Emmerdale fans will remember John Barton’s dramatic exit following a romantic reunion with his wife Moira
John was killed off just as he’d reconciled with wife Moira (Image: ITV)
Emmerdale icon James Thornton has a very famous wife who sitcom fans will instantly recognise.
It’s been 17 years since James Thornton arrived in the Dales as dashing John Barton, and alongside his wife, Moira (Natalie J Robb), he became the new owner of Butlers Farm.
The farmer took over the agricultural business from the iconic Sugden family, kick-starting a new dynasty on the ITV soap and a long-standing feud between the two families.
John and Moira were childhood sweethearts, and the parents of Matty and Holly Barton, and James was also the adoptive dad of Adam Barton, though his biological father was James Barton.
Before his arrival, series producer Gavin Blyth described James’ character, John, as “a very charismatic and modern farmer”.
However, despite the Bartons initially appearing as the perfect, hardworking family unit, cracks began to show in John and Moira’s marriage.
John’s kiss with Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw) and Moira’s subsequent affair with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) tested their relationship. Despite struggling to forgive Moira for her infidelity, John eventually realised he couldn’t live without her.
When the couple reconciled in February 2012, their happiness was short-lived when a harrowing incident saw John and Moira’s car crash following a skid on ice, leading to a tragic plunge off a ravine. John died in the incident, leaving Moira heartbroken.
Speaking to Digital Spy in 2012 about his dramatic Emmerdale exit, James thought the storyline was “brilliant” and said: “As I learned more, I discovered that the scale of John’s departure was going to be huge, and that the amount of money they were spending was massive.
“So I was really, really pleased. As an actor, you always want to do something that’s going to grab the audience’s attention.”
Famous wife
James married Welsh actress Joanna Page, famous for her role as Stacey in the BBC hit Gavin & Stacey, in December 2003, four years after they both starred in the two-part BBC drama David Copperfield – he was Ham Peggotty, and she was Dora Spenlow.
The couple share four children – Eva, Kit, Noah, and the youngest, Boe, who was born in 2021.
It was having children that, Joanna says, completely changed their relationship. She told Woman magazine: “It completely changes you. You’re really close and a unit, then you have kids, and it kind of completely splits you because they’re now the focus.
“We know that romance is going to be on the back burner for now and life is exhausting and hectic, but in 15 years’ time it’s just going to be and him and then we’re going to get to go travelling around the world.”
Road accident
In February 2010, James was hit by a motorist in London and received medical treatment for leg injuries. Emmerdale producers rewrote scenes involving his character. At the time, an Emmerdale source told the Daily Star the entire cast was shocked.
James now works as a voice artist and has narrated several documentaries, including BBC series This Farming Life. He has narrated and appeared in the documentary Benefits By the Sea: Jaywick (2015–2016), narrated the Channel 5 series The Motorway, and has been the voice of Talk TV.
He also narrates ad campaigns for high-profile brands like Ford, Amazon, Shell, and BP.
Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX