Bear Wolf being confronted by Paddy Kirk in Emmerdale, with Kammy Hadiq standing behind him.
Bear Wolf disappeared earlier this year (Picture: ITV)

When Emmerdale’s Joshua Richards learnt that his character Bear Wolf wouldn’t be on screen for a large portion of 2025, he started to get worried.

Naturally, he began to fear that he’d soon be saying goodbye to his soap alter-ego, who he’s played since 2019.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case for Joshua, as the temporary departure was put in place ahead of a huge new storyline for him.

‘I was told a few months ago, told by Laura our producer, that I’d be off screen for a while, that I will disappear and I thought: “Oh, I’ll get my P45 now and off I’ll go”‘, the star said recently.

‘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.’

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Celia Daniels angrily grabbing April Windsor by her jacket in Emmerdale.
As well as getting young people to deal drugs, Celia is also trafficking people into the country (Picture: ITV)

Friday’s instalment of the ITV soap confirmed that Bear has fallen victim to modern slavery after being lured into a dangerous underground world ran by Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters (Joe Absolom).

‘We can only prepare by reading the script and finding out exactly where you’re going’, Joshua explained.

‘Although to be honest with you, I don’t think the script does tell you where you’re going – you’ve got to find a way to get there yourself.

‘But luckily we do have very good writers and very good producers who can steer you towards the place where you need to be.

‘A lot of the design team, and also the lighting team, the cameramen, everybody – make-up, costume – everybody has got together to create an atmosphere that is very conducive to letting your imagination run wild in.’

Bear standing alone in the middle of a field in Emmerdale
Bear told his family that he was off to stay with a friend in Ireland, but this never happened (Picture: ITV)

‘Modern slavery is something that you can slip into and if you’ve been manipulated a certain way, and being a certain age as well, where maybe you do think that you’re useless and redundant, if someone convinces you that no, you are worth something, that you do have some kind of currency. Currency being the operative word.

‘You can be somehow manipulated into a situation that you didn’t envisage seeing yourself in, in the first place. So it’s quite fascinating how these things actually do happen.’

As it stands, Bear’s son Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) knows that his dad never made it to Ireland, but has no idea that he is actually being kept in a barn a very short distance away from his house.

In tonight’s episode, a special episode airs that reveals how Ray found Bear and started forcing him to work for Celia.

Paddy and Mandy looking through some items looking confused in Emmerdale
Paddy’s dad is actually closer than he thinks (Picture: ITV)

Through flashbacks, we will see how Bear was taken in by seemingly kind people. He was offered work in exchange for board and lodgings but very quickly, it becomes clear that this is manipulation and its most extreme.

Under Celia and Ray’s control, Bear finds himself unable to fathom life outside his current existence.

Kathy Betteridge, Director of Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army said of this story: ‘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 cafés, car washes, homes and hotels. Victims are often isolated, threatened, and made to feel they have no way out.

‘But there is a way out with the right, compassionate support, recovery is possible. Storylines like this, delivered with attention to detail and authenticity, help the public recognise what modern slavery really looks like and how vital it is to act when something doesn’t feel right.’

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