Emmerdale is all about the Dingles for many viewers, whilst perhaps others might think the Tates are their top Dales family – but for a long time, the show was all about the Sugdens.
Now there’s only a couple of Sugdens left – Victoria and Sarah (who’s really more Dingle) and the family have retreated into the shadows a bit.
But not for long!
There is a new Sugden on his way to Emmerdale. John Sugden is the son of Jack Sugden, making him Victoria, Andy and Robert’s half brother – and Sarah’s uncle.
Emmerdale: New Sugden in town!
No one is more excited about the new arrival than Isabel Hodgins, who plays lonely Victoria, and Oliver Farnworth who plays newcomer John!
We sat down with them to get all the gossip about John and how he’s going to fit into the village.
“I’ve been here a few weeks now, and it’s just been a dream,” says Oliver. “It’s right in at the deep end with his character – he’s got a pretty amazing backstory. Obviously, he’s half-brother to Victoria, which we find out quite quickly, but there’s a whole lot of depth to him.”
So how do the siblings come face to face? Well, it’s all down to Eric Pollard! He’s off to the funeral of an old friend from the village – Barbara – and Vic gives him a lift.
“Victoria takes Pollard to the funeral of Barbara. She sits down on a bench to wait for him, next to a stranger, and they make small talk,” Isabel explains.
“Then Pollard comes over and introduces himself, and John says, ‘I’m John Sugden.’ And Vic’s like, ‘I beg your pardon?’.”
It turns out Barbara had a brief liaison with Vic’s dad Jack back in the 1980s. He’s grown up knowing who his dad was – though Jack didn’t know about him – but has never wanted to meet the Sugden side of his family.
Vic, though, is delighted to have a new brother.
Who is John Sugden?
“We find out quite quickly that he’s got a military past,” says Oliver. “He’s openly gay. He is very much a lone wolf. I think over the years, he’s really put walls up and not let anyone in. He doesn’t like people getting close to him. He’s very self-sufficient – he lives off grid in his van. Doesn’t need anyone, doesn’t need family. But then you know, through a set of circumstances, he’s thrown into Emmerdale, realises that he does have family, but he’s not interested. He’s very staunch that he’s literally here for his mum’s funeral, and then he’s getting out of town. Then his van breaks down, and he’s forced to stick around.”
When John’s van breaks down and he’s forced to stay in the village, Victoria sees it as an opportunity!
“She adores him,” laughs Isabel. “She sees it as she’s got a week to bring him round and make him love the idea of being in her family, and to try and make him stay. But he is strongly against that. He’s not cruel, but he’s just very clear with that he doesn’t want any part of this.”
Getting to know you?
And, Oliver says, when he’s getting to know his new sister, John does start to soften.
“Actually despite his brusqueness, he realises that he’s been offered a room to stay and a hot shower and a meal when he needs it,” Oliver points out. “And I think, despite not saying it, he is actually grateful for that. And there’s hints, even in the early episodes, that he’s letting Victoria in a bit and revealing things about himself.”
So will the rest of the village be as welcoming as Victoria has been?
“He won’t think twice about telling someone what he thinks,” says Oliver. “He’s not trying to make friends.”
Oliver then added: “He’s not out to win people over. He’s very direct with people that might not like that, but he doesn’t really care, because he just sees this as a stopgap, and then he’s on to the next thing.”
Romance of the cards?
Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle, has hinted there could be romance on the cards for John and Aaron. How does Oliver feel about that?
“I’m not sure at the moment,” he muses. “He does ruffle a few feathers, and he does kind of, you know, catch the eye of the odd person.”
Sounds exciting to us!
Obviously, as a newcomer, John doesn’t know the significance of the Sugden name in Emmerdale, but Oliver does!
“I went back and watched the very first ep, which is on YouTube,” Oliver says. The very first episode of the show involved the funeral of Jacob Sugden – John and Vic’s grandfather – with Jack coming home to the village after a long time away and reuniting with mum Annie, brother Joe, and sister Peggy.
“It is amazing,” Oliver continues. “I wanted to get a grounding of where it came from and understand where the Sugdens really sprang from. So that was pretty cool.”
So what can he tell us about John?
“Given what we know about his past and the ramifications of 12 years in the army, there’s potential damage there,” teases Oliver. “Whether or not that comes out in his behaviour, we’ll see. I think ultimately, he is a good guy, he’s an honest guy. But, yeah, he does have baggage.”
We definitely can’t wait to find out more!
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2024? Cast exits, arrivals and returns
Emmerdale usually airs on weekdays at 7.30pm, with an hour long episode on Thursdays.
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