From bad boys to love interests, new character sets and the missing piece of a family puzzle, soapland's constant stream of new arrivals to the fictional worlds of our favourite soaps are what keep them fresh, relevant and up-to-date.
Whether they're eased in slowly or catapulted into the centre of the action, newbies certainly cause a stir one way or another.
This year has also seen a number of soap firsts in the arrival stakes - Emmerdale's introduction of UK soap's first ever blind actress and character in Kitty McGeever, who took on the role as Lizzie Lakely, while David Proud became EastEnders' first ever adult disabled character.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome sufferer Kelly-Marie Stewart (Hayley Ramsey) also became Hollyoaks' first prominent disabled character.
Here, DS presents an in-pictures look at a selection of 2009's most significant arrivals across Corrie, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
Whether they're eased in slowly or catapulted into the centre of the action, newbies certainly cause a stir one way or another.
This year has also seen a number of soap firsts in the arrival stakes - Emmerdale's introduction of UK soap's first ever blind actress and character in Kitty McGeever, who took on the role as Lizzie Lakely, while David Proud became EastEnders' first ever adult disabled character.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome sufferer Kelly-Marie Stewart (Hayley Ramsey) also became Hollyoaks' first prominent disabled character.
Here, DS presents an in-pictures look at a selection of 2009's most significant arrivals across Corrie, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
Preeya Kalidas and Marc Elliott join EastEnders as Amira Shah and Syed Masood.
More: Soaps, A Year in Soap 2009
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