Emmerdale stars Chris Coghill and Will Ash have opened up about their funniest real-life encounters with soap fans, revealing everything from a physical assault to a baking-related shout-out.
Chris Coghill's Handbag Incident
Chris, 51, who previously played child groomer Tony King in EastEnders in 2009 and now stars as Kev Townsend in the ITV soap, recalled the warning he received when he joined the BBC show: "When I started EastEnders, they were like there are people out there who really can’t tell the difference between what they see on telly and what’s real life and because of the character you play you’re gunna get a lot of s**t, you might need police protection."
He admitted that one woman did get physical: "I did get hit over the head with a handbag in Selfridges."
Mixed Reactions to Kev
The reception to Kev has been mostly positive, but Chris says some viewers have polarising opinions about his behaviour: "A lot of people go ‘oh f*** Kev’s really funny’ but then other people go yeah… but what about the time he stabbed himself in prison to emotionally blackmail Robert?"
The reaction to the character was so overwhelmingly positive that producers asked him to return after his first stint. "They asked me to come back within about 5 weeks [of me leaving]."
One of the main things he gets from Emmerdale fans is people shouting ‘Lemon drizzle!’ at him in reference to Kev’s famous baking.
Will Ash's Petrol Station Encounter
Will Ash, 49, who has starred as Caleb Milligan on the show since 2022, says people are ‘always pretty nice’. "I did have one woman at the petrol station say ‘oooh you’re right horrible to Moira’."
His character famously clashed with his brother Cain Dingle’s wife Moira when he first joined the show, with her finding out about his secret affair with his nephew’s wife, Tracy.
Part of the Job
Will isn’t bothered by the fans approaching him, and says it’s part of the job: "If you’re going to be on telly you’ve kind of got to expect people to come up to you, especially in a programme like this."
