Emmerdale’s Joe Absolom once starred in a much-loved ITV medical drama
Emmerdale fans were stunned after spotting Ray Walters actor Joe Absolom in a beloved ITV drama.
Viewers of the ITV soap will remember that drug dealer Ray made his first appearance in the Dales earlier this year, when Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) contacted him about buying Lewis Barton’s (Bradley Riches) cannabis crop.
It later emerged that Ray had been manipulating teenager Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle), convincing him to break into Butlers Farm to scope out the property.
Meanwhile, April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) has fallen into a trap set by Ray and his sinister mother Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) as she struggles to pay off her boyfriend’s mounting debts.
And that’s not all—Ray and Celia have also been keeping Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) imprisoned on their farm.
Over three months ago, Bear was taken in by Ray and given accommodation in return for hard work, but he quickly found himself trapped in a terrifying situation.
Bear was repeatedly manipulated by his captors and suffered a serious injury that Ray refused to have treated.
The standalone episode focusing on Bear also introduced newcomer Anya (Alia Al-Shabibi). The two formed a sweet bond, but a chain of events soon brought danger for both.
Bear’s son, Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), has recently been shown worrying about his father—but could a revelation in Friday’s (November 14) episode change the direction of the storyline?
As Ray continues to cause chaos in the village, some fans were shocked to discover that actor Joe Absolom previously starred in ITV’s popular medical drama Doc Martin.
Joe is best known for playing Al Large in the beloved series from 2004 to 2022. Al was the son of Bert Large (Ian McNeice) and worked alongside his father as a plumber, later helping out in Bert’s restaurant.
Al had a notable relationship with Doc Martin’s (Martin Clunes) secretary Pauline Lamb (Katherine Parkinson), before eventually getting together with Morwenna Newcross (Jessica Ransom). The couple tied the knot at the end of season nine, with Joe Penhale (John Marquez) officiating the wedding.
Emmerdale fans took to social media to express their surprise at Joe’s previous role. One wrote on a Facebook fan page: “Just turned over the TV and our lovely gangster is on Doc Martin. I love this guy.”
Another commented: “Omg, I’d forgotten about this! I much prefer his character in Doc Martin. He is a great actor, but I don’t like him playing nasty blokes.” Meanwhile, a third fan added: “Aww, he was brilliant in that show.”
A fourth fan shared their amazement, saying: “How am I just realising this? He looks so young! Love him.”
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