Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw)

Emmerdale's Bob Hope faces a difficult situation this fortnight as he realises that his partner Brenda Walker is the mystery thief at the café.

Bob uncovers the truth after setting up a hidden camera to catch out the mystery culprit, but a defensive Brenda (Lesley Dunlop) doesn't take kindly to being confronted over her petty crimes.

Here, Tony Audenshaw - who plays Bob - chats about the relationship crisis for his character.

How does Bob react when he realises that Brenda is the one stealing things?
"Bob is shocked and angry when he finds out that Brenda is the one stealing stuff. She is the last person that he expects it to be, and he is a bit in denial himself because he thinks that Ruby and Ali have cooked up a plan. Until he sees it with his own eyes, he doesn't believe that it is Brenda. When he does, he has that awful sinking feeling and is like, 'Oh no, how could I not know?'

"Bob is absolutely mortified that he ever blamed Ruby for stealing, which he should be because of course it wasn't her and she said it wasn't and he didn't believe her. He also cannot believe that Brenda has been lying about it after they promised to have no more lies after the tumour.

"Not only that, Brenda knew it wasn't Ruby and didn't come clean. So Bob has got all this going on - how's he going to build bridges with Ruby? How on earth is he going to talk to Brenda about this?"

Does Bob confront Brenda?
"Bob knows that he has to talk to Brenda about it, but it is such a difficult thing to do and he doesn't really know how to drop the subject in - how do you do it? How do you say, 'Look, have you been stealing things?' Of course he owes it to Ruby to clear it up to clear her name, but he is really, really worried about what to say."

When Bob does, how does Brenda react?
"When Bob does accuse Brenda of stealing, she denies it and says 'How could you say that I would do something like that?' She doesn't really own up to it - what happens is that he has set up this hidden camera in a ketchup box. He has caught her stealing a customer's scarf and she doesn't even know about the hidden camera so he says, 'Look, I've caught you, I have evidence of you. Me and Ruby have seen this evidence of you stealing'. Brenda just says, 'How can you set up a camera without my knowledge? That's really out of order.'"
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Bob accuses Brenda of stealing Alicia's necklace
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Bob confronts Brenda

How worried are they both about Brenda's health?
"Bob can't understand why she is stealing - he doesn't get why she is doing it. The only explanation that he can think of is that the last time she was acting weird was when she had a brain tumour, so he starts to think that maybe the tumour could be making her steal again.

"He thinks there is no way that a woman like Brenda would steal. It just doesn't make sense as it is totally against how he thought she would behave, so it must be something strange going on."

Does Bob tell anyone about Brenda's guilt?
"Bob isn't really forced to tell other people that Brenda is a thief. Obviously Ruby had to know and he had to tell Harriet, as Harriet helped him set the camera up in the first place. He also feels that he has to open up and tell Dan that Brenda has been stealing and he can't work out why she is doing it.

"Of course, Dan being Dan, he has to tell Kerry and that opens up a whole new experience because Kerry has this great idea that she will take Brenda shopping. They go shopping and because Kerry herself used to steal, she thinks that she will be able to help Brenda because she will see the signs."

How does Bob feel about Kerry's involvement?
"Bob thinks it is the worst idea in the world! He thinks any of Kerry's ideas stink - they are all bad. Obviously this one is terrible, because Brenda has gone off the loop because Ruby knows, so she doesn't want anyone else knowing. So Kerry takes Brenda out and Brenda doesn't realise that she knows."

Bob later hears that Brenda and Kerry have been arrested for stealing and Kerry has been forced to take the rap for it. How does he react?
"At first Bob is not sure if Kerry has done it herself or not, but then it becomes clear that actually Brenda has not only stolen something but she has ditched her mate in it and blamed Kerry. The consequences for Kerry could be serious, because she has previous convictions. She might go into prison, whereas Brenda would be let off.

"Bob says, 'Look you have got to sort this out, you can't do this to your friend. You have to go to the police station and tell them what's gone on and deal with the consequences!' More people are going to know, but that is the price that Brenda has got to pay - it has got to come to an end."
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Kerry and Brenda's shopping trip takes a turn for the worse
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Kerry and Brenda's shopping trip goes wrong

Does Bob consider getting Brenda professional help?
"Harriet has already offered. Harriet seems to think it's something to do with the grief of losing Gennie. Bob can't understand this, as he seemed to get through the grief of losing Dawn. He says, 'I can do that without going nicking things' so it doesn't make sense to him why she is stealing.

"But because Harriet is a grievance counsellor, he has got to trust her and think that there might be something in it, but Brenda won't have it. She will not believe that it is anything to do with her grief and Gennie, so he has to try to convince her that is the case. Brenda says a lot of upsetting things to Bob, which make her realise that maybe she has got to see sense."

How far do you think Brenda would have to go for Bob not to stand by her?
"I think if Brenda continued stealing and not getting help, then you have got problems in a relationship. It is the constant lying that is more of a problem, because the stealing is less of a problem. The problem is being in a relationship with someone who is lying to you all the time - he is not going to stand for that for too long.

"If it is the tumour, then fair enough he will be there for her. It is cleared up soon that it isn't the tumour, so Brenda has got to change her behaviour or the relationship is gone, it's as simple as that. Bob can't understand why she is doing it, maybe with more understanding he would see but you don't know."

How have you felt about portraying the storyline?
"It is always great and always a treat working with Lesley Dunlop as she is a fantastic actor and we get on dead well. Lesley has been on the telly for years and I am so lucky that the people I get to work with are just really, really good, it makes it so much easier! They're brilliant."
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Brenda returns to the village but realises she is not in the clear when Dan and Bob learn what has happened.
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Brenda comes under fire

What do Emmerdale fans talk to you about if they see you out and about?
"They say, 'Where's the twins? The mystery twins, where are those twins?!' They are turning up every now and again, the twins. It is difficult to work it out strategically, and they have a lot of sleepovers and that sort of thing.

"People talk about all sorts of people on the show. It's always a good gauge on how the show is doing when people come up. We had 'Poor old Sam Dingle' a few weeks ago. You get all that and that's really good because you know the stories are really working."

Are you looking forward to Verity Rushworth returning as Bob's stepdaughter Donna?
"Really looking forward to her coming back!"

Has Bob been in contact with Donna?
"We have got to learn that - I don't know if Bob has seen Donna in the time since Viv died. I know that it was written that she was at Viv's funeral a few years ago, but I don't know if they have had any contact since. We will find out I assume.

"Verity is great to have around, - she is wonderful. I have seen her in shows, I have seen her in Hairspray and The Sound of Music and you just feel so proud. She is not my real daughter in any sense, a stepdaughter on the show but you just feel so proud! It's going to be great having her back."

Emmerdale star Tony Audenshaw has said that his character Bob Hope doesn't understand his partner Brenda Walker's stealing problem.

Viewers have seen Brenda's problem have a huge strain on their relationship as Bob went to desperate measures to uncover the truth about her crimes.

Speaking on Lorraine today (February 24), Audenshaw said: "It is something that he cannot understand.

"Why would anybody want to steal and then cover this secret and keep it to herself? Why didn't she share it with him? The relationship has really come to a stop over it.

"It's so difficult because stealing is pretty black and white. When she is dobbing his friends in it as well, it is a really awful thing to do and she doesn't know why she is doing it really either."
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Bob accuses Brenda of stealing Alicia's necklace
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Bob accuses Brenda of stealing Alicia's necklace

Speaking about the change in Bob over the last 14 years, Audenshaw said: "I think he is the world's most supportive man. He has got all these kids and ex-wives and as soon as any trouble came, he used to just leave as soon as he could.

"Now he sticks around. He sticks by the twins, he sticks by Brenda, he stuck by Viv. He's become quite a good man."

Audenshaw also praised the show for its plots, particularly its work on Val Pollard's HIV storyline.

He said: "It's been amazing. The people are great there and [so are] the stories. The stuff at the moment with the HIV storyline with Val and Pollard is breaking new ground. "

Sooooooooooooo sick of Brenda, either kill her off or send her to Canada. Hahaha

It's truth time for Bob Hope on Emmerdale next week as he finally comes clean with his partner Brenda Walker about his recent deception.

Bob decides to confess all after discovering that his daughter Carly has been involved in a violent van heist in her latest scheme to make cash, which makes him realise that their bad behaviour has gone too far.

Here, Tony Audenshaw - who plays Bob - reveals the dramatic fallout as a shocked Brenda decides to fight back!

What do you make of Bob's recent behaviour?
"He's an idiot! He told one lie right at the start of the storyline after a couple of glasses of wine and he thought that was the end of it, but then Carly came up with this stupid idea of dressing Val up as Brenda to get a loan from the bank.

"Bob has been very uncomfortable with the whole thing from the start. He should have just come clean, but unfortunately lie has built upon lie! When it gets like that, you just have to keep on lying."

Why has Bob been letting Carly wrap him around her little finger?
"Bob feels terrible guilt about leaving his kids when they were small. Carly has made it very clear that she didn't have a great life when Bob wasn't there. She hasn't had many opportunities, while Bob has gone on with his own life. He's got a great family now with the twins - even though you never see them! Carly is not happy about that."

Did Bob really think that Brenda wouldn't find out?
"He knows that Carly probably won't say anything to Brenda, but there's always a chance that someone else might say or do something. Bob is particularly anxious that Val might say something, or that David might put his foot in it because of the business."

When does Bob realise that Carly has teamed up with Ross for a violent van heist?
"A lot of gossip goes on at the café, so that's when Bob hears about the van heist. As Carly has suddenly got some more money, he realises that she must have been involved in some way."

Does Carly tell Bob the truth?
"She does admit to it, but only after she lets slip that she was there when she's talking about it with Bob. The van driver was injured, so Bob can't believe that Carly would stoop so low as to do something that would hurt somebody. He also realises that his own actions are implicit in that. If it wasn't for his original lie, she wouldn't have had to go and do that.

"It's quite a pivotal moment for Bob. He confides in Diane, who puts him straight and orders him to tell Brenda. Unfortunately, he picks the worst possible time to do it - her daughter's memorial service! He goes and drags her away from Gennie's memorial service and confesses everything that he's done. He wants to get it all out!"

How does it go?
"It's awful! Brenda hasn't suspected a thing. They're in the café and he just tells her everything that's gone on. It's horrible and Brenda is absolutely appalled by him. She can't believe that he has abused her trust in this way, especially after they promised that they would never lie to each other again after her brain tumour."

Does Bob know that Brenda calls the police?
"Bob has got no idea that Brenda has gone and called the police. He wouldn't ever imagine that she would do that. He's really shocked when the police turn up, but he has done wrong and he's willing to pay for it.

"He tells Carly that he's going to come clean and that she'll have to face whatever consequences come out of that."

How would Bob feel if Carly left the village as a result?
"He'd be devastated if Carly left. As badly as she has behaved, he keeps saying that she's not a bad person. She is quite a selfish person and is quite driven in that respect, but Bob sees a lot of himself in her because she's a good saleswoman. He'd be devastated to lose her. He wouldn't want to lose Brenda either. They've had a really good strong relationship and he loves her."

Would Bob choose between Carly and Brenda?
"I think he's had his choices taken away from him now - he's desperate to hang onto anything at this point. Bob has told the truth far, far too late.

"Carly might be a bad influence on Bob, but at the same time he's bonded with his daughter for the first time in a long while. He's loving having her around and for him it's really important that she's there and that he's been a good parent to her. So the way he's acted isn't all bad, but he's behaved atrociously towards Brenda."

Have you enjoyed working with Gemma Atkinson?
"She's absolutely great and she always knows her lines, which is always a bonus! (Laughs.) She's great fun to have around, she's a good laugh and she's a really nice person. It's also brilliant to have one of Bob's kids on the scene again. He's got so many of them and I think a lot of them are often forgotten!"

How would you feel if you didn't work as closely with Lesley Dunlop anymore due to Bob and Brenda's problems?
"It'd be really disappointing. You do build up a great relationship with people you work with and we get along really, really well. Lesley is a fantastic actress and a fantastic person to have around. She's a great spirit on set. We also know how each other both work now, and that's really nice to have."

What keeps you at Emmerdale?
"Emmerdale's brilliant - it's a magic place to work. I'm really lucky to be here and the people are really nice. When you're busy, you're busy and it's great, as you feel driven by what you're doing. When you're quiet, you get some time off and I can indulge my hobbies. It's also well-paid and I play a nice character who people don't want to beat up in the streets! Well, up until this point - let's see how it goes from here!"

Emmerdale's Bob Hope is banged up next week as he awaits trial for fraud.

Bob is sent to prison on remand after he accidentally breaches his bail conditions, leaving him at the mercy of a violent cellmate who has a connection to one of his friends in the village.

Here, Tony Audenshaw - who plays Bob - reveals how life for his popular character goes from bad to worse in the days ahead.


How does the helicopter crash affect Bob, Brenda and the village as a whole?
"Everybody ends up numb with shock and pain because of the disaster and the terrible tragedy that's happened. Bob and Brenda both lose people that they know, and it couldn't have come at a worse time because they've been going through issues anyway after Bob's fraud. They just have to get on with it - they're living separate lives but together.

"Bob also organises a clear-up operation in the village - he knows that someone has got to do it and get things organised."

Why does Bob speak to the press about the tragedy?
"A journalist comes into the café and she seems really nice. She's young and quite timid, so she just asks a few questions about people in the village and those who have passed away. This lady seems very genuine and sincere, so Bob is the same way in return.

"Bob talks to her about what he knows of the people who have died. He thinks he's done them an honour in that respect, but unfortunately the journalist turns him over a bit and she twists it all around because of Bob's recent fraud.

"Bob has actually been offering free food and drink to people involved in this clear-up operation, but Brenda has taken money from a couple of them. It ends up looking like he's this terrible fraudster who's taken advantage of the situation.

"The article that gets printed has a nice picture of Bob smiling in front of his coffee machine, underneath a headline about an evil fraudster tricking the village in its time of need!"

Why does Bob then break his bail conditions?
"Bob is just helping with the clear-up operation when a group of villagers come up who've read the article. They're really upset with Bob because they believe the paper over him. The argument gets a bit physical and just by chance there's a policeman there because of the disaster. Because of this fight, Bob has broken his bail and he has to be sent to prison on remand."


How does Bob react to that?
"It all happens so quickly that he doesn't really know what's hit him! He ends up thinking about when Viv was in prison, so he remembers that she didn't want him or the twins to come in and visit. Bob decides that must be what you do in this situation, so he tells Brenda that he doesn't want to see her when he's in prison.

"Bob also tells Brenda that if she wants to see someone else, she can do that and get on with her life. He knows that if it goes badly in court he'll be in prison for a couple of years most likely."

How would Bob cope if that did happen?
"I think for anyone, going into prison is a difficult situation. I think Bob would be alright because he's a bit of a joker and he'd probably try to joke his way out of things, but I think he'd hate having his freedom taken away. He'd find it difficult to be away from Brenda and the twins. Regardless of how little you see the kids on screen, they do exist and have a very happy family life. He'd also miss his daughter and regular phone calls from Jamie."

What will happen to the twins when Bob is in jail?
"Brenda has said that she'll look after the twins and that's very good of her because they're not her kids, but she has brought them up as her own and she's been a wonderful mum to them. The family are in terrible financial trouble because of Bob's loans, though. He's left Brenda in a terrible situation and I don't know how she's going to cope!"

Bob soon finds himself at the mercy of another prisoner called Ged. Why is that?
"Bob gets into prison and he decides that Carly needs to come back after going missing. At least if she comes to court, there's a chance that she might come clean and admit it was her idea. If that happened, maybe Bob would just get a suspended sentence.

"Harriet comes into the prison to have a chat with Bob about finding Carly. While she's in there, Harriet clocks Ged and can't believe it's him. It turns out that she was the arresting officer who put this fella down for murder, and he's Bob's cellmate! Ged isn't happy about Bob's connection to Harriet, so he gives him a good beating and leaves him bleeding in the prison showers."

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Bob's cell mate Ged attacks him

What happens next?
"Bob has to say it's an accident because he's terrified of this beast! Ged is a really frightening man - he's evil and horrible. At least the good thing about being in hospital is that Bob gets a bit of sympathy from Brenda when she comes in.

"Ged then starts to manipulate them both by getting Brenda to do favours for him. I can't tell you what sort of favours, but it's a terrible situation. Bob never thought in a million years that his fraud would lead to this!"

Are Bob and Brenda strong enough to get through this?
"I don't know - Bob and Brenda's relationship is really strained at this time and I don't know if Brenda will be able to trust him again. It doesn't matter how much Bob loves her or how many times he says sorry."

Have you enjoyed exploring a different side of Bob in this storyline?
"It's been really nice doing all the prison stuff and being on location for a change. We do a lot of long days in the café, so it's been nice to be somewhere different and eating location food! Bob's not had this story before and he's had to show another side in it. He really is the victim here once he gets into prison!"

Is Bob just going to leave his kids behind while he makes his mind up?

I do not like Brenda but also think he is better as a friend with Laurel

Emmerdale actor Tony Audenshaw has made his decision on who he thinks his soap character Bob Hope should be with, after admitting he thinks Bob has "behaved disgracefully".

Speaking on Zoe Ball on Sunday today (May 6), Audenshaw revealed that he did not approve of Bob's decision to cheat on his fiancée Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) with his neighbour Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) after they rekindled their affair back in March.


He also revealed to Ball who he thinks his character should stick with following all the drama.

"He should be with Brenda, shouldn't he?" he said. "He shouldn't be unfaithful like that. He's been awful. Terrible behaviour."

He continued: "It's so naughty – he's been so nice, for so long. And of course, he's got all those broken marriages and we've never seen the mechanics of what's happened in the past, whereas in this case, you're getting right into the affair.

"He's just behaved disgracefully – but it's been really enjoyable to do."

The actor, who has played Bob since 2000, also said that there has been a great deal of public reaction to the controversial storyline – and fans aren't afraid to tell him what they think about his character's choices.

"I was at Brighton Marathon a few weeks ago and the reaction there was unbelievable," he said.

"People were saying, 'you're disgusting', 'you shouldn't be doing that to Brenda' and 'Get your hands off Laurel!'"

Viewers will be able to watch Bob and Brenda's wedding unfold this week, with the drama coming to a head on Thursday (May 10).

Emmerdale airs its next episode tomorrow (May 7) at 7pm on ITV, while Zoe Ball on... continues on ITV next Saturday (May 12) at 8.30am.

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married and dumped and could be dead next week

No hope!! awful character

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Emmerdale's Tony Audenshaw has revealed who saves his character Bob Hope's life after he has a heart attack.

Bob's heart attack comes when he attacks Liam Cavanagh, as he continues to deal with the fallout from his partner Wendy Posner cheating on him with her colleague.

But in a twist, it ends up being Liam who saves his life by being the one who uses a defibrillator on him.

Speaking ahead of the episodes, which air next week, Audenshaw explained: "[Bob] finds out that it was Liam who used the defibrillator, but he still doesn't really want anything to do with him.

"He's in a position where he's very weak and faced with his own mortality. He's already a single parent and he's got to try and make things work with Wendy maybe."

"Liam does come to the hospital and wants to see if he's okay of course and apologise," he added. "Bob doesn't really - he just gets the red mist and he dismisses him."

Audenshaw added that he hopes the episode informs people about how important it is to have defibrillators around and to know how they work.

"In this case, there's one right outside the cafe," he added. "Hopefully everyone in the village knows how it works. It literally tells you in a loud voice what to do and how it works."

Speaking about if Bob blames Wendy for his heart attack, Audenshaw said: "He's undoubtedly been under a lot of stress for the last few months, with various issues.

"The Liam and Wendy issue has been the biggest, but Bob's daughter Cathy has been going through her PMDD storyline as well. He's had to sell stuff to buy the B&B and open a new business. It's definitely a factor."

Audenshaw also revealed that Bob has been hiding something and Liam being the village doctor has only complicated things more for him.

"There is a symptom which he hasn't been talking about and he should have gone to the doctors about," he explained.

"He was going to go to the doctors, but it was complicated by the fact that the doctor is the person who's been having an affair with his girlfriend, so he didn't want to see that doctor! It wasn't something he wanted to talk to Manpreet about either."

bob isn't a single parent as the twins have brenda

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Perdita

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emm...-heart-attack/Audenshaw also revealed that Bob has been hiding something and Liam being the village doctor has only complicated things more for him."There is a symptom which he hasn't been talking about and he should have gone to the doctors about,"

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Heart attack was most probably brought on by him taking too many blue pills as he has been suffering from erectile dysfunction, hence Wendy complaining of not having sex for a few months.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snagglepus

Heart attack was most probably brought on by him taking too many blue pills as he has been suffering from erectile dysfunction, hence Wendy complaining of not having sex for a few months.

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wendy had intimacy issues when first with bob, was sex hesitant but overcome with lust with the love writing doc