Eric Pollard (also Pollock) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'', played by

Chris Chittell Christopher John Chittell (born 19 May 1948) is an English actor, known for his role as Eric Pollard in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. He has portrayed the role since 1986, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap's history. ...

. He made his first appearance in the soap on 30 September 1986. Having appeared continuously since, he is currently the longest-serving actor and the longest-serving character in the history of the soap. The character originally served as the show's villain, but this has been noticeably toned down in recent years, particularly since Eric's marriage to

Val Lambert Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a So ...

(

Charlie Hardwick Claire Elizabeth Hardwick (born 3 November 1960)
''

David Metcalfe David Metcalfe is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Matthew Wolfenden. Storylines Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) had never divorced from his first wife, Eileen (Arbel Jones), and went on to have an ...

(

Matthew Wolfenden Matthew Wolfenden (born 5 May 1980) is an English actor best known for his role as David Metcalfe in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Wolfenden was born in Norwood Green, West Yorkshire. He was educated at Brighouse High Scho ...

). Originally introduced for a 12 episode stint, Eric became a popular character amongst viewers for his villainous ways and mistreatment of others, and was promoted to a regular character. He has been married five times; to Eileen Pollock (Arbel Jones) in 1964,

Elizabeth Feldmann The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1990, by order of first appearance. This year saw the introduction of a new family, the Feldmanns. Siblings Elsa and Michael debuted in Februar ...

(Kate Dove) in 1992, although the marriage was bigamous, Dee de la Cruz (Claudia Malkovich) in 1997, Gloria Weaver (

Janice McKenzie Janice McKenzie is an English actress. She has appeared in '' Coronation Street'' as Mrs Paton (2000), ''Family Affairs'' as Helen Cooper (1997-1999) and most famously as Gloria Weaver/Pollard in ''Emmerdale'' (2000-2003, 2004). She has since appe ...

) in 2002 and Val in 2008.

Storylines

Eric arrives in Beckindale (later Emmerdale), and immediately annoys

Sandie Merrick Sandie may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Sandie Clair (born 1988), French professional racing cyclist * Sandie Fitzgibbon, Irish former camogie player * Sandie Jones (1950/1951–2019), Irish singer * Sandie Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker (1879 ...

(Jane Hutcheson). He makes himself very unpopular, and is involved in a number of illegal schemes, often with his crooked business associate, Charlie Aindow (

David Fleeshman David Fleeshman (born 11 July 1952) is a British actor, broadcaster, drama lecturer and theatre director with a wealth of experience in film, radio, television, theatre and commercials. Biography Fleeshman was born on 11 July 1952 in Leeds, Wes ...

). Sandie finds that he is fiddling the accounts at Hotten Market, and he loses his position as manager. He befriends

Marian Rosettii Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queensla ...

(Debbie Blyth) and her husband Paolo (

Carl Forgione Carl Forgione (3 May 1944 – 10 September 1998) was a British actor, best known for his television appearances. He appeared in two '' Doctor Who'' serials - ''Planet of the Spiders'' in 1974 and '' Ghost Light'' in 1989. Other TV credits ...

), and tries to burgle their house, and Paolo chases him. Paolo accidentally shoots himself with a gun, but never discovers it was Eric who was the thief. Once Eric finds out Paolo had been taken to hospital after being shot, he leaves Beckindale for a few months. Upon his return, Eric applies for his old job as an auctioneer but loses out to Sandie, starting another feud. Eric finds romance with Debbie Wilson (

Debbie Arnold Debbie Arnold (born 14 June 1955) is an English actress, producer and voice artist. She is known for her portrayal of April Branning in BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' between 1995 and 1996. Arnold has portrayed regular characters in ''EastEnder ...

) and they soon become engaged. However, Debbie leaves with £2,000 and valuable goods that Eric gave to her to start an antiques shop, to which he intended to divert goods from Hotten Market. Following Debbie's departure, he and

(Kate Dove) started dating. The relationship surprises many in the village, as two years before, Eric bought the Feldmanns' farm at a reduced price. Elizabeth's son,

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

(Matthew Vaughan) is particularly upset, but Elizabeth ignores him and accepts Eric's proposal. However, the marriage soon turns sour, and when Elizabeth discovers Eric has committed cheque fraud and framed Michael for it, she tells him that she plans to go to the police. He threatens Elizabeth to keep quiet, but a determined Elizabeth leaves the house, and Eric follows her. Moments later, a plane crashes into Beckindale, and Elizabeth is killed along with several other local residents. Michael becomes convinced that Eric is responsible for her death, and becomes determined to prove it. However, after knocking Eric out during a heated argument, Michael panics. Thinking he has killed him, Michael leaves the village. Meanwhile, Eric's first wife Eileen Pollock (Arbel Jones) comes to Emmerdale as she learns about Elizabeth's death, and threatens to expose Eric as a bigamist. Knowing this would cost him Elizabeth's estate, Eric agrees to pay Eileen in return for a divorce and her silence. Despite his reputation for dodgy business deals, including a dramatic heist in November 1994, Eric persuades

Kathy Glover Katherine "Kathy" Brookman (also Bates, Merrick, Tate and Glover) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Malandra Burrows. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 Novem ...

(

Malandra Burrows Malandra Elizabeth Burrows (born 4 November 1965) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her long-running role as Kathy Glover in ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Burrows' first name, Malandra, is a portmanteau of her pa ...

) to go into business with him and turns her tea rooms into a wine bar at night. When he goes on holiday to the Philippines for Christmas 1996, Eric shocks everyone by returning with a young fiancée, Dee la Cruz (Claudia Malkovich). She and Eric get married, despite a backlash when

Rachel Hughes Rachel Hughes is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', portrayed by Glenda McKay. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 September 1988 and departed following the character's death ...

(

Glenda McKay Glenda McKay (born 2 February 1971) is a British actress. She is best known for playing the character of Rachel Hughes on the popular ITV soap ''Emmerdale'' from 1988 until the character was killed off in 1999, in a well-remembered scene in wh ...

) discovers that Dee is a "mail-order bride". Dee is surprisingly keen to make the marriage work, convincing Eric that they should put their energy into the business, but Dee later decides to go home, leaving Eric suicidal, but

Marlon Dingle Marlon Dingle is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Mark Charnock. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 October 1996. Storylines Marlon comes to Emmerdale to stay wit ...

(

Mark Charnock Mark Charnock (born 28 August 1968) is an English actor, known for his role in ITV's ''Emmerdale'' as Marlon Dingle, a role he has played since 1996. Charnock and ''Emmerdale'' co-star Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy Kirk, produce a yearly ''Zom ...

) helps Eric to recover from his heartbreak. Eric meets Gloria Weaver (

), who pushes him to become mayor, and on their wedding night, she insists he spend the night with a councillor to secure her nomination. When the scandal breaks, thanks to Steph Forsythe (

Lorraine Chase Lorraine Chase (born 16 July 1951) is an English actress and former model. She became well known for her strong south east London accent and frequent use of cockney slang, and found fame through a series of television adverts for Campari be ...

), Gloria twists it so she looks like the wronged wife and takes the job, despite the fact it is in Westminster. He throws her out, and later becomes convinced that she is dead, until a few months later, when he gets a video of her sipping a cocktail in the sun, revealing that she faked her death in order to clean out his bank account undetected. After many disastrous marriages and relationships, Eric finally meets his match in troublemaker

(

Charlie Hardwick Claire Elizabeth Hardwick (born 3 November 1960)
''

(

) arrives in the village, looking for Eric as his late mother has informed him that Eric is his father. Eric did not know that David existed, and secretly conducts a DNA test which suggests David is not his son, but the test is later confirmed to be faulty. A second test confirms that Eric is David's biological father. David and his girlfriend

Delilah Dingle Del Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Hayley Tamaddon. She made her first on-screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 15 July 2005. Casting On 1 June 2005, Kris Green of Digital ...

(

Hayley Tamaddon Hayley Soraya Tamaddon (born 24 January 1977) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the ITV soap operas as Del Dingle in ''Emmerdale'' and Andrea Beckett in ''Coronation Street''. Tamaddon won the fifth series of ''Dancing on I ...

) secretly embezzle £20,000 from Eric, reclaiming money Eric stole from Lydia. After Eric discovers David's scheme, they agree to put the past behind them. Eric and Val marry in a surprise ceremony; Eric cannot afford the wedding Val wants, so he convinces her family to go along with a surprise wedding. After their marriage, Eric sinks deeper and deeper into debt, even asking David to borrow money from Val. When Val finally learns about his problems, she sells the factory to the Kings. Eric receives letters, messages and cards, apparently from his dead wife, Elizabeth.

Amy Wyatt Amy Wyatt is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Natalie Ann Jamieson. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 8 October 2010, played by Chelsea Halfpenny. Since her inception Amy has been cent ...

(

Chelsea Halfpenny Chelsea Halfpenny (born 26 September 1991) is an English actress, known for her roles as Amy Wyatt in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' and Alicia Munroe in the BBC drama '' Casualty''. She played Jenna Hunterson in the 2022 UK Tour of ''Wai ...

), Eric and Val's foster daughter, is the original suspect, but the culprit is revealed to be Elizabeth's son, Michael. Michael, who had been to jail repeatedly, confronts Eric at Elizabeth's grave, and follows him back to the Grange, the B&B that Eric co-owns with

Diane Sugden Diane Sugden (also Blackstock) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Elizabeth Estensen. Since her first appearance in 1999, she has been involved in several high-profile storylines, including her marria ...

(

Elizabeth Estensen Elizabeth Estensen (born 10 August 1949) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Diane Sugden on the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 1999 to 2021, with a guest stint in 2022. She has also made appearances in various British te ...

). He threatens to tell Val about his past; he leaves initially, but later tells Amy that he is demanding Eric pay him a lot of money or he will reveal Eric is a murderer. Eric produces a tyre iron and threatens Michael; when Michael returns to confront Eric again, Val tells him that the coroner's report states that Elizabeth was killed by falling debris. Val tells Michael that it is time to stop blaming Eric. He agrees and after a calm discussion, Eric persuades Michael to take the money he asked for and use it to start again. Michael then leaves the village. Eric begins drinking heavily and gets frustrated with the guests staying at the Grange, and Val takes some time away from the village. Amy tries hard to keep running the B&B, but Eric argues with a guest who is celebrating their birthday and they get a bad review. Diane tells Eric and Amy that Val may not return, and that she has also emptied their bank account. After weeks of hoping Eric will come to his senses, Amy snaps and stands up to him, but he sacks her. After a long discussion with Amy, he reinstates her job and sobers up. Eric makes friends with and later starts dating

Brenda Walker Brenda Walker (born 1957 in Grafton, New South Wales) is an Australian writer. She studied at the University of New England in Armidale and, after gaining a PhD in English (on the work of Samuel Beckett) at the Australian National University ...

(

Lesley Dunlop Lesley Jane Dunlop (born 10 March 1956) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Norna in the ''Doctor Who'' serial "Frontios", Anna Kirkwall in ''Where the Heart Is (British TV series), Where the Heart Is'' and Zoë Angell in ''May ...

), which makes him happy. While having dinner with Brenda, Amy, and other guests, Val suddenly returns and is surprised not to be welcomed with open arms, but Eric asks his guests to leave before he, Amy and Val have a massive argument about her abandoning them. Eric is forced to choose between Brenda and Val and after advice from David and Amy, Eric chooses Brenda. Eventually, Brenda and Eric end their relationship and he resumes his relationships with Val. In 2014, Eric is shocked when Val reveals that she had a fling while in Portugal. Her short-term partner comes looking for her as he is

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

, and may have given Val the virus. When Eric is ill, Val panics and thinks she has passed the virus onto him, but he only has mild flu. Eric recovers but is furious to see Val leaving her lover's car and ends their marriage. While they're on a break from one another, Eric has sex with Val's sister, Diane. They both regret it, but Diane is horrified to learn that Val may be HIV positive, and takes medication to fight the virus. Val finally tells Eric about her potential case of HIV and they both get tested. Eric is negative, but Val is HIV positive. This devastates the couple. While Val is watching films with Diane, she inadvertently lets slip about her and Eric's one-night stand, which leads to Val throwing them out and her breaking down. The next day, Eric tries to apologise but she throws a bottle of whisky at him, leading to him cutting his head. Val then tells everyone in the Woolpack about Eric and Diane's one night stand. Eric discovers that Val took part in

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

(

Tony Audenshaw Antony Audenshaw (born 6 September 1964) is an English actor and singer. Audenshaw appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' from 1994 to 1996). Then in 2000, he began portraying the role of Bob Hope on the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale' ...

) and

Carly Hope ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the show in 2001, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by series producer Steve Frost. ...

's (

Gemma Atkinson Gemma Louise Atkinson (born 16 November 1984) is an English influencer, actress, radio presenter and former glamour model. She played Lisa Hunter in ''Hollyoaks'' (2001–2005, 2022) and in three spin-off series, '' Hollyoaks: After Hours'' (20 ...

) plan to commit life insurance fraud, to help Carly through her financial problems. Eric is tired of the arguing, caused by Val and her sister, Diane, who also discovered about Val's crime. During the wedding of

Debbie Dingle Debbie Dingle (also Jones and Barton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charley Webb. Webb has taken maternity leave three times, with the first time being in 2010 and the second throughout 2016 ...

(

Charley Webb Charlotte Anne Webb (born 26 February 1988), commonly known as Charley Webb, is an English actress. From 2002 to 2021, she portrayed the role of Debbie Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. In 2014, she was nominated for Best Female Dra ...

) and

Pete Barton ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2013, by order of first appearance. Ross Barton (Michael Parr) made his debut in July. Joanie Wright (Denis ...

(

Anthony Quinlan Anthony Quinlan is an English actor, known for his roles as Gilly Roach in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' and Pete Barton in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Career Quinlan played Gilly Roach in the English Channel 4 soap opera A soa ...

) in August 2015, Eric locks Val and Diane in the house of mirrors and wanders off to drink in a pub with

Doug Potts Douglas "Doug" Potts is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Duncan Preston. In July 2010, Preston announced that he was taking a break from the show, initially temporarily for several months to allo ...

( Duncan Preston) and

Rodney Blackstock Rodney Blackstock is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Patrick Mower. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 October 2000. He was introduced as the estranged father of ...

(

Patrick Mower Patrick Mower (born Patrick Archibald Shaw; 12 September 1938) is an English actor who has portrayed the role of Rodney Blackstock in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' since 2000. As well as portraying Rodney, Mower has appeared in various films ...

). Unbeknownst to him, during the helicopter crash, Val was killed in the house of mirrors by a sharp piece of glass. Eric arrives home the next day and he discovers Val's death. Eric believes Val is faking her death as she previously planned, and goes home to find her, but realises she is not there. David assures Eric that Val is dead and that it is not a joke. Eric is alone at home and he sees Val's ghost. Val turns on the stereo and picks the song that the couple enjoyed together. Eric gives Val one last cigarette and Val says her goodbyes, before slowly fading away. David returns to the house and Eric breaks down as he accepts that his wife has now gone. He blames

Chrissie White Chrissie White (23 May 1895 – 18 August 1989) was a British film actress of the silent film, silent era. She appeared in more than 180 films between 1908 and 1933. White married actor and film director Henry Edwards (actor), Henry Edwards ...

(

Louise Marwood Louise Marwood (born 13 March 1979) is an English actress and comedian, known for portraying the role of Chrissie White in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', which she played from 2014 until 2018. Early life Marwood was born on 13 March 1979 i ...

) for Val's death, as she started the fire which led to the helicopter crash. He is angry when she pleads not guilty to reckless arson and he shows up at her house, armed with a cricket bat. He gives her an ultimatum, change her plea or he will beat a confession out of her. Chrissie's estranged husband

Robert Sugden Robert Sugden (also Sugden-Dingle) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. The character originally appeared on the show regularly between 22 April 1986 and 3 October 2005. During that time he was first played ...

(

Ryan Hawley Ryan Alexander Hawley (born 21 September 1985) is an English actor, known for his portrayal of Robert Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2014 to 2019. Early life Hawley, son of Christine and Steve, spent his childhood partly in ...

) arrives and convinces Eric to leave. When Chrissie is later found not guilty and given a suspended sentence for arson, Eric throws a paintball at her. He is removed from the court and is later arrested. Eric returns home to find his house trashed and Val's engagement ring missing. Eric boards the house up and refuses to speak to anyone. Concerned about him, Diane goes to his house, along with other villagers and they start singing Christmas Carols. Eric ignores them until they start singing a song special to Val. He lets them in and they start celebrating Christmas. David shows up, pleased that Eric is moving on. He gives Eric Val's engagement ring, as Cheryl found it. They then share a hug. Eric reveals to David that he is upset that he never got to say goodbye to Val, so they, along with other villagers, visit Val's grave. When Eric is looking after David's shop, it is robbed by two youths. Eric tries to stop them, but he is hit by a baseball bat and his arm is broken. After coming home from hospital, Eric refuses to leave the house and goes into a depression. Eric begins a relationship with barmaid

Faith Dingle The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2000, by order of first appearance. Adam Forrester Adam Forrester, played by Tim Vincent, made his first appearance on 21 March 2000. Vincent s ...

(

Sally Dexter Sally Julia Dexter is an English actress of stage and screen. She won the 1987 Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer for ''Dalliance''. Her other West End stage credits include the musicals ''Oliver!'' (1994), ''Sister Act'' (2010) and '' ...

). Several months later, Eric discovers Faith has cheated on him with

Zak Dingle Zak Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Steve Halliwell. He first appeared on 20 October 1994. Halliwell initially joined the show as part of the Dingle family and was only initially supposed to a ...

(

Steve Halliwell Stephen Harold Halliwell (born 21 March 1946) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Zak Dingle in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', which he has played since 1994. Life and career Halliwell was born in Bury, L ...

). Following this, Eric says goodbye to Faith as she leaves the village. He later continues his relationship with Brenda. Eric receives the

COVID-19 vaccination A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an es ...

Casting and characterisation

After appearing in 12 episodes, Chittell's character was promoted to part of the regular cast. Chittell described Eric as "a bit of a rat", but explained that "he does have a soft underbelly that he shows from time to time". He also explained that he will sometimes watch ''Emmerdale'' to see what is being transmitted, and when he watches, Eric "has impeeing myself with laughter", adding that he still finds his character "hilarious". He added that he feels "very fondly" to his character, since he is "always up to something". Chittell opined in 2012 that he would hate if the producers "mellowed" Eric or made him "soft", since he always wants his character to have "that edge". He added that "there's life in the old dog yet", and expressed his joy at portraying exciting arcs for Eric. In 2017, Chittell admitted that despite his long-running tenure on the soap, if his storylines were to decrease in quality, he would leave. He explained that he could imagine Eric becoming less used 5-10 years in the future, and that although he would hate leaving, he would "just shake everyone's hand and say thank you very much, as the journey has been wonderful." Chittell stated that Eric is "capable of anything", and that he "could go to desperate lengths to silence" people talking about his secrets. Eric's profile on the ITV website states that Eric garnered a reputation as "the local crook", but noted that his marriage to Val "has seen him mellow". Despite this, it stated that Eric is still "no-one's pushover", and "can still be underhand if the situation demands it". He is described as a "charming, cunning, prudent, funny, fair judgement of character and situations", and it is noted that he enjoys "making money, enjoying the finer things in life and his wife Valerie", and dislikes "being conned". The profile adds that if Eric had one wish, it would be "for Val to be content with their income and position, to retire comfortably and have an easy life".

Development

Grief

After Val dies, Eric takes a while to process her death. He "insists on holing himself up in his house", and when it comes to Christmas, he does not want to celebrate with any of his family members. To explore his grief, ''Emmerdale'' produced a one-hour special episode which featured Eric as a version of

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. The tale of his redemption by three spirits (the Ghost of ...

, and the episode took on the format of the

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

1843 book ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

''. Explaining the plot, Chittell stated that Eric wants the festive season "over and done with", and that his character "thinks that it's a waste of time and a waste of energy". He praised the producers for using the Dickens plot in the episode, describing it as "beautifully done" and "really, really clever". He went on to admit that he believes Eric "has to move on now", and accept the love he is receiving from friends and family members. For the story, Chittell grew out both his hair and facial hair to give Eric a "very unkempt" look, and recalled shaving it off immediately after the filming of the storyline concluded.

Reception

When Chittell was offered the role of Eric, it was for a 12 episode guest appearance. However, due to the positive reception from viewers, he was later promoted to a regular character. The ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' stated that Eric's "constant plotting, scheming, and often seducing, made him an instant hit". Chittell explained that due to Eric's poor treatment of women, men tend not to like his character, but women love him. He stated that he gets a lot of fan mail from women. In 2013,

John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This lat ...

did a study for the

Co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

store chain, and they found Eric to be the "unhealthiest character in soap". Their results showed that in 62% of his scenes, he was either holding an alcoholic drink, or talking about drinking alcohol. Senior British Heart Foundation cardiac nurse Doireann Maddock commented: "If Eric wants to reduce his risk of that second heart attack, he needs to spend less time in the Woolpack and more enjoying brisk walks in the Dales – and eating plenty of fruit and veg." In scenes aired in 2017, viewers felt that other characters were too harsh on Eric, and expressed an interest in his character being formed into a villain again.

References

External links

Eric Pollard
at

itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV brand (or the UTV brand in Northern Ireland). The website offers online streaming, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Eric Emmerdale characters Television characters introduced in 1986 Male characters in television Fictional politicians Fictional businesspeople Fictional chefs Male villains Fictional con artists Fictional shopkeepers