Coming up next week on Emmerdale, pensioner Sandy Thomas (Freddie Jones) has had enough of being treated like a child by his son Ashley (John Middleton) and his ex-wife, Laurel…

So Sandy’s going to announce that he’s applying for a place in a sheltered housing complex, however, the only way he could get a place is if his present living circumstances put him in harm’s way, so Ashley is set to risk getting himself into trouble to help his dad out.

The drama begins on Tuesday 5th March when Sandy happily takes delivery of his new scooter, and promptly goes AWOL for the day, leaving Ashley and Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) frantic as to where he could be… Read more & comment »

Returning Emmerdale star, Samantha Giles, has predicted that her character will bring a lot of trouble with her back to the Dales!

Giles is returning to reprise her role as Bernice Blackstock and has commented how her character will cause “havoc” upon her return to the village.
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In tonight’s episode of Emmerdale, Ashley Thomas (John Middleton) will be seen telling his children Gabby and Arthur that he and their mum Laurel won’t ever be getting back together.

As we saw in last night’s episode, Ashley finally learned that Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) and Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) have reignited their affair, and have in fact been an item for weeks now.

Laurel has been seen repeatedly promising Marlon that she will tell Ashley about them as soon as she felt the time was right, but of course, during an angry outburst in the Woolpack, Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) spilled the beans about Maurel – or Laurlon maybe? – to the pub’s patrons, including Ashley… Read more & comment »

Fans of Emmerdale will of know that Marlon Dingle and Laurel Thomas have been seeing each other for a few weeks now…

However, in order to choose the right moment to break the news of their relationship to Laurel’s kids, her father-in-law Sandy (Freddie Jones) and of course, her ex, Ashley, the couple have been keeping things on the down low and seeing each other in secret.

So far, only very few people in the village know that Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) and Marlon (Mark Charnock) have rekindled their passion – they of course had a platonic affair last year – but unfortunately for them, among those who know are Paddy and Rhona who are of course embroiled in a bitter row with Marlon over his decision to stop them leaving the country with his son Leo… Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, shamed former Vicar Ashley Thomas is currently living rough on the mean streets of Hotten, and despite an offer of help and a roof over his head from Rodney Blackstock (Patrick Mower) Ashley feels he can’t live in the village anymore, and has subsequently disappeared.

Rodney and Ashley’s estranged wife Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) have been trawling the town looking for him, but so far have had no luck, however, John Middleton, who plays Ashley, has revealed to Soaplife that his character’s love rival Marlon Dingle is about to become Ashley’s unlikely benefactor.

Marlon (Mark Charnock) of course had a love affair – albeit a platonic one – with Laurel last year, and has always felt guilty over Ashley and what the relationship did to him, so when he hears Ashley has gone AWOL, he’s determined to find him… Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, shamed – and former – Vicar Ashley Thomas is very much down on his luck. In fact, if it wasn’t for bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all…

He’s been chucked out of his family home for being violent towards his dad Sandy (Freddie Jones), he lost his job at a burger bar for nicking buns to give to the homeless, and now, his credit cards are maxed out and he’s therefore broke.

And while Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) is happy to let Ashley stay at the B&B for a few days, just while he sorts out somewhere else to live, his estranged wife Val (Charlie Hardwick) isn’t feeling as charitable and she wants Ashley out, immediately if not sooner.

So, with nowhere else to go, and no other friends to call upon, Ashley is set to become homeless, and while appearing on Daybreak yesterday, John Middleton – who of course plays Ashley – sported a new Down and Out look which comprised a scraggly beard and some pretty rockin’ hair! Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, Vicar Ashley had to hand back his dog collar when he was fired from the clergy following the revelation that he’d abused his elderly dad Sandy (Freddie Jones).

His wife Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) booted him out of their home, and now, his daughter Gabby is so afraid of him that Ashley isn’t allowed to spend time with her or his son Arthur unsupervised.

To top it all, now the church aren’t paying the rent on the vicarage, Ashley has to start trying to pay it himself to keep a roof over his family’s heads, but things looked up a little at the end of the week when he had a job interview.

But what nobody knew is that the job is working in a burger van, and though he does get the job, he loses it just days later when he’s caught stealing buns!

He’s actually only taking bread rolls that were going to be thrown away, figuring he can give them to homeless people, but his boss doesn’t view his actions with any charity… Read more & comment »

Last night saw the 13^th annual British Soap Awards and all the stars braved the wind and rain to take their seats for the spectacular event, held at the ITV studios in London, where UnrealityTV were on the red carpet to speak to them all before the ceremony began.

The cast of Emmerdale were first out on the red carpet and in full force. They all looked amazing and were more than happy to have a chat and give us some insider gossip and exclusive news, so sit back and enjoy the diary of the Dales at the BSA’s

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Emmerdale viewers will know that the show has tackled head-on the controversial and often taboo issue of elder abuse…

That storyline – which of course features Vicar Ashley Thomas’s cruelty to his father Sandy, who’s played by the wonderful Freddie Jones – is set to come to a shocking climax next week when Ashley is arrested on suspicion of assault.

But surprisingly, it’s not Sandy or Ashley’s wife Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) who involve the police, nor is it Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten) who’s suspected Ashley of abuse for weeks…

It’s actually Ashley’s biggest fan, pew groupie Edna Birch (Shirley Stelfox) who makes the call to the police, so I guess that means she no longer a fan at all!

Speaking to Soaplife, John Middleton, who of course plays the vicious cleric, began by saying that Ashley has shocked himself with “what he’s capable of”. Read more & comment »

As Emmerdale viewers will know, in last night’s episode, Ashley Thomas’s wife Laurel got her first hint that her husband was being cruel and abusive to his elderly dad Sandy, who’s played by Freddie Jones.

But in upcoming episodes, Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) is going to see Ashley abusing his dad first hand, and on doing so, the lives of the Thomas’ will be irrevocably changed…

John Middleton, who of course plays the Vicar, has told Lorraine Kelly’s viewers that when the full extent of his character’s cruelty is revealed, fans of the show aren’t going to like Ashley any more.

And of how viewers have received the storyline, John said, “The reaction has been quite varied.

“A lot of people my age tell me anecdotally of people they know who are saying their mum and dad are driving them up the wall… Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, the storyline between Vicar Ashley Thomas and his elderly father Sandy is gathering a sinister pace as tensions between the pair get worse…

And John Middleton, who of course plays Ashley, has told TV Times magazine that when he first read the scripts, and heard what the show’s writers had in store, he couldn’t see his mild mannered character in the role of abuser.

However, he added that when he gave some thought to the issue, and having researched the controversial subject of elder abuse, he began to feel differently.

He said, “When I found out, my first thought was, ‘This isn’t Ashley’. But at the same time, I thought, ‘OK, let’s say that it is’, and I saw it as a huge challenge.

“A departure that takes me into a whole new area for the character…” Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, Vicar Ashley Thomas is getting dangerously close to becoming abusive with his elderly and often cantankerous dad Sandy (Freddie Jones).

But as of right now, the only person who can see what’s going on in the Thomas household is Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten) but with the support of their friends in the village, nobody believes her claims that either Ashley or Laurel might be being neglectful – or worse – of Sandy.

And John Middleton – who’s also played the role of John Hargreaves in Coronation Street, the man who knocked down and killed Lisa Duckworth Tommy Duckworth’s mother – who of course plays the troubled cleric Ashley has told the show’s official website that things are set to get a lot worse for his character and Sandy.

He said, “Ashley’s always had a very difficult relationship with his dad, but at the same time, they have a great deal of love and respect for one another… Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, Vicar Ashley Thomas is growing increasingly impatient with his elderly dad Sandy (Freddie Jones) and at times, Ashley’s behaviour towards Sandy has bordered on cruelty…

But so far, only Rachel Breckle (Gemma Oaten) has raised the alarm about how Ashley treats his dad, and unknowingly, she made Sandy’s situation far worse by telling Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) about her concerns.

He of course then voiced them to Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) who in turns told Ashley that Rachel had been spreading nasty rumours about how Sandy was being treated… Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, vicar’s wife Laurel Thomas is in love with Marlon Dingle, and as of a few weeks ago, her husband Ashley found out about it, and unsurprisingly, isn’t a happy cleric.

However, in a desperate bid to save their marriage, Laurel and Ashley – who are played by Charlotte Bellamy and John Middleton – are set to renew their wedding vows just before Christmas.

But when Ashley gets cold feet and disappears, everyone – including Laurel and Marlon (Mark Charnock) – are left wondering what’s going on.

And according to Charlotte, “something terrible” happens at the wedding vow renewal which is set to turn the whole storyline “upside down…” Read more & comment »

As fans of Emmerdale will know, Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) has been in love with pub chef Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) since the summer, and until recently, she’d managed to keep her feelings for Marlon a secret from her husband…

But now, her husband Ashley (John Middleton) knows that Laurel’s in love with another man, and in the episode that airs on December 22nd, he faces a terrible dilemma; renew his vows to Laurel and try to make their marriage work, or let her go to Marlon.

As we’ll see on the day of the vow renewal ceremony, when Ashley’s late, and nobody seems to know where he is, Laurel fears that he’s not going to turn up, while Marlon is hoping that he won’t!

And by the time the day of the ceremony rolls around, Marlon’s ex and his best mate – that’s Rhona (Zoe Henry) and Paddy (Dominic Brunt) of course – have guessed that Laurel is Marlon’s married woman… Read more & comment »