![\"Bear](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762772707_960_SEI_271318743-95be.jpg\")
\n\t\tBear Wolf disappeared earlier this year (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tBear Wolf disappeared earlier this year (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n
When Emmerdale\u2019s Joshua Richards<\/a> learnt that his character Bear Wolf<\/a> wouldn\u2019t be on screen for a large portion of 2025, he started to get worried.<\/p>\n Naturally, he began to fear that he\u2019d soon be saying goodbye to his soap alter-ego, who he\u2019s played since 2019. <\/p>\n Fortunately, that wasn\u2019t the case for Joshua, as the temporary departure was put in place ahead of a huge new storyline for him.<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018I was told a few months ago, told by Laura our producer, that I\u2019d be off screen for a while, that I will disappear and I thought: \u201cOh, I\u2019ll get my P45 now and off I\u2019ll go\u201d\u2018, the star said recently.<\/p>\n \u2018But they said: \u201cNo, you\u2019ll be coming back\u201d. But in the meantime, Clare Golds in make-up said: \u201cWhatever you do, don\u2019t cut your hair and don\u2019t shave your beard. Go raggedy\u201d. So I became a raggedy old man while I was off.\u2019<\/p>\n To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web \t\t Friday\u2019s instalment of the ITV<\/a> soap confirmed that Bear has fallen victim to modern slavery after being lured into a dangerous underground world ran by <\/a>Celia Daniels<\/a> (Jaye Griffiths<\/a>) and Ray Walters<\/a> (Joe Absolom).<\/p>\n \u2018We can only prepare by reading the script and finding out exactly where you\u2019re going\u2019, Joshua explained.<\/p>\n \u2018Although to be honest with you, I don\u2019t think the script does tell you where you\u2019re going \u2013 you\u2019ve got to find a way to get there yourself.<\/p>\n \u2018But luckily we do have very good writers and very good producers who can steer you towards the place where you need to be. <\/p>\n \u2018A lot of the design team, and also the lighting team, the cameramen, everybody \u2013 make-up, costume \u2013 everybody has got together to create an atmosphere that is very conducive to letting your imagination run wild in.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Modern slavery is something <\/a>that you can slip into and if you\u2019ve been manipulated a certain way, and being a certain age as well, where maybe you do think that you\u2019re 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. <\/p>\n \u2018You can be somehow manipulated into a situation that you didn\u2019t envisage seeing yourself in, in the first place. So it\u2019s quite fascinating how these things actually do happen.\u2019<\/p>\n As it stands, Bear\u2019s son Paddy Kirk<\/a> (Dominic Brunt<\/a>) 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. <\/p>\n In tonight\u2019s episode, a special episode airs that reveals how Ray found Bear and started forcing him to work for Celia. <\/p>\n \t\t 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. <\/p>\n Under Celia and Ray\u2019s control, Bear finds himself unable to fathom life outside his current existence.<\/p>\n Kathy Betteridge, Director of Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army said of this story: \u2018Forced labour is one of the most hidden, but widespread forms of modern slavery in the UK today. <\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019re thankful to Emmerdale for using this storyline to expose the brutal truth \u2013 people are being exploited in plain sight, from farms and factories to caf\u00e9s, car washes, homes and hotels. Victims are often isolated, threatened, and made to feel they have no way out. <\/p>\n \u2018But 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\u2019t feel right.\u2019<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Celia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762772707_45_SEI_268633949-2073.jpg\")
\n\t\tAs well as getting young people to deal drugs, Celia is also trafficking people into the country (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n![\"Bear](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SEI_271318760-b8f5.jpg\")
\n\t\tBear told his family that he was off to stay with a friend in Ireland, but this never happened (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n![\"Paddy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/07_11_emm_paddy-0cdc.jpg\")
\n\t\tPaddy\u2019s dad is actually closer than he thinks (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Emmerdale star was \u2018frightened\u2019 to take on story that will make fans \u2018furious\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Emmerdale confirms devastating story for Bear with \u2018extreme\u2019 consequences<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Sick Celia and Ray\u2019s next victim confirmed in Emmerdale with character seriously injured<\/a><\/p>\n