Emmerdale star Joshua Richards reveals aftermath of harrowing Bear Wolf incident in ITVX release

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This article includes reference to violent acts that some readers may find upsetting.

Be aware: this article contains spoilers for tonight’s episode of Emmerdale, which airs on ITV1 at 7:30pm or is currently available to stream on ITVX.

Joshua Richards, who plays a role in Emmerdale, has spoken about the sad death of Anya, a friend of his character Bear Wolf, played by Alia Al-Shabibi.

Over the past few weeks, the woman held captive by Celia Daniels and Ray Walters has been getting steadily weaker. They were forcing her to work on their farm without pay.

Bear is worried about her health and has asked Ray to get her a doctor.

He said immigration officials were waiting downstairs, preventing him from taking her to the hospital because she could be deported for working in the country without permission.

Ray started to feel bad about not helping Anya and went to get some antibiotics. But when he returned, Anya had already died, comforted by Bear.

“He’s absolutely horrified,” Richard explains.

Ray, someone he deeply trusts, assured him that everything was okay. At first, he felt angry, disappointed, and sad. However, due to Ray’s past manipulation, he was almost ready to forgive him.

Bear has made up his mind and left the village for good. There’s no changing his decision now.

In the next part of the story, Bear will request a respectful funeral for Anya from those holding him captive. He’s shocked when they simply tell him to bury her in a field.

“He’s initially horrified but then he is determined to make it the best he can possibly make it.

It’s clearly a very emotional and hard thing for Bear to do, but he naturally wanted to treat her with respect and do what was right.

He sang the song he used to comfort her – the same one he’d sung when she returned – now, standing over her grave. It felt, in a way, like he was singing it to himself, too.

When he came back to the barn, Mick and Simo, two other slaves, really pushed me to escape with them and try to build a new life somewhere else. But honestly, I was too caught up in what Ray had told me. I actually believed he was helping me when I needed it most, that he’d thrown me a lifeline, and I couldn’t just leave now.

According to Richards, he doesn’t believe the person wants to leave and is trying to avoid causing problems. He seems lost and doesn’t really feel connected to any group except possibly Ray’s.

Bear recognizes a good side to Ray, and looking back, it’s easy for us to understand why he acted the way he did, considering Ray was also being manipulated.

The actor hinted that the story would have a happy ending, explaining that Bear will eventually return to normal, as is typical for characters in soap operas.

Emmerdale is working with the Salvation Army on this storyline.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.

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2025-11-21 13:04