Emmerdale actor Joshua Richards has spoken out about the latest twist for his character Bear Wolf, which has sparked fears for his life. In Tuesday night's episode, villain Celia Daniels told Ray Walters that Bear, like April Windsor, needed to be 'dealt with', handing Ray a knife and declaring they would 'make them disappear for good'.
The storyline, which has seen Bear exploited in a modern slavery plot, has been praised by Richards for raising awareness. 'I think the job that has been done by the producers, the writers and the script editors has been outstanding,' he said. 'Modern slavery is alive and well, and it's horrifying.'
Richards also revealed a personal connection to the story, explaining that it reminded him of his late father. 'In his later years, he suffered a similar kind of depression,' he said. 'To see him reduced to somebody who felt redundant, who felt useless, I could fully understand it.'
The actor expressed hope that Celia and Ray would face their comeuppance, noting that viewers are eager to see justice. 'They can't wait for them to get their comeuppance,' he said. 'But unfortunately, in society, you can't do that, because they're all pervading and always there, hovering in the darkness.'
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
