Ella Forster

The character and casting was announced on 21 November 2023, with it being reported that Lane would begin filming that same month. It was reported that Ella would meet Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and her partner Paddy Dingle (Dominic Brunt) at the veterinary ball, which would lead to Ella losing her job after sticking up for Mandy, but then would find "luck" when she has a "chance encounter" with Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker). In the video, Lane was seen wearing scrubs and said that she was feeling a little nervous. Craig Jones from Leeds Live reported that the Emmerdale team were "delighted" by Lane's casting. Lane had previously auditioned for the roles of Gennie Walker, Holly Barton and a lawyer on the soap. Lane's audition for Genie was her first television audition, and prior to that she had written to Emmerdale when she was still in acting school, in which she said that she loved the show and would love to work there. Lane watched the soap since she was young and revealed that her family are fans of it, with Lane remembering Tate and Sugden families and Home Farm from when was younger. ITV did not comment on the report. ==Characterisation==

Ella was described as "compassionate and caring" and "far from a pushover", and it was reported that it would not be "long" until Ella is "turning heads in the village". Lane has explained that there are traits that she shares with Ella, explaining that she believes that they are both a "good judge of character" and both "switched on and sociable", as well as how they both stand up for themselves. Lane admitted that would like Ella to trust herself and other people more, but added that "perhaps she has good reason to try and overly protect herself". The actress explained that there would be more that viewers would see to the character, explaining that when something or someone is really important to Ella and is at risk, she will "fight so hard to protect that situation". ==Development==

Ella's first scenes involve her meeting Mandy at the Vets Social event, where Ella consoles and stands up for Mandy after hearing her "loud-mouthed" boss Jules Jefferson (Wayne Cater) make rude comments about Mandy and her fashion. Ella is later impulsively offered a job offer as a receptionist at the new doctors surgery by Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker), who overhears her conversation with Mandy following being fired. Lane joked that she needed to "look like" she knows what she is doing on the computer due to Ella being the new receptionist. Shortly after starting her job at the new surgery, Ella is speculated to be a love interest of her colleague, Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson), which begins with Liam showing her the ropes at the surgery. Their other colleague, Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson), who had previously had an affair with Liam, notices the pair's "playful vibe" and believes that a romantic spark is developing. Calli Kitson from Metro called the meeting "very awkward". Ella then goes for a drink with Liam and is flustered when she finds out about Liam's various ex-girlfriends, so she tells people that she and Liam are nothing more than colleagues to prevent "gossip" from spreading. Liam then confides in Leyla about the situation and she, having realised her mistake, tells Liam to go get Chas "without delay". ==Storylines==

Ella, a PA, meets Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) at the veterinary gala, and the two comfort each other when Ella's boss, Jules Jefferson (Wayne Cater), is rude to them. Ella tells Mandy that Jules treats her horribly but puts up with him as she needs the money. Ella then pours beer over Jules after he humiliates Mandy over her outfit, leading to Ella losing her job. Mandy's partner, Paddy Dingle (Dominic Brunt), assumes that Mandy poured the drink and shouts at her, though Ella takes responsibility. Ella also meets Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley) at the gala. The following day, Ella and Mandy meet up to talk about what has happened, and their conversation is overheard by local GP Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker). Manpreet then offers Ella a job as a receptionist at the new surgery. When Ella starts working there, her colleague Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) shows Ella the ropes. The two start flirting and have a spark, which is noticed by Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson), who also works at the surgery. Manpreet notices the attraction and is not happy, so she organises a meeting with Wendy, Ella and Liam to talk about appropriate behaviour in the workplace. When alone, Manpreet tells Ella about how Wendy and Liam previously had an affair and how it devastated Wendy's partner Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw), but Ella tells Manpreet that she and Liam are both single and thus they would not be doing anything wrong. Ella later goes on a date with Liam at the local pub, but she runs off after kissing him. ==Reception==

For her role as Ella, Lane was longlisted for "Best newcomer" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards, whilst "Ella's killer past revealed" was longlisted for "Best Showstopper". Speaking of the character's debut, Maisie Spackman from Metro wrote "Frankly, we can't wait!" Less than a day after the character was announced, Olivia Wheeler from The Daily Mirror reported how viewers had speculated on Twitter that was Ella was actually another upcoming character, Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly), whose casting had not yet been announced; the announcement of Ruby's character debuting had come shortly before Ella's. Jasmine Allday from the same website reported on how fans were speculating that Ella was connected to established character Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), with some speculating that he would the one who Ella has a romance with. Months later, Charlotte Tutton from the Daily Mirror noted how fans had "long predicted" that Ella is secretly linked to another Emmerdale character. Tutton also noted how fans had theorised that Ella is in cahoots with Thomas King (James Chase) and is secretly his sister Anya King, whilst others theorised that Ella was seeking revenge for Manpreet's serial killer sister, Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu). A writer from We Love TV called Ella a "fiery newcomer". Following Ella's debut, Sarah Ellis from Inside Soap joked "Just don't upset Ella, you'll end up soaked in beer!" Ellis' colleague, Steven Murphy, called Ella a "Dale's Diva". Alison Slade from TV Times believed that Liam is "too much of a gentlemen/wimp" to reject Ella's proposal and thus "finds himself lumbered with a girlfriend he doesn't want". Slade also explained that Liam and Ella's "full-on snog" would have been "peachy" were if not for the fact that Liam would rather be with Chas. The following month, Laura-Jayne Tyler from the same magazine was confused by the fact that Wendy reminded Ella of Dolores Umbridge, writing "Okay... that's some leap". Calli Kitson from Metro called Ella a "kind-hearted newcomer". Kitson also wrote that whilst Ella had been "established as a kind and thoughtful person", the fact that Ella had left swiftly after kissing Liam, in addition to the "running soap theory [that] a 'nice' character is always hiding something", had resulted in fans believing Ella has ulterior motives. When it was confirmed by Lane that Ella is hiding something, some fans speculated that Ella would be revealed as the daughter of Rose Jackson (Christine Tremarco) and possibly Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), making her the sister of Dawn. Timms from the same magazine wrote that Lane had made her feel "sorry" for Ella, and wrote that now there was "so much more" that she wants to know about the character's past. Lewis Knight from Radio Times called Ella a "feisty receptionist" with a "shocking backstory", and questioned whether she would find peace before her departure. ==References==