Emmerdale star Liam Fox is known for his portrayal of hapless, unlucky-in-love Dan Spencer in the show.
But though he’s made that role his own, it’s not the first time Liam’s been in Emmerdale.
In fact, sharp-eyed viewers may have spotted him making his debut in scenes that aired last year on ITV3 in Classic Emmerdale. He’s recently popped up again for Classic fans!
So who did he play?
Emmerdale star Liam Fox’s first appearance
Cast your mind back to the end of 2002 when Christmas came with a terrifying discovery for Louise Appleton.
She was engaged to (dodgy and controlling) businessman Ray Mullan back then, but it wasn’t all good news. Poor Louise was being tormented by a stalker, who was making her life a misery.
Scared out of her wits, Louise agreed to leave Emmerdale with Ray and move to Italy where they would start a new life together.
But on the way to the airport, Louise accidentally discovered that her stalker was none other than Ray himself!
She managed to get away from him and run home but he followed. There was a scuffle and Louise killed her abusive fiancé. Then – with a bit of help from Terry Woods – she covered it up.
Police investigation
The police, though, were a little suspicious. They began sniffing round and DI Judy Dove – played by Susan Cookson, who is now Wendy Posner, and PC Tyrell started asking some awkward questions.
So who played PC Tyrell? Liam Fox.
Back again!
After his brief appearance as PC Tyrell in a handful of episodes, Liam returned to the village twice more. He played Officer Price – another copper who came to Home Farm when some Tate Trash trucks had their tyres slashed.
And then he put on his police uniform again in November 2006, when he played PC James, who came to question Tom and Jimmy King, as well as Bob and Jamie Hope about an incident in which Bob tried to run over Tom King.
Return of Emmerdale star Liam Fox
In 2012, Liam returned to the village as Dan Spencer – who followed his ex-wife Ali Spencer, their kids Amelia and Sean, and Ali’s new partner Ruby.
He’s been there ever since, through some pretty big ups and downs.
There was his very very brief marriage to Chas Dingle, his discovery that his daughter Amelia wasn’t actually his daughter, Ruby’s tragic death, and later Ali’s off-screen death, and his relationship with Kerry Wyatt.
And more recently, Dan’s been grieving for Harriet Finch, who died in the huge storm, and helping look after his newborn granddaughter, Esther, after Amelia gave birth.
However, things have taken a dark turn for Dan this summer after he punched Amelia’s obsessed fan Lloyd. The single punch left Lloyd in a coma fighting for his life and Dan charged with GBH. He could be looking at a manslaughter or murder charge if Lloyd doesn’t survive.
Liam Fox’s personal life
For many years Liam, whose real name is Paul Fox, was married to Nicole Barber-Lane, who played Myra McQueen in Hollyoaks. The pair had one child together, and Liam became a devoted stepdad to Nicole’s daughter.
They split in 2015.
Since then, Liam has reunited with an old flame – his former university girlfriend, Joanna Hudson. The couple tied the knot in 2020, just before the pandemic stopped weddings.
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Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list 2022 – meet them all here!
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour episode on Thursdays.
Classic Emmerdale airs weekday afternoons on ITV3.
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