Ella Forster is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by Paula Lane. The character and casting was announced in November 2023, with Lane beginning filming later that month. Lane made her first appearance as Ella on 16 January 2024. Lane did not need to audition for the role and she felt like she fit in Emmerdale due to being from Yorkshire herself. Lane wanted Ella to be seen as different from Kylie Platt, a character that Lane had portrayed on rival soap opera Coronation Street. Ella is introduced at a vet gala and immediately loses her job when she stands up for Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley), who she becomes friends with. Lane was happy that Mandy and Ella develop a friendship and believed that Ella is a good friend to have. Ella then is offered a job at the new doctors surgery, where she develops a romance with her colleague, Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson). This later develops into a love triangle involving Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter). In December 2024, it was reported that Lane would be departing the soap in 2025. Since the announcement of the character, some critics and fans have felt that Ella is too nice and is hiding something, with Lane revealing that the character does have a secret that will be revealed. Some fans and critics have shared theories that Ella is connected to another character in the soap. However, Ella has also gained positive reception, with critics praising the character's personality and her introduction scenes.

"Timings wise I think I manifested it. Then a conversation came about and a seed was planted – then the magic happened. It was a little bit of a coincidence, but it fell in my lap. I feel really grateful."

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). It was later revealed by Inside Soap that Ella would be a "permanent fixture" in the soap and would be involved in an "explosive love triangle". Lane started filming later that November, with Emmerdale posting a "behind-the-scenes" video of Lane's first day on Instagram. 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. Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks teased the character, saying, "Ella is a complex and multi-layered character who comes to the village and certainly makes an impact. Ostensibly she's a good, moral character, but is there more to her than meets the eye? We are absolutely thrilled to welcome an actor of Paula's calibre to the show and we can't wait to have her light up our screens." 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. In 2023, Lane invited the Emmerdale casting team to see her perform in the play Quality Street, which led to her being contacted about the role of Ella.

Lane said that was she was "so excited" to be joining the Emmerdale cast, adding, "Everyone has been so welcoming and I can't wait to start a new chapter playing the role of Ella. I've already heard there are big plans for her and I can't wait to see her navigate a new life in the village and hopefully make some friends!" Lane was not required to audition for the role and revealed that working on Emmerdale worked for her "family-wise" due to living close to the set. 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. Because of this, Lane found it strange going into the Emmerdale sets due to having watched the soap for so long. Lane also had friends who had previously appeared on the soap that were excited to have her there. Lane felt "at home" in the village and felt like she fit in due to being from Yorkshire herself. Lane found the Emmerdale set beautiful, calling it very "chocolate box-esque". Lane believed that being on Emmerdale seemed like a "natural fit" after being in ITV's Coronation Street, but wanted to develop something "completely different" from what people had seen from her character, Kylie Platt, during her time on the rival soap. Lane also believed that the eight years being off Coronation Street meant that enough time had passed for her to "branch out" and be seen as someone different. Speaking of why she took the role, Lane explained:

"I'm always a big believer in going with kind of what's put in front of you. And the past seven years have been really exciting. I mean, I've covered loads of theatre, covered lots of ground, as well as raising my family, and doing guest roles on different TV programmes as well. So I think when you are such a familiar face, it's nice to give the audience a bit of a breather. And I feel like I've changed as well, you know, personally, as well. So I think, yeah, it's a good bit of time that's passed. And I think that's healthy."

Lane later signed another contract to stay on the soap opera. In December 2024, it was reported that Lane had chosen to leave the role and would film her final scenes in February 2025, which was written in her Spotlight biography by Lane herself. ITV did not comment on the report.

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 said that Ella is "very professional" and although not "scrappy", she does not "mince her words". Lane believed that Ella is a good friend to have on one's side. Lane revealed that Ella, who is 29 years old, is single and that there may be a romance in store for her. The actress also confirmed that she believed that Ella has no family members on the soap, though added that it was possible that that would change. Lane has said that she believed that it was important to her to develop a "brand new character" that is different from what the audience has seen through her work on Coronation Street.