Emmerdale fans are worried after Bear Wolf suddenly vanished from the ITV soap.
Emmerdale actor Joshua Richards, who plays Bear Wolf, has spoken out about his character’s intense new storyline.
Bear was last seen driving off in a rental car more than three months ago. But in recent episodes, his son Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) discovered that his dad wasn’t safe in Ireland as he believed — instead, Bear has gone missing after being absent all summer.
With Bear’s mental health now a growing concern, Paddy feels both worried and remorseful over their last argument, as he and his wife Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) search for clues about his father’s whereabouts.
Discussing the storyline, which tackles the issue of modern slavery, Joshua admitted: “I actually found it quite unsettling — even a bit frightening — and I wondered what personal experiences I could draw on to play it truthfully.”
Joshua explained: “At first, it was a bit confusing because I thought it might be interesting — especially since Bear has been dealing with depression and mental fog.
“Seeing him so vulnerable — a big, strong man being exploited — could actually be a compelling angle.
“As an actor, you think, great, brilliant, let’s dive in and really get involved.”
He continued: “This will be a standalone episode that reveals exactly what happened to him after he drove off in his car. A few weeks after leaving the village, we saw that he was still with his car and not with his friend Nasha in Ireland at all. So, we’ll finally uncover the full story of his disappearance.”
Speaking about getting ready for the scenes, Joshua said: “A few months ago, our producer Laura [Shaw] told me that I’d be off-screen for a while and that Bear would disappear.
“I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll get my P45 and that’s it.’ But no — they said I’d be returning.
“In the meantime, Clare Golds from makeup told me, ‘Whatever you do, don’t cut your hair or shave your beard. Stay raggedy.’ So I ended up looking like a scruffy old man while I was away.”
He continued: “When you first see Bear, he’s at rock bottom — filthy, scruffy, and completely unkempt. Gradually, we stripped that look back. As you can see now, I’m almost back to how I was before. It’s been a complex process to show the different stages of Bear’s journey.”
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