Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards)

[lizann]

alzheimers dementia ?

[Perdita]

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emm...lot-storyline/


Emmerdale has revealed details of Bear Wolf's upcoming exit from the Dales, in what is the start of a huge new storyline.

Paddy Kirk and wife Mandy Dingle have been worrying about his dad being out of character of late due to his unexplained actions and irresponsible behaviour ? including recently leaving granddaughter Eve home alone to find his pill box.

In tonight's episode, Bear informed Paddy of a trip he was planning to take. He revealed it would see him leave the village for a considerable amount of time, and the information did little to calm Paddy's concerns.

Bear was in high spirits as he came down for his morning coffee, as noticed by Paddy, who was sat at the kitchen table. Bear explained he'd had a call from an old wrestling mate named Nasher Bates, who'd invited him to go spend some time with him in Ireland.

According to Bear, his friend was lonely following the recent death of his wife and Bear was adamant he would fix the bike Paddy recently gave him in order to visit him for two to three months.

Paddy was visibly stunned at the length of the upcoming trip, while Bear thought that Paddy and Maddy would be overjoyed to "see the back of him" for a bit after continued tensions.

"Don't be daft, dad that's a long time, especially after, you know, things have been a bit difficult," Paddy told his father.

Bear brushed off Paddy's concerns and told him to "stop fretting", before heading off to get started on the bike.

Later, Paddy found Bear drinking in the Woolpack and presented him with a gift to show his support for the upcoming trip: a guidebook on Ireland.

Bear joked he knew Ireland "like the back of my hand", but was clearly touched by Paddy's gesture.

"I know I've not been quite myself recently, so maybe this is exactly the tonic I need," Bear said. "You know what they say a change is as good as a rest. So don't worry."

Bear promised to get good use out of the guidebook and the two seemed settled on the matter of his trip, with a tender moment following between the two.

"I love you dad," Paddy told Bear, who replied: "I love you son, very much."

Bear's trip lays the foundation for a huge upcoming storyline involving the character, as teased by Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw.

"He's going to go off screen for a little while, he's going to go missing," she explained. "And when he comes back, what you'll see is a very different Bear in a really different situation.

"We're all going to be watching and going, 'What the hell has happened here?' That's going to be really exciting."

Will Bear make it to Ireland after all?

[ccahill2]

I guess Emmerdale likes the Debbie story on Corrie and wants to counter with its own story.

[Perdita]

I guess Emmerdale likes the Debbie story on Corrie and wants to counter with its own story.

They did early dementia with Gabby's dad Ashley.....not that long ago

[Perdita]

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emm...ne-soap-first/

Emmerdale's upcoming mystery storyline surrounding Bear Wolf is set to be a soap first.

Back in July, Bear said goodbye to the village following a number of heated clashes with his son Paddy, who told him he was no longer welcome at Tenant House.

After warning Paddy and his daughter-in-law Mandy that he might never come back, Bear told them that he had arranged to stay with a friend, though this was a lie.

While we already know that where Bear has gone will lead to a big new storyline, Mandy actor Lisa Riley told The Sun what to expect from his return.

Speaking at Wednesday's National Television Awards, Riley said she has read the scripts for Christmas, promising a landmark moment for the soap.

Asked if she knows where Bear has been, Riley said: "Yeah, because I've read the scripts that are coming up for Christmas.

"Where does that take us? Where's my father-in-law? My father-in-law is somewhere. I'm not going to tell you where he is.

"But I can promise you a lot of drama where he is. And it's going to be a big storyline on the horizon. That's like Laura [Shaw], our producer. That's her baby.

"I can't even give you any clue, because you won't actually get it. I told my other half, Alan, he was like, 'that's never been done. That's never been done before.' That's the truth. It's not been done in a drama."

The mysterious storyline was first announced back in May, with Emmerdale bosses confirming it was part of a bigger plot.

"The character of Bear, we've got a big storyline coming up for him," said producer Laura Shaw.

"He's going to go off screen for a little while, he's going to go missing. And when he comes back, what you'll see is a very different Bear in a really different situation.

"We're all going to be watching and going, 'What the hell has happened here?' That's going to be really exciting."

[Perdita]

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emm...ar-wolf-story/

Emmerdale star Joshua Richards has spoken about Bear Wolf's dark new storyline for the first time, following the shocking revelation that he's become a victim of modern slavery. Bear's story will take centre stage in a special flashback episode on Monday (10 November), which finally reveals what happened to him after he left the village in July.

The special scenes show how Bear was taken in by people who seemed to be kind, offering him "work" in exchange for board and lodgings. Over time, the situation grew increasingly sinister as Bear became injured and frail ? and was left entirely at the mercy of his captors...

We recently caught up with Joshua for a big chat about Emmerdale's new story shining a light on modern slavery and forced labour.

What was your first reaction when you heard about this story?

"Well, I found it a bit disconcerting and frightening at first, because I wondered: 'What experience do I have to bring to the table?' Which is nothing, really! But I also thought it would be interesting, because of course Bear has been experiencing this depression and confusion.

"Maybe it's a great thing to find him so vulnerable ? a big strong man being exploited like this. So as an actor, I rubbed my hands together and pulled my sleeves up to get stuck in."

How did you prepare for it?

"We can only prepare by reading the script and finding out exactly where the character is going. Luckily, we do have very good writers and very good producers, who can steer you towards the place where you need to be.

"Beautifully up here at Emmerdale, a lot of the design team, the lighting team, the camera team, make-up, costume ? everybody has got together to create an atmosphere that is very conducive to letting your imagination run wild."

What can we expect from Monday's Bear-focused episode?

"It'll be a standalone episode, where we'll have an explanation of what exactly happened to Bear after he got in his car and drove away from Emmerdale.

"We did see a few weeks after he'd left the village that he was still with his car and not with his friend Gnasher in Ireland at all. So we will find out exactly what happened to him."

Bear has always been portrayed as a family man and a fighter. How have you reconciled that with his current vulnerable position?

"Well, funnily enough, we've just been talking to the Salvation Army and I've been speaking to a lovely gentleman who had been exploited. Basically, it's something that you can slip into if you've been manipulated a certain way.

"Being a certain age as well, where maybe you do think that you're useless and redundant, someone can step in and convince you that you are worth something and that you do have some kind of currency.

"But 'currency' is the operative word. You can be manipulated into a situation that you didn't envisage seeing yourself in. It's quite fascinating how these things actually do happen."

Was there other research involved?

"Well, one fortunate thing for me is that in 2007, I did a play written by John Godber and Jane Thornton from Hull Truck Theatre Company called Sold. That was all about modern slavery, so it's not a new subject for me.

"It's something I've been aware of for many years ? and even before I did that play. It is quite frightening that even as we speak, there are about 40 million people in modern day slavery, which is horrific."

What do you hope viewers will take away from Bear's story?

"Soap does have a responsibility to educate and maybe show things that go under the radar, which you may not necessarily see on the main news. Things like Mr Bates vs the Post Office, the blood scandal or various other things have been brought to light by great television drama.

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"I think it's our job to do that. I'm very proud to be part of what ITV is doing with these wonderful writers and the great research which has gone on.

"Hopefully it will prompt something and there will be action. But then again, we don't hold hope for any government, in light of the other scandals which have gone by and very little has been done."

How did you approach filming next week's flashback scenes?

"That was quite disconcerting because I was told by our producer Laura Shaw a few months ago that I'd be off screen for a while because Bear would disappear. I thought: 'Oh, I'll get my P45 now and off I'll go!' But they said: 'No, you'll be coming back'.

"But in the meantime, Clare Golds in make-up said: 'Whatever you do, don't cut your hair and don't shave your beard. Go raggedy'. So I became a raggedy old man while I was off!

"You first see Bear when he's at the real bottom, looking really filthy, scraggly and unkempt. I had to grow the beard for around three months, which was all during the heatwave in the summer! Then bit by bit, we took it away and filmed the timeline backwards. I'm now almost back to where I was before.

"But it's been a very complicated way of portraying various stages in Bear's journey and very confusing for all of us, because each day I'm in a different time or different part of the story. So it's been quite exciting and quite weird!"

Do you think this story will affect the audience's perception of characters like Bear?

"Well, I hope so! I think we are all altruistic people in our hearts ? we do care and have compassion when we see somebody suffering. I very much feel that the audiences in Emmerdale are some of the most sympathetic ? they're people who really care about the characters in the soap.

"I do get people coming up to me and saying: 'How is Bear? We're worried about him'. You think 'this is great' because people who watch this soap really do care. They'll be furious when they find out what's been happening to Bear!"

What was the atmosphere like on set when you filmed the scenes where Bear is trapped?

"Well they constructed a set within an existing property up at the village. That's been absolutely fascinating and they've done a beautiful job in dressing and lighting it.

"I've been watching some of the rushes from the filming and because of the lighting and muted colours, it's almost like a Caravaggio painting. There are very dark undertones showing the squalor.

"It's been quite humbling, really, to find yourself in these situations, albeit a facsimile constructed one. Sometimes you find yourself sitting there thinking: 'Oh my God, if this was for real, how horrifying it would be'."

After doing the research, what are the main messages that you want to get across over modern slavery?

"Be aware that it's going on under our noses. We all have our cars cleaned and say: 'Ooh, that's cheap'. But who are the people cleaning your car? I mean, that's just a very tiny part of it.

"It's other things, it's people who are picking your spuds, it's people who are fixing your driveway, maybe there's somebody doing work on your roof. You really don't know.

"There are bona fide proper people ? builders, farmers, other people ? out there. But some are in the dark web of life and there are criminals, ready to exploit people.

"The biggest bill you'll ever get for anything you have done, for example your house extension, is the labour. If criminal gangs can take that essence out ? that you don't have to pay for that labour ? then that's where big profits are made, people are exploited and misery begins."

[lizann]

His former life feels lost to Bear as Ray, led by crime boss Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths), turns the screw, abuses him and continues to groom him.

The crime in the UK can take place almost anywhere, from farms and nail bars to factories and warehouses.

The soap has been working with The Salvation Army to aid with the research and development of the story all along the way.

Kathy Betteridge, Director of Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army said: ‘Forced labour is one of the most hidden, but widespread forms of modern slavery in the UK today.

‘We’re thankful to Emmerdale for using this storyline to expose the brutal truth – people are being exploited in plain sight, from farms and factories to caf?s, car washes, homes and hotels.

[lizann]

do we found out why bear was acting angry and strange before he left? or like april no reasoning behind her leaving home