined Casualty as Cam in 2023, has teased what’s to come in Storm Damage. He also revealed Jamie is a ‘familiar face’ for his character.

“Jamie is someone who was a kind-of mentor to Cam growing up, and it’s very interesting for Cam to see him again,” Barney told What To Watch.

Storm Damage will begin airing on Saturday, June 15. The episode will air on BBC Two at 8.20pm, instead of Casualty’s usual BBC One slot, because of the The UEFA European Football Championship.