10 Totally True Facts About… James Hooton (Emmerdale’s Sam)
YOUR lnsidesoap BRIEFING ON THE MAN BEHIND EMMERDALE’S SAM…
1 James Hooton was born 13 July 1973 in Carlton, Nottinghamshire. Despite now living in Leeds, James says he’s a Nottingham lad through and through. “There’s no place quite like Nottingham, and I miss it terribly,” he admits. “There’s no chance of me dividing any of my loyalties.
I know where I’m from. I’m Nottingham till I die.”
2 James’ love of acting came when he was 10 years old after a school production. “My teacher said she was doing Oliver!,” explains the star. “She asked if we wanted to audition for it and I stuck my hand up and said I’d sing for the part of Fagin. I sang the solo, and she gave me the part and I really buzzed off it. That’s what gave me the bug for acting.” James started drama at school, and at the age of 12, he made his television debut in the children’s TV series Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It.
3 In 1995, James joined the cast of Emmerdale as Sam Dingle – and alongside Zak, he’s the only other original Dingle left. Sam fell for Alice Wilson after sharing their love for chickens, although she died not long after their son Samson was born. More recently, Sam entered a relationship with Lydia. Over the years, Sam has been shot, sent to prison for running over Edna Birch, and been attacked by serial killer Lachlan White! “The character has changed quite significantly from the early days, and the writers write for Sam differently,” says James. “He’s a loving and family-oriented character, and I love that.”
4 James once had a guest role on children’s drama Woof! alongside Nigel Havers (Corrie’s Lewis Archer). “I remember Adam [Roper, who played lead role Rex] and I did a bit on Woof!,” grins James. “Nigel Havers had to throw me against a wall! I had back padding on and all.”
5 James is close to Jane Cox (aka Lisa Dingle), as the pair knew each other before starring in Emmerdale. “I did a play with her in London back in 1994, before I’d even got the job,” he reveals. “And she played my mum in a show, so I got to know her really well there. And then for her to come into Emmerdale. It was sad when she left.”
6 James lives in Leeds with his long-term partner Nancy Lucas. The pair met on the set of Emmerdale in 2004, and have two children together – Lily, who was born in 2006 and Ava-rose, born a decade later. The couple got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2010, but are yet to tie the knot. “It would be lovely to have a big celebration with our friends and family,” says Nancy. “And for Ava-rose to be walking, so she and Lily could be involved together. They would be the cutest little flower girls.”
7 Although he hasn’t been involved in many reality TV shows, James did take part in Soapstar Superchef in 2007.
Soap stars competed against each other in teams of two to be crowned ‘Kings’ or ‘Queens of the Kitchen’. James was partnered with his co-star Andy Devine (Shadrach Dingle). However, the pair finished in last place.
8 In 1997, James starred in the film Twenty Four Seven. He played ‘Wolfman’ Knighty, who takes up boxing at a training facility run by Alan (Bob Hoskins). Also in the film were James Corden and Hollyoaks’ Karl Collins (Louis Loveday). “I loved working on it,” says the Dales’ James, “it was shot in my hometown!”
9 James keeps fit by climbing, and has loved it since childhood. “I was one of those kids who was climbing on roofs and jumping off stuff,” laughs the star. “Getting stuck up trees in the park – I’d miss football because I’d climbed a tree and couldn’t get back down!” James has since taken up indoor climbing. “Joe Gilgun [Eli Dingle] said do you want to go along – I’ve been hooked on it since!”
10 When a muscly torso photo of James emerged online, the star received a lot of attention – but he tells us that it’s not all as it seems. “That picture looked a lot better than I actually am,” says James. “I’m a skinny, less-than-12-stone guy. I’d literally been at the climbing wall for three hours. I’m not a weight-trainer, I’m not a big guy – I only posted that picture because I looked at it and thought I looked good!”