Emmerdale actor quits for good after 18 years as star confirms ‘he’s not coming back’
Emmerdale fans have been wondering whether David Metcalfe could return after his sudden exit last year but now Eric Pollard has confirmed he won't be seen for a while
An Emmerdale legend has quit the soap for good.
Fans have been questioning whether David Metcalfe, played by Matthew Wolfenden, could return to the Dales following his sudden exit last year. David abruptly left the village after discovering his son Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) had started a romantic relationship with his ex-wife Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins).
Unable to cope with the betrayal, David departed for London to be with his daughter Amba, who lives with his ex-partner Priya Sharma (Fiona Wade). In Tuesday’s instalment (April 2) of the ITV soap, Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) confirmed his son has gone for good.
Jacob stumbled across Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) having an intense chat with Eric. Misunderstanding the conversation, Jacob told his grandad: “I know what you’re going to say but you don’t need to look so worried.”
He added: “This is great actually because I can apologise properly. I can make everything better, I can tell him how much I’ve missed him.”
However, Eric explained: “He is not coming back. He has decided to stay a lot longer with Priya.”
“How much longer?” Jacob asked before Eric revealed: “Forever”. Jacob insisted: “I’ll ring dad and ask him to reconsider, I’ll remind him that he promised grandad that he’d be back.”
A devastated Leyla hit out at Jacob as she reminded him that David’s decision was made up, pointing at the ‘For Sale’ sign on his dad’s cottage. “Jacob if there was any way that David was going to change his mind, that wouldn’t be there,” Leyla said.
“He’s clearly decided to start a life somewhere where there’s no bad memories. I hope you and Victoria will be very happy living together. I think I’d prefer to find a place by myself. You’ve made your choice.”
Matthew’s exit was first reported in August 2023 after sources claimed he was ready to take on different roles. An insider told The Sun: “Matthew has had an amazing time on the soap, but feels ready for a change.
They added: “He hasn’t been getting any gritty storylines recently so wants to see what else is out there. He’s a fan favourite so will get a lot of support in whatever he decides to do next.” Matthew, 43, landed the role of David in 2006.