BOB’S TORN IN TWO

Tony Audenshaw on his Emmerdale character’s agonising decision to leave his family for his new love Lauren

Emmerdale’s Bob Hope makes the drastic decision to leave his family for Laurel Thomas this week – but he has to check if Laurel wants him first! Friendship turned to passion in December last year as Bob helped Laurel over the loss of her husband Ashley. The pair have been full of remorse ever since but Bob has fallen in love with Laurel.

This week he’s in turmoil when vicar Harriet Finch, who knows what’s going on, demands he chooses between his partner Brenda and Laurel. ‘Bob basically has a bit of a nervous breakdown because he can’t deal with his growing feelings for Laurel and terrible guilt towards Brenda, whom he still loves,’ says Tony Audenshaw, who plays the six-times married father of seven. ‘He thinks the only way out is leaving his family.

‘Then he decides he can’t go without seeing if Laurel has feelings for him, because if she has, maybe he should tell Brenda the truth and try and work something out with Laurel.

‘If Laurel says she’s madly in love with him, it’s a different scenario.’

Bob walks in to Laurel’s home to bare his soul just as she’s watching a video of her late husband Ashley giving her advice on the sort of man she should choose after he’s gone. Will Laurel want Bob? ‘You’ll just have to watch and see,’ says Tony.

‘I’m just happy to be working with two fabulous people in Lesley Dunlop ( Brenda) and Charlotte Bellamy ( Laurel). It’s an interesting story as Bob has never been knowingly unfaithful before, so it’s a big change.’

Tony says the affair has divided fans. ‘Some say he’s disgraceful and shouldn’t cheat while others think he should go for it with Laurel.’

Tony was raised in Manchester and

wanted to act having been inspired by his father Terry’s passion for amateur dramatics. After graduating from the Guildford School of Acting in 1988 he had roles in shows like Prime Suspect, Heartbeat and Peak Practice.

‘When Emmerdale came along, the time was right,’ says Tony, who’s 54. ‘The day I got the job was brilliant – I’d been for lots of auditions without success and I was broke.’

Having signed for three months in 2000, Tony never imagined he’d still be there 17 years later. ‘It’s such a friendly place to work, and everyone pulls together to create what

you see on screen. I’m just a small cog in a massive machine.’

Emmerdale bosses were supportive in April last year when Tony tragically lost Ruth, his wife of 20 years, to pancreatic cancer. ‘On soaps it’s awkward when you need time off at short notice, but they were magic. I was so grateful,’ says Tony, father of George, 22, and Em, 20.

Will Tony, who’s raised a fortune at events like the London Marathon, be in the Dales for another 17 years? ‘I won’t be here forever – I love running and cycling too much,’ he says.