'Emmerdale' Spoiler: John Middleton To Stay On, As Ashley Thomas's Dementia Storyline Is Extended

Bosses are keen to explore the subject further.

‘Emmerdale’ actor John Middleton has revealed he’ll be sticking around in the soap longer than he intended, so the soap can further explore his character’s devastating dementia storyline.

John has played fan favourite Ashley Thomas since the vicar made his debut in the dales back in 1996, but it was recently revealed that his current storyline would be his last.

However, he won’t be going anywhere just yet, with ‘Emmerdale’ producers convincing John to stay around so they could delve deeper into the hard-hitting dementia plot.

Soap actor John Middleton
Soap actor John Middleton
Steve Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock

He also confirmed that he’ll be on screen until next spring, when the story will end in his character’s sad death.

John in character as Ashley
John in character as Ashley
ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

Ashley Thomas’s dementia is just one of many real-life issues that ‘Emmerdale’ has tackled in recent time, with other recent storylines rotating around subjects like infant mortality and child sex abuse.

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