As Emmerdale’s killer week draws to a close, actor Dominic Brunt said the turmoil is far from over for his character, soap legend Paddy Dingle.

Viewers tuned in on Thursday to see Paddy’s father Bear Wolf murder villain Ray Walters, moments after Bear was confirmed alive. Having been ‘killed off’ in December, Bear’s true fate was the first of two big shocks for fans in the episode, after human trafficker Celia Daniels had claimed she’d killed him last month.

The second shock came when Ray, played by Joe Absolom, was brutally killed after being crushed in a headlock by the former wrestler. For Dominic, 55, Bear’s killer actions take the dark storyline into the unknown, as detectives continue to investigate Ray’s murder.

The special week of episodes featured flashbacks that detailed Ray’s final moments, and the movements of suspects including Laurel Thomas, Rhona Goskirk, Marlon Dingle. Everyone had something to hide, but ultimately it was Bear who was named his killer.

 

“It was dark, I wondered how they were going to film it for pre-watershed,” Dominic, 55, exclusively told The Mirror. “I think in real life, I’d probably ring the police straight away, but he’s protecting his dad. I was just excited to be a part of it.” The flashbacks confirmed Paddy had been lying in recent episodes too, allowing other characters to be questioned over Ray’s death while Bear is still presumed missing.

Dominic found filming the murder fallout strange, as it aired before viewers had been let in on the secret of what had really happened to Ray. “It was very confusing,” he shared. “But then when it’s all been put together, it all makes sense.”

Dominic has played Paddy for 29 years, and he’s been at the centre of some major storyline since his 1997 debut, including five weddings, the heartbreaking death of his baby daughter Grace and his depression in 2023 that saw him attempt to take his own life.

Paddy’s depression was part of ITV ’s Britain Get Talking campaign, which promoted mental health awareness. Dominic worked with Andy’s Man Club during the storyline, a men’s suicide prevention charity, and the episodes encouraged an increase in their attendance figures.

He told us: “I was really proud, and you think, imagine if we save somebody from suffering in silence. The fact that they can go somewhere and talk, and men don’t want to do that.

“We want to supply the solutions and the answers to everything, and we want to be the traditional thing that maybe our dads and granddads were, and in this modern time, maybe we don’t have that role as much as we did. I know for a fact that some friends of mine see opening up as being weak or effeminate, and it’s not.

“After filming, I was going home thinking, thank God I’m pretending, and I’ve not actually gone through this like a lot of people have. Nobody gets away with it, but I never suffered like that. It was an honour to play.”

As Paddy covers up his father’s crime in upcoming scenes, Dominic shared he would be sad if it led to his exit after almost three decades. He doesn’t worry about the dreaded axe anymore though, and he’s just signed a year-long contract to stay on the soap.

“I think I’ve been so lucky for so long,” he said. “If they told me I was going I would be sad, but I’ve got to be grateful for everything. It completely changed my life. Hopefully I’ll be here for another 29 years.”