Pearl Ladderbanks is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Meg Johnson. She first appeared on the show in episode 3500 on 30 July 2003. Pearl's storylines included defending her rapist son Frank Bernard Hartbourne, being trapped in a fire during the Sugden house explosion, developing a gambling addiction, committing embezzlement in order to feed her gambling and faking Alzheimer's disease to prevent her addiction from being revealed.

Margaret Mary Foster, better known as Meg Johnson, was an English actress. Over a career spanning almost six decades, she became known for her soap opera roles as Eunice Gee in Coronation Street, Brigid McKenna in Brookside, and Pearl Ladderbanks in Emmerdale. She also appeared in musicals including Chicago and Follies.