Emmerdale is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that appear during 2019, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producer, Jane Hudson. The first character to be introduced is Vinny (Bradley Johnson), the adoptive son of Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley), followed by Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards), the biological father of Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), in February. Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), the father of Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley), and Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter), a farmhand, were introduced in April. Jamie Tate's (Alexander Lincoln) family, consisting of wife Andrea Tate (Anna Nightingale) and daughter Millie Tate (Willow Bell), made their debuts in June. Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson), the mother of Lee Posner (Kris Mochrie), first appears in July, followed by Al Chapman (Michael Wildman) the father of Ellis Chapman (Asan N'Jie/Aaron Anthony) in August. September features the introductions of Danny Harrington (Louis Healy) and Derek (Tommy Cannon) in guest stints. Additionally, multiple other characters were featured during the year.

Vinny Dingle, played by Bradley Johnson, first appears on 4 January 2019. The character and Johnson's casting details were announced on 28 December 2018. Vinny is introduced as the 16-year-old son of Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley), who returns after a 17-year absence, having lived in Southampton with her son. Riley explained that Vinny is similar to Mandy, creating "a lot of scope" and big stories. The actress praised Johnson and enjoyed working with him, describing the prospect of Vinny's future stories as exciting.

Since Mandy had sex with her former husband Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) before leaving in 2001, it is suggested that he could be Vinny's father. Allison Jones of Inside Soap predicted that the identity of Vinny's father could "blow the Dingles apart". When Paddy meets Vinny, he does not question if he could be his son. Brunt confirmed that the writers had not decided how to conclude the story. Lucy Pargeter, who portrays Paddy's partner Chas Dingle, thought that Vinny's paternity could "go in any direction" and could have implications for Paddy's relationship with her son Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).

Vinny departed in the episode broadcast on 8 January 2019. Following his exit, Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy described Vinny as "bumbling and awkward" and thought he resembled Paddy, believing the character's parentage would be a good storyline in the future. Kilkelly enjoyed Johnson's portrayal of Vinny and thought that there was scope for Vinny to be "a great character in his own right", adding that the soap was missing "a comic young male presence" following the death of Gerry Roberts (Shaun Thomas).

When Vinny discovers that Samson Dingle (Sam Hall) has pawned a wedding ring that belonged to Samson's dead mother, Vinny covers for him so that Sam Dingle (James Hooton) is not upset. When Sam threatens to throw Vinny out, Samson reveals that it was him. Upon confiding in Sam, Samson and Lydia Hart (Karen Blick), he reveals that Mandy is not his birth mother, but his stepmother, and that Paul Ashdale (Reece Dinsdale) is his father. Vinny became an official Dingle after drinking out of the welly boot on Sam and Lydia's wedding. However, his real last name was revealed after Mandy stated Paul's last name was Ashdale.

Bear Wolf (otherwise known as "Edward"), played by Joshua Richards, first appears in February 2019. The character was referenced on-screen during January 2019 episodes, where it was suggested that he could be the father of Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) following an affair with Paddy's mother. Richards' casting details were announced on 15 January 2019. Bear is introduced when Paddy's partner, Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter), and friend, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock), encourage him to meet him in Belfast at a wrestling convention. He is billed as a "ageing pro wrestler". Multiple members of the Emmerdale cast filmed scenes in Northern Ireland for Bear's introduction. Richards expressed his delight at joining the cast and filming in Yorkshire. He added that Bear is "a great character".

Gail Loman, played by Rachael Gill-Davis is the girlfriend of Ryan Stocks (James Moore). She originally appears in one episode, 19 February 2019, when she goes on a date with Ryan. They share a kiss, but she ends up mortified when she finds out that he is attracted to Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley). Just over four years later, Gail reappears in Emmerdale on 25 May 2023. At first Ryan is very sceptical of why she has come back after four years of no contact, however they end up dating again. Gail ends up getting a job as a kitchen assistant in The Woolpack, but ends up fulfilling a barmaid position instead, after Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) fired her.

In September 2023, it was revealed that her and Ryan had more history together than that one date in 2019. On 21 September 2023, it was revealed that in 2010, Gail gave birth to a son named Oscar (Harley Hamilton), who was adopted by a lady named Sophie Grisham (Martha Cope), and Ryan is his father. Sophie has made contact with Gail because Oscar, now thirteen years old, has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Therefore, Gail gets tested to see if she is a match. After she has been tested, Gail agrees to meet Oscar, who isn't upset about being put up for adoption as Sophie has given him a good life. On 4 March 2025, it was announced that Gill-Davis would leave the series. A source told The Mirror that Gill-Davis wanted to "spread her wings." The source also said: "Rachael has loved her time on the show but it’s time to go. Bosses felt the character wasn’t inspiring much story and so it was all very amicable. The door has been left open but it’s a definite goodbye for now. Rachael is looking forward to spreading her wings and showing off her talents on other shows." She left On 7 May 2025