There were worrying scenes this week as Emmerdale’s Bear Wolf was questioned after confessing to Ray Walters’ murder.

With spoilers confirming the character would be charged with manslaughter for the crime, it no doubt sparked fears that the fan favourite would leave the show. With his future looking uncertain, as Bear is determined to face justice, spoilers may tease whether an exit is on the cards.

He will plead guilty, he soon reveals, as his worried son Paddy Dingle hopes he will be released despite him being charged. But it does seem Bear might be released, for now, as next week he’s back in the village.

Spoilers confirm that as Ray’s funeral arrives, Bear finds out about it and is keen to attend. This sparks fresh drama for him and his family, and soon Bear is spiralling as he struggles to cope.

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Amid this, Bear is struggling with medication withdrawal after months of being given strong painkillers by Ray before his death. Fans will know that Bear was manipulated and exploited by Ray and his mum Celia Daniels in a harrowing modern slavery plot.

Bear was give painkillers after a serious arm injury, and Ray proceeded to give him the drugs daily. Bear became dependant on them and now since he’s stopped taking them, he’s desperate to get his hands on anything he can.

Next week he turns to alcohol, after GP Manpreet Sharma refuses to prescribe the painkillers he desperately craves. This and his guilt over Ray sends him spiralling.

That said, he is in the village, before he ends up at the hospital. So does this mean Bear is released, even if it’s temporarily? The end of this week and next week will no doubt shed some light on this.

Actor Joshua Richards also spoke to The Mirror recently, hinting at whether he may leave the soap as part of the plot. He heavily hinted there was no exit on the horizon, while he did hint there may be some prison time.

As far as the actor is concerned, bosses have not planned a departure for him or the character. On whether he feared he would have to leave the show, he confessed: “Yeah, I had a good chat with [producer] Laura last year, in June or July.

“She told me that this would be quite an extended storyline that would take us all over the place, especially into being held at His Majesty’s pleasure. So I did know the extent of the story.” This suggests the long-running plot will not end with an exit for Bear.