A new arrival in Emmerdale is set to cause quite a stir, as John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) brings with him quite a backstory, as well as having the famous Sugden name.
One of Emmerdale’s current two Sugdens, Victoria (Isabel Hodgins), kindly drives Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) to the funeral of an old friend. There she meets the son of the deceased woman and is shocked to hear that his name is John Sugden – and Pollard confirms that he could be Victoria’s half brother.
John’s mother was called Barbara, and in the late 1980s Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby) had a brief affair with her, shortly before he reconciled with Sarah Connolly (Madeleine Howard/Alyson Spiro). Sarah and Jack had three children, Victoria, Andy and Robert. So John is half brother to them.
‘It was in the late 80s, there was a dalliance with Jack Sugden, and then John’s obviously the result of that dalliance,’ Oliver Farnworth explained. ‘And this is the first time we meet him. So, he’s never been spoken of. Victoria has no idea she’s got a half-brother.’
The actor also confirmed that John has real knowledge of his half-siblings’ existence either, although he won’t be surprised to hear about them.
‘His mum, we find out, was very straightforward with him, very straight talking. That’s why she gave him the surname Sugden. She’s not kept in touch with Jack. So as far as he knows, he probably thinks he’s got half brothers and sisters out there, but he’s not interested in that. He had a father figure growing up. He doesn’t need another family. And he’s very staunch about that.’
Oliver described his character when we first meet him.
‘Enigmatic, really. There’s a lot to him, and a lot of stuff in the initial character breakdown that was hinted at but wasn’t necessarily revealed, because obviously, they don’t like to give too much away too quickly. And I’m still finding stuff 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. I think over the years, he’s really put walls up and not let anyone in.
‘And that’s the kind of method of self-preservation, I think. So, he doesn’t like people getting close to him, we find out that he’s very self-sufficient. He lives off grid in his van. Doesn’t need anyone, doesn’t need family.’
Despite this, Victoria is determined to keep her new-found brother close by, but John tries to keep her at arm’s length.
‘Victoria is so nice and so kind to him,’ Oliver said. ‘She is offering him all these things, and he’s like, “No, I’m going, I’m getting in my van. I’m going. My van’s being fixed. I’m off.” So there is that kind of jeopardy that any given time, he might just disappear again.’
Viewers can expect Victoria’s attempts to be successful, though, as John is set to stay in Emmerdale to ‘bring lots of drama,’ as the show’s boss Sophie Roper confirmed.
‘The Sugdens, just like the Dingles, are an iconic family group in Emmerdale and we’re keen to cement them back in the show,’ she said. ‘Oliver’s a brilliant new addition, incredibly talented and we’re looking forward to welcoming him.’
