Emmerdale fans left swooning over 26-year-old throwback snap of Bear Wolf actor

Emmerdale viewers have been left smitten over a 26 year old photograph of Joshua Richards, the actor who portrays Bear Wolf.

Richards joined the ITV soap in 2019 as Bear, Paddy Kirk's (Dominic Brunt) estranged father, and quickly became embroiled in the drama.

The former wrestler with a heart of gold has been involved in several major storylines during his time on the show. However, following a disagreement with Paddy, Bear departed for Ireland in July.

Paddy was worried about Bear due to some odd behaviour and suspected he might have dementia. After a harsh outburst and another conflict with his son, Bear left the Dales, claiming he was visiting a friend in Ireland.

Since then, Paddy has believed that his estranged father is safe with friends in Ireland. However, in Friday's episode (November 7), it was revealed that Bear never made it across the Irish Sea, reports the Daily Star.

In the episode, Paddy received a package and a letter from the friend Bear was supposed to be visiting. After making a few calls, Paddy discovered that Bear hadn't gone to Ireland.

A worried Paddy tried to contact Bear, but his father didn't answer his phone. Fearing the worst, Paddy decided to inform the police to try and find out what happened.

Although Emmerdale marks Joshua's debut in a soap opera, the accomplished actor boasts an impressive portfolio - having begun his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving into numerous Hollywood productions.

Before joining Emmerdale, Joshua appeared alongside Brad Pitt in the 2004 epic Troy and starred with Hugh Grant in Amazon Prime's A Very English Scandal.

Yet it's his appearance in the beloved 1990s series Heartbeat that has sparked considerable discussion among viewers. Joshua portrayed DI Haggarty in the ITV programme for several months during 1999.

Responding to Joshua's Heartbeat role, fans were left impressed. On an Emmerdale Facebook fan page one person said: "He looks rather handsome here!" Another added: " I thought that." A third penned: "Doesn't look like the same man."

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm