Emmerdale is lining up a big shock for the audience as a pivotal character from over the years will be killed off in a shock twist.
Many will remember the dramatic entrance of Emily Head’s hat-wearing, helicopter dwelling, accident prone Rebecca White back in 2016.
As part of the troublesome White clan – now, pretty much all dead save their serial killer Lachlan – Rebecca was involved in huge storylines, including a controversial arc where she gave birth to Robert Sugden’s baby, being held hostage by her unhinged nephew, and dealing with the devastating aftermath of a brain injury from a crash that killed Chrissie and Lawrence.
She went on to leave the show in 2018 after embarking on a romance with Ross Barton; the pair heading off for a new life with young Seb.
Recently, it was confirmed that Michael Parr was heading back to play Ross once more after nearly six years away, and he confirmed in a chat with Metro that the character comes back with a lot of baggage – hence why he has thrown himself into self-destructive boxing bouts, where he comes up against Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle)
‘Due to his rough start in life, being on the run, his relationship with his dad, his brother, his mum and dad and his girlfriend dying, he has suffered a lot of trauma,’ the popular actor told me.
‘The same character is there, he’s a little bit more mature, he’s been through so many things – it’s the same but different.’
Given how long he and Rebecca were away, this tragedy is just scratching the surface. Mike confirmed there is far more to be discovered – and we won’t know everything straight away.
He enthused: ‘The writers have five years of story time to come up with! Where was he, was he a good boy, what drama has he brought back with him, has he made enemies?’
I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that yes, yes he has.
Now that he is firmly back in the show and Ross is in the centre of all kinds of chaos, it was clear in our conversation how happy and lucky he feels about coming home.
Describing Ross as the character he most likes to play and how busy Emmerdale allows him to be, Mike enthused about the North being the best place to be and also admitted that the financial security of an ongoing role is a key factor too.
Fans were excited to hear news of his return – the thrill was pretty much unanimous with Metro readers – and Mike was overwhelmed with the response. Although it comes with added responsibility, he told me.
‘It’s really lovely to know that many people care, and that many people appreciated what I did,’ he smiled. ‘I’m trying to renegotiate my relationship with social media, just because it’s quite addictive and sometimes I feel like my phone is in my hand all the time.
‘I am trying to stay away from it as much as possible but I can’t deny, when the post went out about Ross’ return, I saw the response and I can’t say I wasn’t overwhelmed and eternally grateful for everyone’s response.
‘But also, it adds a lot of pressure because I feel like I don’t want to let anybody down! It makes me up my game as well.’
Given how busy Ross is going to be over coming months, Mike will definitely have every chance to remind us exactly why it’s such a good thing to have the chaotic character back where he belongs.
