Nick Miles has spoken out about his departure from Emmerdale, just hours after his character Jimmy King was killed off in dramatic scenes. The actor, 63, had played Jimmy on the ITV soap since 2004, but his final scenes aired on Thursday evening.
In recent episodes, Jimmy and his on-screen wife Nicola had been planning for the future and had arranged to renew their wedding vows. Jimmy had kept his financial troubles from Nicola, but tragedy struck when he crashed into the wedding marquee where Joe Tate and Dawn Taylor were having a conversation. No explanation has yet been given for the cause of the fatal crash.
Actor's Reaction to Exit
Nick, who previously appeared in The Bill, discussed his sudden departure in a video posted on Emmerdale's official Instagram, alongside co-star Nicola Wheeler, who plays his on-screen wife. When asked why his character had to go, he said: "Everybody I know who read that script, the first thing they said was that it made me cry."
In his final moments, Nicola was with Jimmy, telling him she loved him and holding his hand, as he imagined their vow renewal. After Jimmy died, Nicola wept and fled the marquee just before it exploded.
Fan Reaction to the Death
Fans were unhappy with the shock death. One wrote: "He deserved better." Another said: "I'm still in bits what an episode. Bravo to the cast," while a third added: "I can't get over the episode. I was in tears." Another fan commented: "I hate that they are getting rid of [name]." A further post read: "He deserved something more epic," and another fan said: "You've done [name] dirty!"
Other fans said they couldn't believe the show was getting rid of the character, and one said they were "fuming" given how long he had been part of the show.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
