Emmerdale has been full of drama lately thanks to the arrival of new character John Sugden.
Portrayed by Oliver Farnworth, John made his first appearance last month as Jack Sugden's long-lost son and half-brother to Victoria and Robert Sugden. He's quickly stirred up trouble in the village, sparking a tumultuous on-off romance with Aaron Dingle.
However, when their relationship began, neither knew that John was the brother of Aaron's ex-husband, Robert. John's mysterious behaviour has raised eyebrows among viewers and villagers alike.
Due to Robert being mentioned on the soap recently, fans have been left delighted, hoping it could mean a potential return for the character.
Viewers will recall that Robert left the show back in 2019 after being sent to prison over the death of Lee Posner. Robert accidentally caused Lee's death after he attacked him, following Lee horrifically raping his sister Victoria. Robert faced up to his crime and cut all ties with the village and his loved ones as he was sentenced, reports the Manchester Evening News.
However, fans have been hopeful for his return, especially following hints that Robert may not have been responsible for Lee's death. Lee sustained head injuries from Robert's punch, but it was later revealed that he had also been hit by his brother Luke, which could have caused his death.
With Robert's name resurfacing due to John's arrival, viewers are hopeful for his comeback. Ryan Hawley, known for his role as Robert on the popular ITV soap from 2014 to 2019, has been keeping busy since his departure.
The 38-year-old actor appeared in Silent Witness in 2021 as Michael Robson and later starred as Sid Crabtree in All Creatures Great and Small. More recently, Ryan took on the role of Jamie Cleveland in Casualty.
Meanwhile, long-term soap fans will remember that Ryan wasn't the only one to portray this iconic character. Karl Davies also played the role from 2001 until 2009.
Since leaving the ITV soap, the 42-year-old actor has featured in a variety of popular TV shows, most notably as Daniel Cawood in Happy Valley.
Karl's other roles include Viktor Proskuryakov in Chernobyl, Ronald Mallen in Call the Midwife, Carl McGregor in The Bay, and he can currently be seen in the hit ITV drama The Tower, where he plays DCI Tim Bailie.
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm.
