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Emmerdale’s Bear Wolf actor Joshua Richards spoke to the Mirror about his devastating standalone episode, as we finally find out where Bear is and what’s happened to him

It’s been almost four months since Emmerdale‘s Bear Wolf was last on screen, with Paddy Kirk’s father vanishing as part of a top-secret storyline.

As the troubled character finally returns next week in a harrowing special episode, actor Joshua Richards says fans will be “furious” when they finally find out what has been going on. The last time Bear was in the village he was suffering from mood swings, forgetfulness and appeared depressed, before a bust-up with his son led to him taking some time away.

As Paddy realises his father never made it to Ireland back in July, it dawns on him that something horrifying may have happened. Joshua, 66, has revealed that the standalone episode will flash back to the moment he fled in his car, with fans finally finding out what’s gone on in the days since.

With that, it’s explained that Bear is at the centre of a modern slavery storyline, and Joshua says that anyone can be exploited, even a “strong” character like his own. “I found it a bit disconcerting, really. I found it a bit frightening,” Joshua told us.

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“What experience do I have to bring to the table? It was a bit discombobulating at first. Of course Bear has been experiencing this depression and confusion. It’s a great thing to find him so vulnerable – a big strong man being vulnerable and exploited.”

Joshua has been working with the Salvation Army for the harrowing storyline, speaking with men who have found themselves in similar situations to Bear. He shared: “It’s something that you can slip into and if you’ve been manipulated a certain way, and being a certain age as well, where maybe you do think that you’re useless and redundant, if someone convinces you that no, you are worth something, that you do have some kind of currency.

“You can be somehow manipulated into a situation that you didn’t envisage seeing yourself in, in the first place. So it’s quite fascinating how these things actually do happen.” Joshua said the topic isn’t new to him, having appeared in a play in 2007 called Sold which focussed on modern slavery.

He now hopes the storyline has a similar impact to ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which shone an international light on the British Post Office scandal. “I think that soaps do have a responsibility to educate and maybe show things that go under the radar and you may not necessarily see on the main news,” Joshua said.

“I think it’s our job to do that and I’m very proud to be part of what ITV is doing with these wonderful writers and the great research which has gone on. Maybe it will prompt something and there will be action. But then again, we don’t hold hope for any government in light of the other scandals which have gone by and very little has been done.”

Joshua feared his time was up on the soap when Producer Laura Shaw warned him he’d be offscreen for a while. The actor was told he couldn’t cut his hair or shave his beard during his absence as part of the storyline, which went on for around three months.

“I became a raggedy old man while I was off,” he joked. Joshua said it adds to the confusion viewers will experience when they first see Bear onscreen again. “He’s at the real bottom, looking really filthy and scraggly and unkempt.

“Bit by bit we took it away. I’m almost back to where I was before now, but it’s been a very complicated way of portraying various stages in Bear’s journey and very confusing for all of us, because each day I’m in a different time zone or a different part of the story.

“So it’s been quite exciting and quite weird.” Joshua now hopes viewers will spot the signs of modern slavery, which he says “is going on under our noses”. He shared: “Be aware. We all have our cars cleaned and say: ‘Ooh, that’s cheap’. But who are the people cleaning your car? I mean, that’s just a very tiny part of it.

“It’s other things, it’s people who are picking your spuds, it’s people who are fixing your driveway, maybe there’s somebody doing work on your roof. You really don’t know. I mean, there are bona fide proper people – builders, farmers, other people – out there.

“But some are in the dark web of life, there are people who are gangs, who are criminals, who are ready to exploit people. Because the biggest bill you’ll ever get for anything you have done, for example your house extension, the biggest part of your bill is the labour.

“If criminal gangs can take that essence out, that you don’t have to pay for that labour, then that’s where big profits are made, people are exploited and misery begins.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.

Coronation Street star Denise Black, whose character is best remembered for her relationship with Ken Barlow, has joined Waterloo Road, more than 30 years on from her cobbles debut

Coronation Street legend Denise Black has joined the cast of Waterloo Road. The actress, 67, is best known for starring as hairdresser Denise Osbourne on ITV’s flagship soap, who is best known for her relationship with Ken Barlow (William Roache) in the 1990s.

The actress initially appeared on Coronation Street from 1992 until 1997. Her relationship with Ken resulted in the birth of their son Daniel Osbourne, but it all ended in tears when it emerged she had been having an affair with Brian Dunkley (Benny Young), and she was not heard from for a decade.

In 2007, Denise made a brief appearance to reintroduce Ken to Daniel after his adoptive daughter Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) was sent to prison for the murder of Charlie Stubbs. She tried to make a pass as him but he opted to return to Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), and it would almost another 10 years before she was seen again. In 2016, Daniel, now played by Rob Mallard, arrived back on the scene after his father suffered a stroke and has been a fixture on the programme ever since. But Denise made a return with him and was last seen offering her condolences to Ken over the death of Deirdre.

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She followed her various stints on the cobbles with a role on fellow ITV show Emmerdale, and played Joanie Dingle, the adoptive grandmother of Amy Wyatt’s on-screen son Kyle from 2013 until 2017. Her character had an affair with Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell) and they later married but it all ended in tragedy when Joanie died of a heart attack in January 2017.

But now, Denise has swapped soap for drama and she has joined the cast of the BBC’s flagship school drama, which was revived in 2023 after nearly a decade off air. In the sixth episode of the latest series, Denise plays the grandmother of Liam Scholes’ character Noel McManus. In explosive scenes, Denise’s new character, Mo McManus, gets caught up in a confrontation for the police.

Waterloo Road first aired on the BBC in 2007, and launched the TV careers of Hollyoaks actress Chelsee Healey, former Strictly Come Dancing star Adam Thomas, and Katie McGlynn amongst a host of others. Stars like Louis Tomlinson, Jodie Comer and Jack O’Connell also began their careers as students of the troubled Manchester comprehensive school before going on to global success.

Over the course of its first nine series, the programme dealt with tough issues like teenage pregnancy, murder and addiction and featured a stellar cast of TV favourites, with ex-EastEnders star Jill Halfpenny as drama teacher Izzie Redpath, Loose Women favourite Denise Welch as hapless French teacher Steph Haydock and Silent Witness actress Amanda Burton as headmistress Karen Fisher.

It was revived in 2023 after streaming of the original series proved popular, but bosses recently admitted that the reboot has surpassed all of their expectations.

The show’s executive producer, Cameron Roach, said: “When the BBC commissioned the reboot of we had hoped it might run for a few seasons.

“To be commissioned for further series, bringing the total episodes since relaunch to seventy hours, is a huge achievement and a reflection of the incredible creative teams in front of and behind the camera.

“As well as continuing to celebrate emerging talent, the show is fast gaining a reputation for working with the best comedy talent, as Jon Richardson joins the cast this season.

“As a team we’re incredibly proud that a very British show can be such an enduring success for the BBC and continue to bring in new generations of viewers.”

Waterloo Road is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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Former Emmerdale star Kelli Hollis has opened up about whether she still watches the ITV soap and she referred to her former colleague when revealing a ‘boycott’

Former Emmerdale actress Kelli Hollis, 49, has confessed to “boycotting” the ITV soap after her on-screen daughter’s character was written out. The star, who portrayed Ali Spencer from 2011 to 2015, revealed she’s been “dipping in and out” of watching the show since Amelia Spencer, played by Daisy Campbell, left the Dales.

She told Manchester Evening News: “I will be honest, I have been boycotting them a little while since they got rid of my daughter (Amelia Spencer).

“That is the Spencer clan gone now. But I do keep in touch because I still have loads of friends there so I do dip in and out but it is really hard to keep up with the soaps – I just don’t have the time.”

Kelli, who returned to the UK in November after spending two-and-a-half years in Thailand, played the mother of Sean and Amelia Spencer. Daisy Campbell, who portrayed Amelia, spent an impressive 13 years on the show.

In a previous chat, the actress fondly recalled her time on Emmerdale, saying: “Do you know what? The best memories are being with the family.

“One of my favourite stories to tell is the day that I met Daisy who plays Amelia. She is as old as my son is now, in her 20s. I remember meeting her on that first day, she was six-years-old and she had this little hair and her two front teeth missing.

“And that was special just being part of her and working with Alicia Eyo (who played Ruby Haswell) too and just the Spencer gang and we still all speak regularly now. So my favourite memory is the family there. Definitely.”

Daisy, who intends to launch her own pilates studio, recently revealed being “axed” from Emmerdale, explaining the abrupt decision plunged her into a “dark hole”.

Speaking to The Sun, she said: “When it’s been ripped away from you, because that’s what it genuinely felt like, it was so out of the blue – you do just get into a bit of a hole of, oh God, like, can I do this?”

Regarding how it unfolded, she remembered: “It was at the beginning of the year, things were quiet. Obviously, we had the new producer come in. And then when it came to contracts, nothing came through, so I was like, ‘oh’… and then obviously it happened.

“It was upsetting, because I loved it, and I loved the job. You always think selfishly, like, why is this happening? Like, why me?”

Despite feeling she’d sacrificed portions of her childhood for the role, she acknowledged it was an honour to feature in Emmerdale, and she wouldn’t alter that experience.

Amelia also confided to RadioTimes it was “so sad” shooting her farewell scenes, with her character departing after relocating to Leicester with her daughter Esther following Tom King’s (played by James Chase) conviction.

Could a double exit be on the cards as John Sugden continues to struggle with what he has done to Nate and others, and Aaron starts to feel regret over his liaison with ex Robert?

Emmerdale star Ryan Hawley has teased a double exit in a new storyline. Robert Sugden made his return to the village a few weeks back and it has been quite the dramatic few weeks involving his love Aaron Dingle.

Viewers know John Sugden – Aaron’s new husband – is a serial killer and only wants bad things for the village and its residents. Robert is onto him – but no one believes him, with everyone convinced John is such a nice guy.

Next week, Aaron and Robert give into temptation – and it’s clear Aaron still has feelings for his ex. But will he manage to convince Aaron to change his mind and stay in the village – or leave with John? It comes after a Coronation Street and Mrs Brown’s Boys actor dies after short illness.

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Asked how Robert will react when he finds out that Aaron and John are leaving the village, he said: “He will be devastated, obviously. Robert came back to the village for Aaron, really. He’d be devastated – it was his reason to come back. He will be very worried about Aaron’s safety, but at the same time, I think at this point, maybe he’s starting to doubt whether or not he’s right about John.

“Maybe John’s gaslighting and manipulation’s got through to him. Because everyone’s saying the same things to Robert, that he’s wrong about John and that he’s just jealous.”

It has been a tough return to the village for Robert – who has been shunned by pretty much everyone over his behaviour with John and his hope of breaking things off between the village hero and Aaron Dingle.

“Everyone’s moved on and Aaron’s moved on and there’s a happy equilibrium it seems that Aaron’s found in his relationship with John. And I guess that Paddy and people care about him. Chas, they’re all riled to see Robert’s back because they know that that will kind of disrupt that. He’s unanimously looked down on. Well, actually, except for people like Caleb,” he said.

“Caleb gives him a chance as does Moira, Moira gives him a chance, but yeah, it turns out that Robert of double crosses her and betrays Moira. Victoria’s kind of the only one that’s really there and caring for him and supporting him and trying to help him through.”

Whatever happens next, Ryan warned there would be some exciting scenes ahead. He shared: “I’m genuinely excited about the year that we’ve got ahead. I think the show’s in a great place at the moment.

“I think the next year, the kind of the story arc that I’ve been told, I’m really interested in and really excited about. And the Corrie Dale, the crossover, that’s going to be a great a great week for both shows.”

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Emmerdale will be waving goodbye to a character this week for at least a month, as their mystery and worrying new storyline takes a turn, amid fears it’s health related

There was some news in the latest episode of Emmerdale that confirms an exit for one character.

One character will seemingly leave the show imminently, announcing their plans to be out of the village by the end of the week. Bosses had confirmed a departure would be on the cards temporarily as part of the mystery new storyline.

Amid fears for Bear in a secretive storyline that has seen his personality change and him displaying concerning behaviour, the character will flee the village for around a month if not longer. When he returns, he will spark concern with characters and viewers as there’s clearly something not right with him.

He will be different, with his loved ones and pals set to miss the signs of what’s really going on. Bear will exit the soap for a while and won’t be onscreen for weeks, and it’s this brief exit that was confirmed on Monday night.

He told his son Paddy Kirk after yet another run-in that he was going to stay with a friend in Ireland. He confirmed he would be leaving this coming Friday, meaning the scenes will likely air on Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

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It’s not known if we will see or hear from Bear in his absence, but it’s thought he will be AWOL and not in contact with Paddy or anyone. When he returns, more about what’s going on with him will be revealed until we finally find out what”s happened.

It’s been tipped to be something health related, with concerns from fans suggesting it could be a physical or mental health issue. Paddy was seen confiding in Gabby Thomas and Marlon Dingle that he was worried his dad may have dementia.

Some fans are worried it might be a brain or head injury from his wrestling days, or he may be diagnosed with a tumour. Other health conditions were also suggested, after “symptoms” in recent scenes included confusion, forgetfulness and Bear lashing out.

He’s been physically and verbally aggressive, pinning Paddy up against a wall and attacking Kammy too. He’s been seen with a temper, and on Monday after Paddy was seriously injured in a dog attack, the character slammed his own son saying he let people walk all over him.

Trashing his son’s character he left Paddy heartbroken, before he fumed about Paddy’s wife Mandy Dingle too in a judgmental way. He’s acting very out of character, and the aggression and his recent funny turn, which saw him nearly collapse, and the fact he’s angry one moment and then completely calm the next, has left fans fearing the worst.

One viewer speculated: “Brilliant performance from Joshua Richards in tonight’s #Emmerdale. Could bear have a tumour, Alzheimer’s disease, depression or something totally different.” A newer theory saw fans predicting he was suffering with a brain condition called Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), thought to be linked to repeated head injuries.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Coronation Street bosses have revealed that they will be tackling the difficult topic of drugs by showing how they can affect the lives of young people who indulge

Coronation Street is set to air a shocking new drug storyline next week, and the consequences for the youth of Weatherfield will leave viewers stunned.

In dramatic scenes set to air on Monday June 23, Aadi Alahan throws a wild party at number 7. What begins as a harmless midsummer bash quickly spirals into chaos with “disturbing” consequences.

When Bernie Winter calls the teens out for being boring, Aadi decided to get rid of his sensible image by inviting his friends over for a night to remember. However, this party takes a dark turn when troublemaker Brody Michaelis brings a bottle of LSD to the party in the hopes of making a quick profit.

When Aadi catches him selling the drugs, he is furious and kicks Brody out. But the situation only escalates when Summer Spellman convinces Aadi and Nina Lucas to try it, claiming she took LSD while in America.

After this dangerous brush with peer pressure, Aadi divides the LSD into three drinks. Summer and Nina take theirs, but before Aadi can drink his, he’s distracted. When he returns, the drink has disappeared — and there’s a big possibility someone else gulped it down without knowing what was in it.

Meanwhile, Lauren Bolton flees the party after starting to feel unwell and soon finds herself in a terrifying situation. The exact details of her ordeal are being kept tightly under wraps, but a teaser from ITV describes it as a “nightmare” scenario.

The official promo trailer for the episode shows Summer and Nina breaking into Roy’s darkened café while high. When the sound of sirens fills the air, they huddle together in panic.

It’s clear something has gone horribly wrong, and the entire Weatherfield community will soon be facing the consequences of the teens’ actions.

This is not the first time Summer has found herself in a dangerous situation because of drugs. In 2017 she was dared to smoke Spice by Simon Barlow, and collapsed after going through with it.

That incident nearly cost the girl her life, and led to serious legal trouble for her the Barlow family and her legal guardians. Now it seems the teen has decided to risk it all for another hit, and this time is bringing Nina down with her.

Elsewhere on Coronation Street, DS Lisa Swain is set to become more protective of Kit Green after several clashes with him in the workplace. Actress Vicky Myers told The Mirror: “I think after what has happened with Tinker, Lisa really feels like she is this protector.

“She sees something in Kit that reminds her of herself but equally, she frustrates him and he does her. She knows not everything he does is above board and it doesn’t sit well with her.”

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X.

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Emmerdale aired an unexpected twist for Vinny Dingle and his pal Kammy Hadiq on Friday night with a near kiss teasing one character’s big new storyline on the ITV soap

There was an unexpected scene for one Emmerdale duo on Friday night, as Vinny Dingle tried to kiss his friend Kammy Hadiq.

The moment came as a shock to them both, with Vinny currently engaged to Gabby Thomas on the ITV soap. Vinny’s sexuality isn’t something that has been explored on the soap, but judging by his reaction he’s set to be left confused by his moment with Kammy.

Kammy didn’t make much of a deal out of it but when he did mock the situation a flustered Vinny begged him to stay quiet. Fearing Gabby’s reaction and seemingly trying to understand himself why he tried to kiss Kammy, the character was panicked and decided to act as if it did not happen.

Vinny will now be torn over what’s happened trying to understand his feelings and his sexuality, ahead of his wedding to fiancée Gabby. But Kammy actor Shebz Miah has told The Mirror that Vinny won’t be alone on this “journey” ahead, as Kammy vows to support his pal.

The actor teased their relationship would “progress” while Vinny seemingly keeps what happened between them. As Vinny’s huge new storyline kicks off, we will see him turn to Kammy, while Shebz suggested that for now at least there was no romance planned for the pair.

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He explained: “Kammy’s so relaxed with it and I think he’s so comfortable with himself it’s that, it doesn’t affect him. The only thing that does affect him is like, ‘you are getting married to Gabs, you need to understand the situation’. So Kammy isn’t bothered about the kiss, he more feels for him because now it’s opened up this different perspective on the relationship that Vinny has with people.

“Kammy’s trying to I guess, support him on his journey and trying to understand and make it easier for Vinny and help him and guide him as to what is going on because he is obviously in a position where he’d not entirely sure I guess.”

On what’s ahead, the star went on: “We start to see this journey that they go on, Kammy and Vinny and all these factors Kammy does sort of bring up and as their relationship progresses.

“We do talk about the elephant in the room. There’s conversations had and Kammy and Vinny do try to address it in whatever way that is which we’ll have to wait and find out I guess.

“So yeah, Kammy’s initial reaction, it’s not about the kiss, it’s more about the repercussions of everything else from this kiss.” Shebz went on: “As we progress in the story, Kammy does address these different things and it does become an important talking point for the both of them but ultimately Kammy’s objective is just to support him whatever that is with this journey that we go on.”

On Kammy not liking Vinny the way his pal possibly likes him, he said: “Kammy doesn’t fancy him but they are very good friends. I think Kammy’s built this relationship with him.

“I think it’s beautiful because Kammy and Vinny’s dynamic is they’re so different, even physically when you look at them they’re very very different but Kammy does have a soft spot for him and he does really want to help him because he understand that from the kiss, it’s a big thing so Kammy does really want to support him on this journey however that is. So yeah, they’ve got a genuine friendship but I think it’s more that Kammy does want to help him out, he’s obviously going through a lot from everything that’s happening.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .