It’s been heartbreaking to watch as Emmerdale’s Ashley Thomas deteriorates, and it’s been revealed his exit is not far away.
When he goes missing from his care home next week, panic sets in amongst his family. Will they find him before it’s too late?
It all begins with Sandy’s birthday and he’s feeling lonely without his son, so the village men decide to smuggle Ashley out of the home for a visit.
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Laurel isn’t sure about the scam at all, but when she gets home to find Ashley happily settled, laughing and joking, and interacting with his children, Laurel can’t help but feel cheered.
Ashley even slips into his old cassock and looks every inch the village vicar again.
It all goes wrong when Bob Hope and Jimmy King take Ashley back to the care home later on.
As soon as he’s alone, a confused Ashley heads straight for the exit. And as he’s still wearing his cassock, he’s mistaken for a vicar making a call to the home, so no one tries to stop him.
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Out in the cold on his own, Ashley starts to get confused and lost on a deserted street.
Back home, Laurel and the family receive the call that he’s missing. Worry soon turns to fear for his life – can anyone find Ashley before it’s too late?
Yesterday it was confirmed actor John Middleton had filmed his final scenes on the soap after playing Ashley for 21 years.
Given that the show is filmed a long way in advance, we can expect to see him on our screens for a few weeks yet, but producer Iain McLeod has said the end is “joyous” rather than depressing and sad.
“It’s oddly joyous and it’s a celebration of the character,” he explained to Digital Spy. “We didn’t want to do a story where he just absconded from a care home and was discovered dead from hypothermia or something – it would be too bleak.
“In a story that is already desperately sad, what we wanted to do was make this the best possible death – so that coming out of the other side of it, his family members would think: ‘Well, none of us wanted him to go so soon, but knowing that he had to go, these were the best circumstances for his death’.
“It’s super warm and funny – and almost festive and boisterous. It’s just beautiful and I couldn’t be more proud of the script, which is in very capable hands with our cast and crew.”
It’ll be a very sad farewell when he departs, but we’re glad to hear it’s with dignity and a touch of happiness amongst all the sadness.