fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
from the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
television 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
James Hooton
James Hooton (born 13 July 1973) is an English actor, best known for his role as Sam Dingle on the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role he has played since 1995.
Early and personal life
Hooton was born and raised in Carlton, Nottinghamshire, w ...
. He made his first appearance in the episode broadcast on 14 February 1995.
Storylines
Sam arrives in Emmerdale village following his release from a young offenders institute. He falsely claims to have kidnapped
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 ...
( Christopher Smith) in order to claim ransom money from Robert's family. He gets involved in several dodgy schemes with his family, one of which is taking part in an armed robbery with his uncle
Albert Dingle
''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 1995, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the series producer Mervyn Watson. E ...
(
Bobby Knutt
Robert Andrew Wass (25 November 1945 – 25 September 2017), known professionally as Bobby Knutt, was an English actor and comedian. He was known throughout his acting career for appearing as Albert Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' ...
). However, they are both caught by the police and subsequently jailed. Sam is released from prison two years later and he returns to the village for his brother
Butch Dingle
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1994, by order of first appearance.
Eileen Pollock
Eileen Pollock is the first wife of Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell
Christopher John Chitt ...
's (
Paul Loughran
Paul Anthony Martin Loughran (born 7 July 1969 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish actor. He was educated at Methodist College Belfast. He is best known for portraying Butch Dingle in ITV Soap Opera ''Emmerdale'' in which his character died in a bu ...
) funeral. Sam serves another prison sentence for accidentally hitting pensioner
Edna Birch
Edna Birch is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Shirley Stelfox. She made her first appearance during the episode first broadcast on 25 May 2000. Edna is characterised as a proud and independent Ch ...
(
Shirley Stelfox
Shirley Rosemary Stelfox (11 April 1941 – 7 December 2015) was an English actress, known for her portrayal of the character Edna Birch, a moralising busybody in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', and as Rose, the vampy sister of the snobby ...
) with a car. He is held in the same prison as his distant relative,
Solomon Dingle
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2004, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Keith Richardson.
Val Pollard
Carl Kin ...
(
Paul Shane
Paul Shane (born George Frederick Speight; 19 June 1940 – 16 May 2013) was a British actor and comedian. He was known for his television work, in particular playing Ted Bovis in ''Hi-de-Hi!'', a 1980s BBC sitcom.
Early life
Shane was born on ...
).
Sam begins a relationship with
Alice Wilson
Alice Evelyn Wilson, MBE, FRSC, FRCGS (August 26, 1881 – April 15, 1964) was Canada's first female geologist. Her scientific studies of rocks and fossils in the Ottawa region between 1913 and 1963 remain a respected source of knowledge.
Earl ...
(
Ursula Holden-Gill
Ursula Holden-Gill is an English Actress and Dramatherapist, best known for her roles as school secretary Carol on Channel 4's comedy drama ''Teachers'' (2001–2004), Alice Dingle on ITV's soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2004–2006) and Miss Fitzg ...
) and they later leave Emmerdale to start life on their own farm in Norfolk. They return to Emmerdale soon afterwards, when Sam discovers Alice is pregnant. Alice gives birth to their son via
caesarean section
Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...
, so she can start treatment for cancer. Sam's younger half-sister,
Belle Dingle
Belle Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Eden Taylor-Draper. Belle made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 25 December 1998, originally played by twins Emily and James Ma ...
(
Eden Taylor-Draper
Eden Taylor-Draper (born 28 October 1997) is an English actress. She portrays Belle Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role she took over from Emily Mather in 2005.
Career
In 2005, at the age of eight, Taylor-Draper was cast in the ...
), accidentally names the baby
Samson Dingle
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2006, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Keith Richardson.
Samson Dingle
Samson D ...
(Bradley Milnes) when she mistakes "Sam's son" for his name. Sam and Alice marry upon discovering her cancer is terminal. Eventually, Alice becomes so weak that she is unable to hold Samson so, at Alice's request, Sam obtains morphine from his cousin
Eli Dingle
Eli Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Joe Gilgun. He first appeared on screen in the episode which aired on 13 July 2006 and made his last appearance on 30 April 2010. He is the younger ...
(
Joe Gilgun
Joseph William Gilgun (born 9 March 1984) is an English actor known for several roles, including that of Vinnie O'Neill in the Sky One series '' Brassic'', Marcus in Hollyoaks, Eli Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Jamie Armstrong in ...
) and gives Alice an overdose, ending her life. The police get involved when Detective constable
Martin Crowe
Martin David Crowe (22 September 1962 – 3 March 2016) was a New Zealand cricketer, Test and ODI captain as well as a commentator. He played for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1982 and 1995, and is regarded as one of the count ...
(
Graeme Hawley
Graeme Hawley (born 28 November 1975) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as John Stape in the British soap ''Coronation Street''. Career
Hawley graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama, be ...
), hears
Ashley Thomas
Ashley Thomas is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by John Middleton. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 December 1996. It was announced on 22 October 2015 that Middlet ...
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 (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 1999 to 2021, with a guest stint in 2022. She has also made appearances in v ...
) that he believes that Sam had helped Alice die. Martin opens a murder investigation and when the police come to arrest Sam at Wishing Well Cottage, the Dingles barricade themselves inside. After eventually gaining entry and arresting Sam,
Del 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 S ...
(
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 Ic ...
) tells them that she helped Alice die, so she is arrested too. Soon, all the Dingles admit to helping Alice die in order to protect Sam. With the family worried that Social Services will remove Samson if Sam confesses, his half-brother
Cain Dingle
Cain Dingle is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Jeff Hordley. Cain made his first appearance on 30 March 2000, and in 2006, he was written out of the series when Hordley left the soap; however, the opti ...
(
Jeff Hordley
Jeff Hordley (born 7 March 1970) is an English actor, best known for portraying the role of Cain Dingle in the ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale''. For his portrayal of Cain, he has been nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Actor at three c ...
) asks Sam to describe Alice's death to him in as much detail as possible. Cain tells the police he helped Alice die and they charge him with the crime.
Sam is arrested for
drug possession
The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances.
While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...
after Eli persuades him to be his courier, so he and Samson are able to live in the village. Sam is afraid he will lose Samson when the police charge him, and he runs away with his son, but soon turns himself in. This is not the only incident that alarms the Dingles and social services – whilst living at Dale View, Samson leaves the house and is struck by
Val Pollard
Valerie "Val" Pollard (also Lambert) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Charlie Hardwick. She made her first screen appearance in the episodes broadcast on 1 February 2004. Val was introduced as ...
's (
Charlie Hardwick
Claire Elizabeth Hardwick (born 3 November 1960) ''
Daz Eden
Daz Eden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Luke Tittensor. He made his first appearance in the show on 9 October 2003. Six years into his tenure on the soap, it was announced that Tittensor had be ...
's (
Luke Tittensor
Luke James Tittensor (born 3 November 1989) is an English actor best known for his role as Carl Gallagher in '' Shameless'' (a role he shared with his twin brother, Elliott Tittensor) and his role as Daz Eden in ''Emmerdale''.
Career
Tittensor ...
) girlfriend, Penny Drury (Amelia Sefton). Sam rushes him to hospital, where Samson recovers.
Sam works at Butler's Farm, helping with
Jo Stiles
Jo Stiles (formerly Sugden) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Roxanne Pallett. She made her first screen appearance during the epi ...
' (
Roxanne Pallett
Roxanne Carrion (born Roxanne Kaboli-Nejad, later Roxanne Pallett; 26 December 1982) is an English actress, television personality, and broadcaster. She played Jo Stiles in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2005–2008), and has appeared in th ...
) goats, but
Andy Sugden
Andy Sugden (also Hopwood) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Kelvin Fletcher. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 July 1996. Andy is the son of Billy Hopwood (David Crellin) and Trisha Hop ...
(
Kelvin Fletcher
Kelvin Warren Fletcher (born 17 January 1984) is an English actor, model, racing driver and presenter. He played Andy Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role he played from 1996 until 2016. In 2019, Fletcher won the seventeenth seri ...
) soon sells them and fires Sam out of jealously. Sam secures a job at
Eric Pollard
Eric Pollard (also Pollock) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Chris Chittell. He made his first appearance in the soap on 30 September 1986. Having appeared continuously since, he is currently the lon ...
's (
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.
...
) factory, which he plans to sell to the King family. Eric lets his employees believe he is going out of business. When he tells Sam that he wishes the factory would go up in smoke, Sam takes him at his word and he and Eli set fire to the factory. When Andy goes away, Sam begins helping Jo out at the farm and develops feelings for her.
Lisa Dingle
Lisa Dingle (also Clegg) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Jane Cox. Lisa's storylines include being raped by her colleague Derek Benrose ( Stephen Bent), becoming a parent in later life, assaulting a ...
(
Jane Cox
Jane Cox (born 13 May 1952) is an English actress, known for her role as Lisa Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role she portrayed from 1996 to 2019 and again briefly in 2020. In 2011, she was nominated for the British Soap Award fo ...
) tries to warn him off, but Sam ignores her, hoping he might have a chance with Jo. When Jo invites Sam for dinner, he misconstrues it as a date and she is shocked when he tries to kiss her. Jo lets him down gently, and Andy sees them share a hug. He confronts the pair and beats them both up, putting Jo in hospital. Lisa, his father
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 ...
), and uncle
Shadrach Dingle
Shadrach Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale''. Shadrach Dingle was played by Andy Devine and the character debuted during the first episode that aired on 30 March 2000. Since early 2010 the character ...
(
Andy Devine
Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature fil ...
) see his bruises and after treating his cuts, warn Sam to stay away from Jo and Andy. Zak also tells Andy that while Sam was wrong to have approached Jo like that, Andy was wrong to have beaten him up. Jo and Andy's deteriorating marriage becomes common knowledge, and Sam warns
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 ...
) about what is happening, so she can keep an eye on her and Andy's daughter
Sarah Sugden
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...
(Sophia Amber Moore).
Sam finds Ukrainian immigrant Olena Petrovich ( Carolin Stoltz) hiding in the Dingle's barn and helps tend to her wounded leg, while keeping her presence a secret. Eventually, he convinces Zak and Lisa to take her in and Olena helps out around the house. Sam persuades Eric to give her a job at the B&B and Sam began to fall in love with Olena. Zak asks Eli to spy on Sam and Olena, in case she is a gold-digger, but he decides that Olena is genuine and convinces Zak to let Sam make his own choices. Zak gives Sam his blessing, but as Sam's behaviour becomes more intense towards her, it is obvious that Olena does not reciprocate his feelings and she becomes uncomfortable around him. When Shadrach floods the Dingle house, Olena goes to stay with Eli and
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 ''Zomb ...
). Sam misses Olena and keeps visiting her at work, but Olena is distant. As Lisa, Sam and Olena are driving to pick up some building materials, they are pulled over by the police and Olena thinks they are looking for her. She and Sam flee into the woods, but are seen by the police. To give them a chance to get away, Lisa punches an officer and is arrested. Sam becomes jealous of Olena and Eli's close bond. When Olena tells him that she misses her son, Sam proposes, but Olena turns him down and says that does not have the right papers and would be deported. Sam asks Cain to obtain a fake passport for Olena and assures her that everything will be okay. Olena and Eli take this to mean that he accepts that Olena does not return his feelings. When Olena fails to attend Lisa's homecoming party, Sam goes looking for her and sees her kissing Eli. He then reports her to Border Control and watches as she is arrested.
When a drunken Eli accuses various people of reporting Olena, Sam admits that he is responsible and Eli throws a glass at his head. Sam breaks down in tears, telling his father that if he tried hard enough, Olena might have taken a chance on him. Zak comforts his son, but Sam feels guilty and decides to leave the village. Lisa persuades him to stay, saying that he cannot not sleep rough with a toddler. However, Eli blasts Sam for ruining Olena's life, before revealing that Zak had already told her to leave, or be deported. Sam is livid with his father for interfering and refuses to speak to Zak. He tries to apologise to Eric for getting him a £7000 fine for hiring Olena, but Eric refuses to forgive him. Zak convinces Eric to forgive Sam and Eric advises Sam to forgive his father. Sam tries to make amends to Olena by paying £200 into a bank account for her, before he finds Eric unconscious at the B&B, unaware that Eli had just robbed the B&B. Suspicions are raised over the missing money and Sam is accused of stealing the money. Eric tries to get Sam to tell him where the money for Olena came from, but Sam lies. Eli eventually confesses and apologises to Sam, before going on the run. Sam admits that he got the money through poaching from his employer,
Natasha Wylde
Natasha Wylde is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' played by Amanda Donohoe. She made her first appearance, along with her husband Mark Wylde (Maxwell Caulfield), on 15 January 2009. It was announced in July 2010 th ...
(
Amanda Donohoe
Amanda Donohoe (born 29 June 1962) is an English actress. She first came to attention as a 16-year-old living with pop singer Adam Ant, appearing in the music videos for the Adam and the Ants singles "Antmusic" (1980) and "Stand and Deliver" ( ...
). Sam later discovers the body of Natasha's husband
Mark Wylde
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
(
Maxwell Caulfield
Maxwell Caulfield (né Maxwell P.J. Newby; born 23 November 1959) is a British-American film, stage, and television actor and singer. He has appeared in ''Grease 2'' (1982), '' Electric Dreams'' (1984), '' The Boys Next Door'' (1985), ''The Su ...
) in the woods, after his dog digs him up.
Sam becomes very close to
Rachel Breckle
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2011, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve Frost.
Flynn Buchanan
Flynn Bucha ...
(
Gemma Oaten
Gemma Oaten (born 8 May 1984) is an English actress. She is known for playing the role of Rachel Breckle in ''Emmerdale'' from 2011 to 2015, for which she received a nomination for the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer. Since leaving ''Emmer ...
) and they eventually begin dating. He supports her throughout her pregnancy and they moves in together, but he and Samson move out when her family moves in after
Megan Macey
''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 2012, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve ...
(
Gaynor Faye
Gaynor Kay Mellor (born 26 August 1971), better known as Gaynor Faye, is an English actress and writer, best known for playing Judy Mallett in ''Coronation Street'' from 1995 until 1999 and Megan Macey in ''Emmerdale'' from 2012 until 2019.
...
) evicts them. Sam and Rachel's relationship ends when she is forced to leave the village by Sam's cousin,
Charity Dingle
Charity Dingle (also Tate, Sharma and Macey) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Emma Atkins. Suranne Jones originally auditioned for the role of Charity prior to Atkins being cast in the ro ...
(
Emma Atkins
Emma Jayne Atkins (born 31 March 1975) is an English actress, best known for her role as Charity Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''.
Early life
Atkins grew up in the village of Silverdale, Lancashire, and then went to study at the Uni ...
). Sam later begins a relationship with
Tracy Shankley
''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared or will appear during 2014, by order of first appearance. William Makepeace (Dudley Sutton) and his grandson, Se ...
(Amy Walsh), but reunites with Rachel when she returns. However, their reunion does not last long due as Rachel, who is going through a custody battle with
Jai Sharma
Jai Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Chris Bisson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 11 September 2009, alongside his brother Nikhil (Rik Makarem). In 2013, Bisson temporarily de ...
(
Chris Bisson
Christopher Paul Bisson (born 21 July 1975) is an English actor, known for portraying the roles of Vikram Desai in ''Coronation Street'' (1999–2002), Kash Karib in '' Shameless'' (2004–2007, 2009), and Jai Sharma in ''Emmerdale'' (2009– ...
), starts hitting Sam. Rachel leaves for Liverpool with sister. Sam struggles when it is revealed that Zak has been having an affair with their lodger,
Joanie Wright
''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, Ross Barton (Michael Parr) made his debut in July. #Joani ...
(
Denise Black
Denise Black (born 16 March 1958) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Coronation Street'' and ''Emmerdale'' and guest starring as ''Jessie Devlin'' Denny Blood's mother in ''ITV drama series '' Bad Girls''.
Early life ...
). The family excommunicate Zak, but Sam cannot cut Zak out of his life. Things for the family become worse when
Aaron Livesy
Aaron Dingle (previously Sugden-Dingle, also Livesy) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Danny Miller. The character was originally played by Danny Webb and appeared in a recurring capacity. Aaron made ...
( Danny Miller) reveals that he was sexually abused as a child, and Cain instructs Sam not to tell Zak. However, Belle eventually tells him the truth. Sam begins talking to his father again, despite Lisa beginning divorce proceedings. When running to get help after Megan goes into labour, Sam is accidentally shot by Joanie. He is taken to the hospital and makes a full recovery. He later sets up a business called Scarborough Trader's in Scarborough. Sam is attacked in the grounds of Wishing Well Cottage by Belle's boyfriend, Lachlan White.
Casting
Actor James Hooton was cast as Sam in December 1994. He decided to shave off his hair before his audition after learning what the role would entail. He commented "I thought, 'that will get it for me' and it did." The producers agreed, as the short haircut made Hooton look "tough", which was ideal for the character. Sam was introduced as a prominent member of the "roguish" Dingle family. Of his casting, Hooton stated "I love being part of ''Emmerdale''. The Dingles are just like my real family now." He was originally supposed to be in the serial for eight episodes. His first contract ended in March 1995 and he hoped that it would be renewed, so he would become as well known as
Annie Sugden
Annie Sugden (also Pearson, Kempinski and Brearly) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale''. She was played by Sheila Mercier as a regular character between 1972 and 1994, with occasional guest appearances in ...
and
Seth Armstrong
Archibald Seth Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV 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 (know ...
. He later received a contract extension to July 1996.
Development
On his character profile on the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
website, Sam is described as "a simple, sweet-natured man who can easily be taken advantage of". It is noted that he loves his family, and that he wants to "win their approval with his enthusiasm". He is billed as a "loyal, thoughtful, honest" character that "stands up for what is right". The profile states that he enjoys nature and working outside, and dislikes people thinking that he is "stupid". It adds that Sam has "one of the longest police records of anyone" on ''Emmerdale'', despite his "innocent soul".
In 2010, actor Hooton spoke to
Holy Soap
Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas '' Home and Away'' and '' Neighbours'', which are broadcast ...
about portraying Sam. He explained that since Sam is so different from him in real life, he likes to "hide behind the character", and that he enjoys portraying a character that is different from how he "might be perceived in real life". He stated that due to his differences from Sam, he does not get noticed in public, unlike his co-stars. In 2018, Hooton revealed that there were periods of time where he did not enjoy working on ''Emmerdale'', and credited co-star Blick, who portrays his on-screen love interest Lydia, for making him enjoy it again. He commented: "It's been 23 years off and on I've been involved in the show, and obviously a lot of water goes under that bridge over that time. I've gone through many years when I've not enjoyed the job as much as I might have done, and it's been a bit of a renaissance period for me as I'm enjoying the job more so than I ever have done. And I think that's in part down to working with Karen and what she brings to the table." He confirmed that in those times, he considered leaving the soap, but decided against it since he had carved a career as Sam. A year later, he reflected on 25 years of his character. He expanded on his unhappiness, revealing that a few years into his tenure on the soap, a "young and ambitious" Hooton met with the then-executive producer of ''Emmerdale'' to discuss his future on the soap. He felt "sidelined" on the soap, and asked the executive producer if there was a chance of Sam being more involved in storylines, to which the producer told him that he would never receive a big storyline. Reflecting on his time since then, he expressed his joy that his feelings about working on ''Emmerdale'' had improved. Hooton went on to explain that for "a long-standing actor in a soap", being
killed off
The killing off of a character is a device in fiction, whereby a character dies, but the story continues. The term, frequently applied to television, film, video game, anime, manga and chronological series, often denotes an untimely or unexpect ...
is always a worry, since they are only contracted on 12-month contracts, which are renewed annually. He added that if he was written out, he would be "gutted", stating: "it's definitely the best job for me".
As a response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Sam and Lydia star in a standalone "lockdown" episode in 2020. Hooton stated that it is "not all fun and games", to reflect lockdown not being a fun process for others. He explained that there is "light-hearted jovial stuff" in the episode, as well as "motional and serious stuff". This is due to Sam's worries about Lydia having
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unst ...
, so he worries that the virus will have more of an effect on her than anyone else. He noted that the episode is "journey for both of them", and praised the writing. Hooton opined that his character deals with lockdown well, as he does the shopping and continues to work, but his "one overriding objective" is to protect Lydia from the virus, as he sees her as vulnerable. He notes that Lydia does not agree with Sam's protection of her.
Reception
For his portrayal of Sam, Hooton received a nomination for Best Actor at the 2006 ''Inside Soap'' Awards. In 2020, Sam and Lydia's wedding was longlisted for Feel-Good Moment.
A critic for the '' Daily Post'' commented on his dim-witted nature, writing "Sam Dingle isn't exactly known for his razorsharp wit and macho persona; neither is he much of a ladies' man. In recent weeks his worrying tendency to fail to think things through saw him burn down Eric's factory, and now he has got the wrong end of the stick again. When Jo shows him some kindness, Sam gets the wrong impression that some of his non-existent charms have rubbed off on the beleaguered farmer's wife."
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, ...