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Privacy NoticeThere’s a new man about the Dales, and while he’s not a familiar face, he is part of the legendary Sugden family. Oliver Farnworth is about to make his first appearance in Emmerdale as John Sugden, the half-brother of Victoria Sugden. “John has an amazing backstory,” reveals Oliver, 41. “Obviously he’s related to Victoria, but there’s a whole lot of depth to him and still things are being discovered. I’m still finding things out about him, but really, we find out quite quickly that he’s got a military past, he’s openly gay. He is very much a lone wolf. “Over the years, John’s put walls up and not let anyone in, which has been a method of self-preservation. John lives off grid in his van and maintains that he doesn’t need anyone, he doesn’t need family.”
Victoria discovers John is her half-brother
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Victoria (Isabel Hodgins) and John first meet at the funeral of his mum, Barbara (Angela Down), who had a dalliance with Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby). “John has no idea that he has a half-sister until he meets Victoria,” explains Oliver. “His mum, we find out, was very straightforward with him. That’s why she gave him the surname Sugden. She’s not kept in touch with Jack. So John probably thinks he’s got half brothers and sisters out there, but he’s not interested.”
Victoria can’t believe it when Pollard says John could be her sibling
Unfortunately for John, he’s forced to spend time with Victoria when his van breaks down in the village – and she’s really hoping he’ll stay. “There’s a lot of jeopardy in our initial scenes given that John could up and leave at any point,” reveals Oliver. “It’s actually been hard for me to play because Victoria is being so nice and kind to him. She’s offering him all these things and he keeps saying ‘No, I’m going. I’m getting in my van and I’m off.’ I also don’t think John understands the relevance of the Sugden name in the beginning, but the longer he stays the more interested he’ll become.”
John is set to ruffle some feathers when he arrives in the Dales
As for Oliver, he’s no stranger to soap having played Will Hackett in Hollyoaks and Andy Carver in Coronation Street. Oliver’s partner is also soap star Samantha Womack (EastEnders’ Ronnie Mitchell). “I’m not recognised for Coronation Street,” confesses Oliver. “I got to die twice at the hands of Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre) which is a badge of honour. Hollyoaks was my first job out of drama school, and I lasted nine months on that – it was a steep learning curve.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnConnor McintyreSamantha WomackCoronation StreetEastEndersHollyoaksDramaOliver FarnworthEmmerdale