{"id":34767,"date":"2025-03-21T13:48:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T13:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/?p=34767"},"modified":"2025-03-21T15:38:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T15:38:28","slug":"edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/","title":{"rendered":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Edna Birch lived in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/tag\/emmerdale\/\">Emmerdale<\/a> for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way, ruffling feathers, making blunt comments and bringing a lot of drama \u2013 and humour \u2013 with her.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle-1st\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Plus there was her devotion to her dogs Tootsie and Batley.<\/p>\n<p>Despite (or maybe because of!) her sharp-tongue, Edna was\u00a0 a firm fan favourite.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the lowdown on her time in the village.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:min-h-[300px]\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"ad-slot1\"><\/div><\/div>\n<h2>Edna Birch v Ashley Thomas<\/h2>\n<p>Edna had lived in the Emmerdale village for many years when she first appeared on screen, clashing with vicar Ashley Thomas over his choice of girlfriend! Edna didn\u2019t approve of Ashley getting together with barmaid Bernice Blackstock and she made her feelings VERY clear.<\/p><section class=\"widget block-30 widget_block mb-4\"><div class=\"mb-3 stories-slider-container overflow-hidden w-[100%] max-sm:w-[108%] max-sm:ml-[-15px]\" data-items-visible=\"2\">\n  <h3 class=\"w-full text-center mb-5 uppercase\">article continues below<\/h3>  <div class=\"grid md:grid-cols-5 grid-cols-6\">\n          <a class=\"!no-underline col-span-4 mr-5 cursor-pointer mb-3 hover:!bg-[var(--color-v-white)] hover:!text-[var(--color-v-primary)] block [-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent] uppercase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/category\/spoilers\/\">\n        <h2 class=\"font-[var(--font-v-font)] text-[var(--color-v-primary)] font-bold !text-2xl flex flex-row place-content-baseline !mb-0 max-sm:ml-[10px]\">\n          <span class=\"flex-initial mr-2 transition-all duration-300 hover:-translate-y-1 ease-in-out !leading-[var(--title-line-height)]\">Read all the latest spoilers<\/span>\n          <span class=\"mt-auto mb-2 self-baseline h-1 bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] block w-[100%] flex-1\"><\/span>\n        <\/h2>\n      <\/a>\n    \n\n\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"rounded-tl-xl md:rounded-tr-xl bg-[var(--color-v-footer)] flex flex-row gap-4 md:col-span-1 col-span-2 justify-center pt-2\">\n      <button class=\"prev-btn h-8 w-8 rounded-full bg-[var(--color-v-white)] hover:bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] hover:text-[var(--color-v-white)] items-center justify-center text-sm transition delay-50 duration-100 cursor-pointer\" href=\"#\" alt=\"right\">\n        <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"w-5 h-5 justify-self-center inline\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"3\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M15 19l-7-7 7-7\"><\/path><\/svg>\n      <\/button>\n      <button class=\"next-btn h-8 w-8 rounded-full bg-[var(--color-v-white)] hover:bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] hover:text-[var(--color-v-white)] font-bold items-center justify-center transition delay-50 duration-100 cursor-pointer \" href=\"#\" alt=\"left\">\n        <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"w-5 h-5 justify-self-center inline\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"3\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M9 5l7 7-7 7\"><\/path><\/svg>\n      <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  \n  \n  <div class=\"px-[10px] bg-[var(--color-v-footer)] rounded-none md:rounded-l-xl md:rounded-br-xl max-sm:pb-3\">\n    <div class=\"stories-slider-viewport group overflow-x-auto relative scroll-smooth\">\n      \n      <div class=\"invisible md:block slide\">\n        <img class=\"h-[250px]\" src=\"https:\/\/placehold.co\/1x250\" alt=\"placeholder\">\n      <\/div>\n      \n      <div class=\"stories-slider-track top-[10px] max-sm:h-[233px] absolute flex flex-row flex-nowrap transition-all duration-300 ease-in-out\">\n                              <div class=\"story-item flex-none slide\">\n              <div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:mpu-container dbxgas:hidden dbxgas:md:block dbxgas:mb-0!\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle-desktop\"><\/div><\/div>            <\/div>\n                    <div class=\" md:ml-3  w-[200px] max-sm:w-[180px] story-item flex-shrink-0\">\n            <a class=\"!no-underline relative h-[100%] block !text-[var(--color-v-text-gray)] hover:!text-[var(--color-v-primary)] transition delay-150 duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/spoilers\/paddy-bear-dylan-face-jury-on-trial\/\">\n              <div class=\"relative\">\n                <img class=\"rounded-xl !my-0 md:w-[200px] md:h-[133px] max-sm:w-[180px] max-sm:h-[120px] object-cover mb-3\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Emm-Banners-ExclusiveOp-Templates-11.jpg\" alt=\"Paddy, Bear and Dylan face the jury as they go on trial\">\n                                                   <span class=\"!text-[var(--color-v-white)] text-xs rounded-xl px-2 py-1 absolute bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] bottom-3 left-3\"> Mon, May 4<\/span>                <\/div>\n              <h4 class=\"!font-semibold !text-sm md:!text-base !leading-[var(--title-line-height)] mt-2 max-sm:line-clamp-5 line-clamp-4 text-base font-semibold\">Paddy, Bear and Dylan face the jury as they go on trial<\/h4>\n              <span class=\"text-xs text-[var(--color-v-primary-dark)] align-baseline absolute bottom-2\">1 day ago<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n                            <div class=\" ml-3  w-[200px] max-sm:w-[180px] story-item flex-shrink-0\">\n            <a class=\"!no-underline relative h-[100%] block !text-[var(--color-v-text-gray)] hover:!text-[var(--color-v-primary)] transition delay-150 duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/spoilers\/kevs-comeback-dawn-exit-return-sadie-king\/\">\n              <div class=\"relative\">\n                <img class=\"rounded-xl !my-0 md:w-[200px] md:h-[133px] max-sm:w-[180px] max-sm:h-[120px] object-cover mb-3\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/News-split-2026-04-10T172033.421.jpg\" alt=\"Kev's comeback, Dawn's exit and the 'return of Sadie King'\">\n                                                   <span class=\"!text-[var(--color-v-white)] text-xs rounded-xl px-2 py-1 absolute bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] bottom-3 left-3\">Upcoming<\/span>                <\/div>\n              <h4 class=\"!font-semibold !text-sm md:!text-base !leading-[var(--title-line-height)] mt-2 max-sm:line-clamp-5 line-clamp-4 text-base font-semibold\">Kev's comeback, Dawn's exit and the 'return of Sadie King'<\/h4>\n              <span class=\"text-xs text-[var(--color-v-primary-dark)] align-baseline absolute bottom-2\">1 day ago<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n                            <div class=\" ml-3  w-[200px] max-sm:w-[180px] story-item flex-shrink-0\">\n            <a class=\"!no-underline relative h-[100%] block !text-[var(--color-v-text-gray)] hover:!text-[var(--color-v-primary)] transition delay-150 duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/spoilers\/joe-exposes-dawn-big-secret-paddy-faces-his-last-night-village\/\">\n              <div class=\"relative\">\n                <img class=\"rounded-xl !my-0 md:w-[200px] md:h-[133px] max-sm:w-[180px] max-sm:h-[120px] object-cover mb-3\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DATE-split-2026-04-30T131946.383.jpg\" alt=\"Joe exposes Dawn's big secret and Paddy faces his last night in the village\">\n                                                   <span class=\"!text-[var(--color-v-white)] text-xs rounded-xl px-2 py-1 absolute bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] bottom-3 left-3\"> Fri, May 1<\/span>                <\/div>\n              <h4 class=\"!font-semibold !text-sm md:!text-base !leading-[var(--title-line-height)] mt-2 max-sm:line-clamp-5 line-clamp-4 text-base font-semibold\">Joe exposes Dawn's big secret and Paddy faces his last night in the village<\/h4>\n              <span class=\"text-xs text-[var(--color-v-primary-dark)] align-baseline absolute bottom-2\">2 days ago<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n                            <div class=\" ml-3  w-[200px] max-sm:w-[180px] story-item flex-shrink-0\">\n            <a class=\"!no-underline relative h-[100%] block !text-[var(--color-v-text-gray)] hover:!text-[var(--color-v-primary)] transition delay-150 duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/spoilers\/moira-recruits-dawn-todd-beds-hope-bear\/\">\n              <div class=\"relative\">\n                <img class=\"rounded-xl !my-0 md:w-[200px] md:h-[133px] max-sm:w-[180px] max-sm:h-[120px] object-cover mb-3\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Fan-theory-Split-36.jpg\" alt=\"Moira recruits Dawn, Todd beds in and hope for Bear\">\n                                                   <span class=\"!text-[var(--color-v-white)] text-xs rounded-xl px-2 py-1 absolute bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] bottom-3 left-3\"> Thu, Apr 30<\/span>                <\/div>\n              <h4 class=\"!font-semibold !text-sm md:!text-base !leading-[var(--title-line-height)] mt-2 max-sm:line-clamp-5 line-clamp-4 text-base font-semibold\">Moira recruits Dawn, Todd beds in and hope for Bear<\/h4>\n              <span class=\"text-xs text-[var(--color-v-primary-dark)] align-baseline absolute bottom-2\">3 days ago<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n                            <div class=\" ml-3  w-[200px] max-sm:w-[180px] story-item flex-shrink-0\">\n            <a class=\"!no-underline relative h-[100%] block !text-[var(--color-v-text-gray)] hover:!text-[var(--color-v-primary)] transition delay-150 duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/spoilers\/dont-worry-that-was-not-moira-revenge-joe-emmerdale-spoilers-confirm-real-plan-next-week\/\">\n              <div class=\"relative\">\n                <img class=\"rounded-xl !my-0 md:w-[200px] md:h-[133px] max-sm:w-[180px] max-sm:h-[120px] object-cover mb-3\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/News-split-2026-04-28T153547.115.jpg\" alt=\"Moira's real plan confirmed after letting Joe live\">\n                                                   <span class=\"!text-[var(--color-v-white)] text-xs rounded-xl px-2 py-1 absolute bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] bottom-3 left-3\">May 4 - 8<\/span>                <\/div>\n              <h4 class=\"!font-semibold !text-sm md:!text-base !leading-[var(--title-line-height)] mt-2 max-sm:line-clamp-5 line-clamp-4 text-base font-semibold\">Moira's real plan confirmed after letting Joe live<\/h4>\n              <span class=\"text-xs text-[var(--color-v-primary-dark)] align-baseline absolute bottom-2\">4 days ago<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n                            <div class=\" ml-3  w-[200px] max-sm:w-[180px] story-item flex-shrink-0\">\n            <a class=\"!no-underline relative h-[100%] block !text-[var(--color-v-text-gray)] hover:!text-[var(--color-v-primary)] transition delay-150 duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/spoilers\/cain-moira-crisis-revelation-leaves-family-distraught\/\">\n              <div class=\"relative\">\n                <img class=\"rounded-xl !my-0 md:w-[200px] md:h-[133px] max-sm:w-[180px] max-sm:h-[120px] object-cover mb-3\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DATE-split-2026-04-28T132835.379.jpg\" alt=\"Cain and Moira in crisis as his revelation leaves the family distraught\">\n                                                   <span class=\"!text-[var(--color-v-white)] text-xs rounded-xl px-2 py-1 absolute bg-[var(--color-v-primary)] bottom-3 left-3\"> Wed, Apr 29<\/span>                <\/div>\n              <h4 class=\"!font-semibold !text-sm md:!text-base !leading-[var(--title-line-height)] mt-2 max-sm:line-clamp-5 line-clamp-4 text-base font-semibold\">Cain and Moira in crisis as his revelation leaves the family distraught<\/h4>\n              <span class=\"text-xs text-[var(--color-v-primary-dark)] align-baseline absolute bottom-2\">4 days ago<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"story-item mx-auto flex-none md:hidden sm:block w-[300px]\">\n    <div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden dbxgas:mb-0!\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle-mpu\"><\/div><\/div>    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>In fact, Edna made her feelings about all sorts of things very clear! Len Reynolds fell for her, but she told him she didn\u2019t feel the same, only to be extremely disgruntled when he started spending time with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/2024\/11\/27\/pearl-ladderbanks-emmerdale-money-worries-gambling-habit-heartbreak\/\">Pearl Ladderbanks<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n<p>But then when Pearl\u2019s son turned out to be a convicted rapist, Edna defended her friend to the rest of the village.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/2024\/12\/21\/11-emmerdale-golden-oldies-powerhouse-matriarchs-randy-old-fellas-gambling-addict-gran\/\">she became firm friends with Pearl, Len, Sandy and Betty<\/a>.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div><div data-ad-slot=\"ad-slot2\"><\/div><div class=\"my-5 boxout\"><div><h2 class=\"!text-2xl p-3 !my-0 bg-[var(--color-v-primary)]\">Don't miss a single story! Add us as a Preferred Source in Google for all your Emmerdale news<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"p-3 bg-[var(--color-v-primary)]\/50 text-base\">It's important to us that you never miss our articles when searching for stories! We have all the latest TV news &amp; schedules to share with our community of loyal readers.\r\n\r\nClick\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tvguide.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q%3Dtvguide.co.uk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1771925084739000&amp;usg=AOvVaw26YBpjtwUOaDOV8IYgQAmD\" data-track=\"preferred-source\" data-placement=\"article_body\"><b>here<\/b><\/a>\u00a0and tick\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/tvguide.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/tvguide.co.uk\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1771925084739000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Uu9xte1Ig7bDiZNlkPjpu\">TVGuide.co.uk<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/div><\/div>\n<p>So she wasn\u2019t all bad!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_34819\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34819\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34819\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_805485ds-1024x710.jpg\" alt=\"Edna, Pearl and Betty\" width=\"1024\" height=\"710\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_805485ds-1024x710.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_805485ds-1300x902.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_805485ds-768x533.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_805485ds-1536x1066.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_805485ds-2048x1421.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34819\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Edna had good friends in the village (Credit: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Edna\u2019s family<\/h2>\n<p>Edna\u2019s granddaughter Eve came to the village to live with her grandmother. Eve was trouble! She was involved in a hit-and-run accident, that killed her teacher. Eve\u2019s boyfriend Marc Reynolds took the blame and Eve managed to convince her blinkered grandmother that he was the bad influence.<\/p>\n<p>But when Edna\u2019s friend Betty spotted Eve kicking Edna\u2019s dog Batley, Edna finally realised the truth about her granddaughter. She threw her out and sent her to live with her dad Peter in France.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<h2>Edna and Lily<\/h2>\n<p>A few years later, Edna went to Eve\u2019s wedding blessing and met Peter and her estranged sister, Lily.<\/p>\n<p>It turned out that Lily was Peter\u2019s real mum. Edna had brought him up as her own. When Edna\u2019s friend Tom King found out the truth he used it to blackmail poor Mrs Birch into keeping his secrets about the show home explosion. It ended the pair\u2019s friendship and led Edna to reveal the truth to Peter \u2013 which didn\u2019t go well.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>But Edna and Lily, who were polar opposites, did mend their relationship and Lily stayed in the village for a while (causing trouble!).<\/p>\n<p>Eve returned to the village later. Though she hadn\u2019t changed her ways! She had an affair with Carl King causing his fiancee Chas Dingle to jilt him at the altar and humiliate Eve into the bargain! Much to Edna\u2019s disgust.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_34813\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34813\" style=\"width: 1071px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-34813\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455kl-731x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Edna with her dog Tootsie\" width=\"1071\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455kl-731x1024.jpg 731w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455kl-928x1300.jpg 928w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455kl-768x1076.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455kl-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455kl-1462x2048.jpg 1462w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455kl.jpg 1486w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1071px) 100vw, 1071px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34813\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Edna loved her dogs (Credit: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<h2>Edna and her dogs<\/h2>\n<p>When Tootsie got ill, devoted Edna spent all her money on the mutt\u2019s medical bills.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, she spent so much on her dog that Jimmy eventually found her unconscious, having been unable to afford food or heating.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Though she was reluctant at first, Edna got help from her friends in the village.<\/p>\n<h2>Edna\u2019s husband and Lawrence White<\/h2>\n<p>Edna was a widow. But she was hiding a secret about her husband Harold. She confided in Aaron Dingle that Harold had been gay \u2013 at a time when it was still illegal \u2013 and had married her as a convenience to hide his sexuality.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>She told Aaron that Harold had a lover called Lawrence White. Edna had reported the couple to the police, Lawrence had been arrested and she believed he had killed himself in prison. Edna\u2019s friend Sandy Thomas tried to find Lawrence\u2019s grave to give her closure but wasn\u2019t able \u2013 because Lawrence was still alive!<\/p>\n<p>He visited Edna and the pair made peace, though she wasn\u2019t overly happy when he moved to the village.<\/p>\n<h2>Edna\u2019s death<\/h2><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Edna went to stay with her sister Lily in Bournemouth, hiding the fact that she\u2019d been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n<p>But Ashley got a call from a hospital telling him Edna\u2019s condition had worsened. He and Laurel went to visit and returned with Tootsie, bringing the sad news that Edna had died.<\/p>\n<p>Tootsie went to live with Harriet Finch, who did Edna\u2019s funeral ceremony.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_34811\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34811\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-34811\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455iw-1024x692.jpg\" alt=\"Edna Birch in hospital\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1013\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455iw-1024x692.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455iw-1300x878.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455iw-768x519.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455iw-1536x1037.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_676455iw-2048x1383.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34811\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Edna looked very different without her hat (Credit: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Edna\u2019s hat<\/h2>\n<p>Edna had a distinctive appearance, with her round hat and buttoned-up coat.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>She wore her hat because actress Shirley Stelfox, who played Edna, had long blonde hair that the Emmerdale bosses thought didn\u2019t suit Edna\u2019s character!<\/p>\n<p>In the 15 years Edna was on screen in Emmerdale, she only appeared without her hat a couple of times.<\/p>\n<p>The most famous time was when she was in hospital after being run over by Sam Dingle.<\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>For a while some of the Emmerdale cast members including Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy, Tom Lister (AKA Carl King) and Sian Reese-Williams (Gennie Walker) had a band, which was called Edna\u2019s Hat!<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5 boxout\">\n<div>\n<h2 class=\"!text-2xl p-3 !my-0 bg-[var(--color-v-primary)]\">Shirley Stelfox: Edna Birch actress had a glittering career on stage and screen<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"p-3 bg-[var(--color-v-primary)]\/50 text-base\">\n                    Shirley Stelfox was the accomplished actress who played Edna Birch in Emmerdale from 2000 until 2015.\n<p>Edna became a fan fave, and was an important part of the village - and a lot of the drama that took place there!<\/p>\n<p>Shirley Stelfox was already a familiar face to telly viewers when she took on the role of Edna - though Edna's distinctive hat meant it sometimes took fans a while to work out where they knew her from. The hat hid Shirley's striking and very recognisable long, blonde hair!<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_34832\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34832\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-34832\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_13028894ga-1024x663.jpg\" alt=\"Shirley Stelfox on a slide in the village Emmerdale\" width=\"1500\" height=\"971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_13028894ga-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_13028894ga-1300x842.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_13028894ga-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_13028894ga-1536x995.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_editorial_13028894ga-2048x1327.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34832\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shirley hid her distinctive long blonde hair under Edna's hat (Credit: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<h2>Shirley's television roles<\/h2>\n<p>Shirley was the original actress to play Rose in Keeping Up Appearances. She was the man-eating sister of snobby Hyacinth, played by Patricia Routledge. But Shirley was so in demand that in later series of the show her commitments meant Rose was played by Mary Millar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-s3ycb2\">Soap fans will know Shirley played another man-eater - Madge Richmond in Brookside, in the 1980s. And she also appeared in EastEnders as Mel Healy's mum, Jane. She came to Walford for Mel's (ill-fated!) wedding to Ian Beale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-s3ycb2\">Plus she appeared in Coronation Street several times over the years firstly in 1964 as a groupie, and lastly as a guest-house landlady in the 1990s.<\/p>\n<h2>Shirley Stelfox on film<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-s3ycb2\">Shirley also won acclaim for her appearances on stage, and in film.<\/p>\n<p>She appeared in Personal Services with Julie Walters. In the film, Julie Walters played brothel madam Cynthia Payne, while Shirley played her whip-cracking friend!<\/p>\n<p>But it was Edna who made Shirley into a household name - even though before she took on the role she'd resisted staying too long in any one job.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor most of my career, I would never agree to do anything long-term,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to do every medium and every role, from Greek tragedy to Shakespeare through to farce and everything in between. But, with Edna, I liked the role and I like the people I am working with.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Shirley's family life<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-s3ycb2\">Shirley Stelfox was married twice. She had a daughter Helena with her first husband, Keith Edmundson. In 1979 she married actor Don Henderson who died in 1997.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-s3ycb2\">Shirley died in December 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Read more:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/emmerdale-insider.com\/2025\/03\/05\/whos-leaving-emmerdale-2025-complete-guide-departures-returns-new-arrivals\/\">Who\u2019s leaving Emmerdale in 2025? A complete guide to departures, returns and new arrivals in the Dales<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src-consent=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BbQDdSGsgME?si=z95Mau7Vboj8A2mL\" data-consent-required=\"true\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.<\/b><\/p><div class=\"dbxgas:ad-container dbxgas:double-mpu-container dbxgas:block dbxgas:md:hidden\"><div class=\"dbxgas:slot\" data-ad-slot=\"inarticle\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p><b><i>What do you think of our story? Visit our Facebook page<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61563250212838\">\u00a0<b><i>@emmerdaleinsider<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>\u00a0for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers and let us know what you think!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edna was prickly but everyone loved her! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249734181,"featured_media":34838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Edna Emmerdale","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Edna Birch lived in Emmerdale for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way and bringing a lot of drama - and humour - with her.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"Edna Birch: the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_secondary_title":"","secondary_post_title":"","dbc_origin_post_id":0,"dbc_origin_site_url":"","homepage_headline":"","excerpt":"","dbc_special_tags":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1359","slider_placement":"","_slider_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1359],"tags":[1703,1704],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-34767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-characters","tag-edna-birch","tag-shirley-stelfox"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v25.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Edna Birch lived in Emmerdale for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way and bringing a lot of drama - and humour - with her.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Edna Birch: the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Edna Birch lived in Emmerdale for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way and bringing a lot of drama - and humour - with her.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61563250212838\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-21T13:48:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-21T15:38:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1980\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kerry Barrett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmmerdaleInside\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmmerdaleInside\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kerry Barrett\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kerry Barrett\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/person\/e1524d5b1dd8938e75df0e5104835b14\"},\"headline\":\"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-21T13:48:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-21T15:38:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/\"},\"wordCount\":949,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Edna Birch\",\"Shirley Stelfox\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Characters\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/\",\"name\":\"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-21T13:48:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-21T15:38:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"Edna Birch lived in Emmerdale for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way and bringing a lot of drama - and humour - with her.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg\",\"width\":1980,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Edna Birch\/Shirley Stelfox (Credit: ITV)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/\",\"name\":\"Emmerdale Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo.png\",\"width\":456,\"height\":172,\"caption\":\"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61563250212838\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmerdaleInside\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/person\/e1524d5b1dd8938e75df0e5104835b14\",\"name\":\"Kerry Barrett\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d64b798277ed122bac74d318734de593\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cropped-Kerry-Barrett-scaled-1-96x96.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cropped-Kerry-Barrett-scaled-1-96x96.jpeg\",\"caption\":\"Kerry Barrett\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/\",\"kerrybean73\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kerry-barrett-3a353924\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/author\/kerrybarrett\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","description":"Edna Birch lived in Emmerdale for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way and bringing a lot of drama - and humour - with her.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Edna Birch: the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","og_description":"Edna Birch lived in Emmerdale for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way and bringing a lot of drama - and humour - with her.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/","og_site_name":"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61563250212838","article_published_time":"2025-03-21T13:48:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-21T15:38:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1980,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kerry Barrett","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","twitter_creator":"@EmmerdaleInside","twitter_site":"@EmmerdaleInside","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kerry Barrett","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/"},"author":{"name":"Kerry Barrett","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/person\/e1524d5b1dd8938e75df0e5104835b14"},"headline":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","datePublished":"2025-03-21T13:48:27+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-21T15:38:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/"},"wordCount":949,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg","keywords":["Edna Birch","Shirley Stelfox"],"articleSection":["Characters"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/","url":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/","name":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-21T13:48:27+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-21T15:38:28+00:00","description":"Edna Birch lived in Emmerdale for 15 years, rubbing just about everyone up the wrong way and bringing a lot of drama - and humour - with her.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg","width":1980,"height":1080,"caption":"Edna Birch\/Shirley Stelfox (Credit: ITV)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/","name":"Emmerdale Insider","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#organization","name":"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories","url":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo.png","width":456,"height":172,"caption":"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61563250212838","https:\/\/x.com\/EmmerdaleInside"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/person\/e1524d5b1dd8938e75df0e5104835b14","name":"Kerry Barrett","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d64b798277ed122bac74d318734de593","url":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cropped-Kerry-Barrett-scaled-1-96x96.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cropped-Kerry-Barrett-scaled-1-96x96.jpeg","caption":"Kerry Barrett"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/","kerrybean73","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kerry-barrett-3a353924\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/author\/kerrybarrett\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/emmerdale-insider.com\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite","url":"http:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/characters\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2-150x150.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg"},"articleSection":"Characters","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kerry Barrett"}],"creator":["Kerry Barrett"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories","logo":"https:\/\/emmerdale-insider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/cropped-EI_icons_3-8.png"},"keywords":["edna birch","shirley stelfox"],"dateCreated":"2025-03-21T13:48:27Z","datePublished":"2025-03-21T13:48:27Z","dateModified":"2025-03-21T15:38:28Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Edna Birch is the sharp-tongued, hat-wearing Emmerdale villager who became a fan favourite\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.tvguide.co.uk\\\/emmerdale-insider\\\/characters\\\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.tvguide.co.uk\\\/emmerdale-insider\\\/characters\\\/edna-birch-sharp-tongued-hat-wearing-emmerdale-villager-fan-favourite\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/ED-spoilers-split-2-150x150.jpg\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.emmerdale-insider.com\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/ED-spoilers-split-2.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Characters\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Kerry Barrett\"}],\"creator\":[\"Kerry Barrett\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Emmerdale Insider for spoilers, breaking news, first-look pictures, previews and fan theories\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/emmerdale-insider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/cropped-EI_icons_3-8.png\"},\"keywords\":[\"edna birch\",\"shirley stelfox\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2025-03-21T13:48:27Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-21T13:48:27Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-21T15:38:28Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/emmerdale-insider.com\/p.js"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/249734181"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34767"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34877,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34767\/revisions\/34877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34767"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tvguide.co.uk\/emmerdale-insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=34767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}