Freeman 'in talks' for 'Emmerdale' return

[Perdita]

Ben Freeman has met with Emmerdale producers to discuss a possible return to the soap, according to a report.

The actor played mechanic Scott Windsor on the ITV1 show from 1998 but he was axed in 2007 after being charged with rape in Barbados. At the time, producers announced that they had made the decision because they could not be certain of the star's future availability for work.

Freeman, 28, was eventually cleared after facing trial last month. Speaking later, the former soap star said that he felt grateful after being "vindicated" by the jury.

The People claims that Freeman visited the Emmerdale studios on Friday and discussed a future comeback. As he left, the actor was spotted sharing a joke with Lesley Dunlop, who plays Brenda Walker.

An insider told the newspaper: "Ben came with his agent to meet producers about a possible return. There's been no decision but it looked as if it went well."

An Emmerdale spokesperson added: "It was an initial meeting. It's an ongoing process."


:cheer: Hope he comes back.

[Chris_2k11]

Me too, he should be allowed to come back with his head held high like someone on here said.

[Perdita]

Former Emmerdale star Ben Freeman has announced that he no longer wishes to return to the soap.

The actor was axed from his long-running role as Scott Windsor on the ITV1 show in December 2007 after being charged with rape in Barbados.

Freeman was finally cleared of any wrongdoing after facing trial in October last year. He later entered talks for a possible Emmerdale comeback, but the discussions failed to come to fruition.

The 29-year-old, who previously appeared in the BBC's Grange Hill, has since landed a role in the musical Dreamboats And Petticoats and hopes to continue with theatre after his contract expires in July.

Speaking to the Liverpool Daily Post, he admitted: "I don't really miss Emmerdale. I was in it for so long - I grew up on it really and you can't stay in something forever.

"I don't really miss it that much - I miss the people, but I still see them anyway. Ask me when I'm out of work. Soap is a closed chapter for now. It's something I've done for an awful long time. There was Grange Hill, a children's version of a soap, so I've done my stint. I'd like to do Billy Flynn from Chicago and Pharaoh in Joseph."

Freeman, who made his first appearance as Scott in 1998, had previously claimed that returning to the soap was a "definite possibility".