Emmerdale star Dominic Brunt has revealed that Paddy Dingle will be consumed by guilt following the breakdown of his relationship with his father, Bear Wolf.
The pair have squabbled over the past few weeks as their bond became strained, with Paddy throwing his father out as they reached breaking point. Bear opted to leave the village, saying that he had a friend in Ireland.
It didn’t exactly go to plan, however, with his friend explaining that he couldn’t let him stay. This has left Bear with nowhere to go, with upcoming scenes depicting him walking alone in the countryside.
Ahead of Bear’s impending return, Brunt shared that his own character will harbour guilt over his part in the falling-out, explaining: “Paddy has been aiming his frustrations, doubts and depression in the wrong direction – in the direction of his dad.
“The frustrating thing for Paddy is he’s experienced what Bear is going through, but he doesn’t see it in Bear. He blames Bear for his little hiccup without seeing it – he quite selfishly misdirected his energies towards [him].
“When he should actually realise what’s happening with Bear, he goes: ‘Oh, he’ll be fine. He won’t be thinking of me. He’ll be in Ireland having a whale of a time drinking with his mates.’ That is the final thought he gives him – he dismisses him. It’s awful, really!
“I’m looking forward to the future [when] Paddy recants his thoughts towards his father [after] he finds out what’s actually happening; how he abandoned him and could have changed the course of Bear’s immediate future [if] he just thought of anybody but himself.”
Brunt, who has portrayed Paddy on the ITV soap since 1997, praised the “fascinating” storyline for interrogating Paddy’s own complicity in the breakdown of the relationship, with the actor sharing that “layers” would be unpeeled over the coming weeks.
“It’s great – I love it as a storyline,” he said. “It’s uncomfortable as an actor, because you don’t want to be the baddie in that, but it’s a fascinating misstep that I think is great. Paddy is not the goodie that he thinks he is, but from no real fault [of his own].
“He’s being selfish and going, ‘well, I did this, and I went through this, and I survived this, and I can help people’, but not actually seeing it right at the side of him! It’s really messy and I like the fact that they’ve tangled this knot further and put layers on it.
“You think: ‘In about three months time, that’s all gonna have to be dealt with.’ I love the small dramas between two or three people more than any explosion or helicopter crash. I think with all those sort of stunts, it’s what happens afterwards that really intrigues me.”
While Paddy will soon be reunited with his estranged father, the pivotal moment was in part caused by his run-in with newcomer, Celia Daniels. The no-nonsense farmer made an immediate impression in the village, with one of her dogs biting Paddy.
This has led to the veterinary surgeon developing a fear of the animal, with Brunt explaining: “I think it’s a dormant thing [that] he’s going to have to keep an eye on for the rest of his life. The depression – I think it was a biological thing for him.
“It wasn’t really anything that happened. Obviously, he’d gone through some really rough things in his life, but I think it sent him sideways. He couldn’t deal with it [or] have a rational thought about it – but this dog attack just sends him straight back to where he was.
“He’s already got a little phobia about horses which as a vet isn’t the greatest. But then for the dog thing, which he thinks, or he worries about, it being permanent. He wonders if it’s the end of his career as well, so it does plunge him to the bottom briefly.”
