Pete Barton and Finn Barton (James Barton's sons)
Emmerdale fans can expect a new character in the village as Hollyoaks's Anthony Quinlan joins the soap's cast.
Quinlan will play Pete, the eldest son of struggling single parent farmer James Barton - a recent addition to the soap - played by former Corrie actor Bill Ward.
The family, which already includes Pete's on-screen brother and petty criminal Ross (Michael Parr), is completed by Joe Gill playing the youngest brother Finn.
Ward, who played Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street, said: "The Barton boys are tremendous: feisty, strong willed, and a lot of fun to work with.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed the scenes we've had together thus far, and look forward to an awful lot more bad behaviour in the future."
Quinlan played Gilly Roach in Hollyoaks between 2005 and 2011
Emmerdale: Anthony Quinlan on Pete Barton role, future stories
Former Hollyoaks star Anthony Quinlan makes his Emmerdale debut this evening (December 6) as he takes on the role of new regular Pete Barton.
Pete, who is the son of show newcomer James (Bill Ward) and the older brother of bad boy Ross (Michael Parr), arrives on screen as Moira pays a visit to the family's farm following the recent attack at Butlers.
In one of his first interviews since joining Emmerdale, Digital Spy recently caught up with Anthony to hear more about his return to the soap world and what's in store.
How does it feel to be back on a soap again?
"It's been absolutely amazing. I was over the moon to land this position, especially as Emmerdale is doing so well at the moment. It's been a real pleasure to be cast as Pete Barton and to be part of a fantastic production. I'm having a great time and it's a really nice place to work."
When did you first hear about the role?
"My first audition was in July and the audition process was quite gruelling, to be honest with you. The whole process took about three months and I started off by having two auditions. The first one was in London and the second was in Leeds. After that, I had two screen tests. In the first, it had been whittled down to five actors, and in the second there were two of us. It was quite nerve-wracking but definitely worthwhile in the end!"
Was it always your ambition to land another soap part?
"When I first left Hollyoaks, I wanted to explore different avenues in acting. I did a few theatre productions, a bit of film and I also did another soap role on Doctors, which I was really grateful for. It was great to experience so much different work.
"In the first year after leaving Hollyoaks I really hit the ground running with work, but then in the second year auditions weren't quite as forthcoming as they'd been previously. When Emmerdale came along, I was really keen to get the part and just wanted to make sure that I was completely focused.
"In the first audition, I was maybe concentrating too much on not wanting to seem nervous, because it is such a great opportunity and a fantastic show. I put on a bit of a bravado and played the character a little bit cocky with a bit of swagger! They told me to tone that down, so I took a more humble approach on the second screen test and fortunately for me it paid off."
How would you describe Pete Barton?
"Pete is the eldest of three brothers and he's essentially a good guy. He's not the brightest guy in terms of education, but he's followed his father's footsteps into farming, which was kind of forced upon him as a child. As Pete got more experience working on a farm, he ultimately decided that it was what he wanted to do.
"People will have seen that Pete's brother Ross is a bit of a tearaway, and you'll see that the youngest brother Finn is the brains of the family - he's been off to university and had an education. I think there's a few good opportunities for some sibling rivalry over the next few months!"
When we see the new Bartons all together for the first time, it's clear that their farm is really struggling. Does Pete feel responsible as he's been in charge?
"Pete blames his dad James for that. For the past couple of years, they've had no contact with Ross, so James has been spending all of his time looking for him. Because of that, James has neglected the farm a little bit and left it in Pete's hands.
"Pete is capable when it comes to work, but it's a big task to take on for just one person. Finn does deal with the accounts, but Pete is the one who's doing most of the hands-on work. There are certain deals which James is holding out for which aren't coming through, so they're in dire straits.
"From the perspective of an outsider looking in, you'd think that Pete and James get along well - but the truth of the matter is that Pete resents his father for the situation they're in now."
Can Pete stand up to Ross?
"Yeah, Pete isn't scared of Ross whatsoever. He's the eldest of the family and a real man's man. I can't give too much away, but the first encounter between Pete and Ross is quite interesting and I'm hoping the audience will like it! They don't have the best relationship, but as they're brothers, they will have to stick together."
Have you had to do any proper farming scenes, or have they kept it all off screen for now?
"It was quite a shock at first! On our first day filming the scenes at our family's farm, they brought a lot of cattle down. I'd had no experience with cattle, so it was all brand new to me. Since then, I've had days working on farms and I've had help from a gentleman called Nigel who's worked with Emmerdale for years. He has his own farm and he supplies all of the farm animals for the show. The inner child has come out in me while I've been driving tractors and heavy machinery - I've really enjoyed all that!
"I've also learned a lot about the animals themselves. As our on-screen family are cattle farmers, Nigel took me down to a similar farm and showed me exactly what kind of scale we'd be working on. You're dealing with 800 to 1,000 cattle a day, which is quite a lot of animals! I've even been reading some books to learn more, and it's been a really interesting experience."
Will Pete be pleased to have the chance of a fresh start when he and his family move to Emmerdale?
"Definitely - he's a grafter and he wants to be working, as that's what he's been doing his whole life. His main focus is getting the business going again and doing the best for himself and his family. It's what he knows best."
Will he make friends in the village?
"He is a nice guy, but he is more focused and committed on his work. Pete wants to knuckle down, so I'm not sure he'll be too warm or too focused on making friends at first. But he's not a rude character either - he just goes about his daily life and wants to get by."
Did you know any of the Emmerdale cast before joining?
"I knew a couple of them, which made it really easy to settle in. I knew people from playing charity football matches, and all of the soaps are pretty close anyway so I'd met a lot of people before. Everyone really does welcome you with open arms. I'd heard a lot of rumours about the cast being some of the nicest people to work with, and they've surpassed it. Everyone has been accommodating and I feel really privileged to have this opportunity."
Has Emmerdale's producer Kate Oates told you about her longer-term plans for the new Bartons?
"We've had a few discussions and there should be a few interesting things in the pipeline. I can't give anything away, but Kate's ideas are so original. The show has gone from strength to strength in the past 18 months with the live episode, the Cameron story and the siege week. It's such an exciting time to be part of it.
"Kate has told me there's a few things possibly in the pipeline for Pete which should be quite juicy, although nothing's quite set in stone yet."
Your final Hollyoaks storyline as Gilly Roach really divided the fans at the time. Looking back, are you glad Gilly had the rape story or do you wish he'd had a happier ending?
"I thought the story was great - it was such a sensitive subject to tackle, so it was a real honour to be asked to do it. I had seven great years at Hollyoaks which I thank them for, because those years were brilliant. I had wanted to go off and do other things, and I was pleased that my final storyline was handled in such a dignified way and got everyone talking about the issues we were addressing.
"There are no regrets whatsoever and I had two great actors working alongside me on that storyline - Andy Moss and Claire Cooper. I still speak to the guys now and they're really good friends of mine. They're also so professional on set, so it made my life ten times easier!"
Read more: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s1...#ixzz2mgcEPb5B
