Emmerdale bad boy Ross Barton has more busy times ahead on screen next week as he carries out another dodgy job, makes a play for his brother's partner Debbie Dingle and also exposes one of Robert Sugden's dark secrets.
It's also been an eventful year in general for the roguish character and Michael Parr, who plays him, has now been rewarded with a longlist nomination for Best Actor at the British Soap Awards 2015.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Michael to hear his reaction to the nomination and some teasers on what's ahead for Ross.
Last year you were up for Best Newcomer at the Soap Awards and now you've moved up to the Best Actor category! How do you feel about being nominated?
"It's a nice feeling - it feels like I've gone up a league! I'm just glad I'm not in the same category as Maddy Hill from EastEnders because I can't seem to beat her! (Laughs.)
"It's just very flattering to be nominated and hopefully it'll be a success for Emmerdale on the night, even if it's not me who wins it. Danny Miller and Kelvin Fletcher are also up for Best Actor so if one of us took it home, I'd be happy."
Do you think you have a decent chance of making it to the shortlist?
"Who knows? I think we've all had a good year. My stuff was a lot earlier on, so I'm kind of hoping people haven't forgotten about what Ross and Donna went through. Kelvin has done great this year and so has Danny, so I'm just happy to be nominated, really."
A lot of the Emmerdale fans do feel that the show is overlooked at award ceremonies, so do you think that might change this year?
"I think we're only in with a good chance if the fans who think we're overlooked do vote for us. We do have a lot of fans who kindly vote for us, and the show's ratings are strong too, but somehow we're not getting the most votes. I'm not quite sure why as I think we really deserve it. We're not in it for the awards, but it is nice to take something home and get a little bit of industry recognition."
As you've been up for Sexiest Male yourself in the past, what do you think of the decision to scrap the sexiest categories?
"I wasn't a massive fan of the award anyway, but I think now that Danny Mac has left Hollyoaks and Keegs has left Corrie, everybody else was thinking, 'Maybe I'm in with a shot here!' (Laughs.)
"When I went to awards ceremonies last year, I was nominated a few times for Best Bad Boy, Best Newcomer and Best Storyline. I think if I'd won Sexiest Male it would have been a bit of a kick in the teeth, because I didn't go to drama school just to be judged on my looks."
Are you pleased with how Ross's character has developed since Donna's death?
"Definitely, it's been great. I thought things would die down after Donna's exit, but some of the stuff after that has been really good too. After he lost Donna, Ross came back all guns blazing and was a lot more ruthless and reckless. It was a lot of fun to have him stealing cars again.
"The writers must like me, because they always seem to give me cool lines. Whenever I'm doing scenes with Finn and Pete, I always seem to get the cheekier, ruder lines. I get to chase the girls a lot as well, which suits me!"
Emma's arrival has brought a whole new dynamic to the Bartons, so have you enjoyed exploring that too?
"It's been absolutely great, even just the dynamic of having another female on set. We're quite a boy-heavy family, so it's been great to work with Gillian Kearney. She's such a professional and she's very thorough with her work. She really knows what she's doing - she's so good.
"It's also changed the dynamics of the family because Ross isn't the crazy one anymore! I think people also sympathise with Ross now, as they can maybe see why he is the way he is. It's been good to bring Emma into the show as it's given the family a big backstory and I think people understand Ross's history a lot more."
The family don't seem to have fully realised that Emma has a darker side. Do you think they need to watch out?
"I think Pete already has his suspicions, but as the story plays out, we'll slowly start to see that she isn't the full shilling..."
While arguing with Emma at the pub next week, Debbie exposes how she tried to kill Ross when he was a baby. How does Ross feel about that?
"Ross is just heartbroken that it's Debbie who has let the cat out of the bag. Out of everybody in the village, he really thought he could trust Debbie. He's a little bit gutted when he finds out that everybody knows because of her."
Ross does later make a play for Debbie, so would you like to see them together properly?
"I think it's more interesting seeing them as a forbidden thing. There are definitely elements of Cain and Charity in their relationship as well, as they're not meant to be together but they can't seem to stay away from each other. I think me and Charley Webb have a good dynamic on screen, so I'll be happy whichever way the writers want to take it."
Does Ross stop chasing Debbie once she gets engaged to Pete next week?
"Something like that's not going to put Ross off! You can look at it two ways - Ross is either out to get his brother or he's out to get the girl. You can decide which one you want to believe, but he's definitely not going to let something like a ring get in his way."
Are you expecting another on-screen fight with Anthony Quinlan (Pete) as the storyline develops?
"Well it's Ross - I'm always expecting a fight! I think I spend more time in that make-up chair getting bruises put on me than I do on set sometimes! You can definitely expect fireworks between the two brothers."
Next week also sees Ross tell Chrissie that Robert was behind last year's Home Farm raid. Why does he decide to spill the beans now?
"Next week there's a heist situation where Ross and Debbie end up at a hotel together. Ross is doing that because Chrissie is having problems with her ex-husband Donny and there's a lot of money involved, so she gets Ross on board to help her.
"Chrissie is paying Ross to do the job, but she doesn't quite come up with the cash that Ross wants in the end. Because he's got this information, he retaliates by letting the cat out of the bag to Chrissie - and it causes a lot of problems for her."
Would you like Ross to find out Robert's other secrets? He's still hiding quite a few!
"I'd like him to, yeah. Ross always wants trouble with somebody and the more he knows, the more he can hold it over people. Knowledge is power, so the more secrets Ross knows, the more he can be a little bugger!"
Next week sounds like a busy week for Ross, but is it going to be a big few months ahead for him in general?
"From what I've heard, it sounds like it's going to be a busy few months for the whole cast, not just me. Everyone has been dragged in and all holidays have been cancelled. I'm looking forward to it!"
We've heard teasers of a huge summer storyline...
"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it but I don't quite know exactly how it's going to pan out yet. I only find out things about three or four weeks before we start filming. We're just a little bit outside that at the moment, so I'm not quite sure on the exact details yet."
In the past you warned that viewers might turn against Ross because of his dodgy actions after Donna's death, but many fans seem to have stayed on his side! How do you feel about that?
"It's very flattering that I can't seem to do any wrong at the moment - it's nice that I've got the audience on side. I don't know what I'd have to do to push them away again. It would have to be something really horrible, and I don't think I want to do something that bad! We'll just have to wait and see where the writers take it."
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