Justice comes to all soap villains, even the very worst – and that certainly applies to Emmerdale’s Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters (Joe Absolom).
The mother and son criminal duo have brought sorrow and suffering to Emmerdale by running their sickening secret people trafficking empire from Butler’s farm, where the forced workers have been routinely subjected to manipulation, violence and extreme hardship.
Of all the people who would fall victim to this kind of grooming and manipulation, the formidable wrestler and Dales legend Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) might be the last person you’d imagine. The popular soap challenged viewers’ perceptions of modern slavery’s victims by having Celia and Ray ensnare a strong, forthright and confident character such as Bear by exploiting his vulnerabilities and desperation in order to make the point that being groomed can happen to anyone.
With the end of Bear’s nightmare in sight, actor Joshua Richards reflects on the success of one of Emmerdale’s biggest issue-based stories.
‘I think the job that has been done by the producers, the writers and the script editors has been outstanding. And to bring a story like this to the forefront, which was up for analysis and discussion, makes great sense to us as a general public about the kind of things which are happening under our noses in plain sight in modern Britain today.
‘Modern slavery is alive and well, and it’s horrifying. I think it was very brave for people for them to bring this subject forward and I’m intensely proud of what we, as a team, have done. It was a huge collaboration and this is a subject that most of the time is brushed under the carpet. But they brought it to the forefront of our minds.’
After an explosive row with his son Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), Bear left the village seemingly to stay with a friend. The truth was he was too proud to tell his son that he was sleeping in his car.
It was in his darkest hour that Ray and Celia were able to take advantage of Bear, giving him a job and shelter at Butler’s Farm. In reality, Bear was a prisoner like the other forced labourers, forced to live in the barn and subjected to inhumane working conditions.
Worst of all, Bear suffered a devastating loss when friend and fellow labourer Anya succumbed to illness and died, forcing him to bury her himself in Celia’s twisted makeshift ‘funeral.’
Even after this terrible tragedy, Ray was able to gaslight and coerce Bear into obedience. After all, Bear may be trapped in the barn, but the real prison is in his own head.
One of the hardest hitting parts about this story is seeing Bear alone and feeling utterly worthless, while in the outside world, his son Paddy worries for his safety. Joshua Richards sheds some light into the mental state which keeps Bear a prisoner.
‘Bear feels redundant and for somebody who feels they are no longer pertinent or needed they find that they can withdraw.’ He explains. ‘Because they do feel redundant and obsolete. And much to the dismay of the family.
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‘It becomes very much of an attack upon the ego, of the individual that they are disappearing and do not think that they are worthy of love or care or attention, and that’s a very sad thing, and that’s where people end up being lonely because they can isolate themselves. They don’t feel that they’re loved. ‘
Worry not, soap fans. The clock is ticking for Ray and Celia. The police are closing in. Moira Barton (Natalie J Robb) has already smacked Celia in the face, when she found out her business partner was using forced labour.
Now April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) has told Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) about her county lines drug trafficking exploitation ordeal. No wonder Ray and Celia are planning to flee the Dales and rebuild their operation in Wrexham.
But like I said, soap justice must be served. And Joshua Richards seems inclined to agree.
‘I think the viewers can’t wait from the feedback I’ve been getting from people in the streets and from family. They can’t wait for them to get their comeuppance.
‘And of course, I suppose we as arbiters of what’s right and wrong on TV, ITV can feel justified in saying, “yes, we can end this now, because the viewing public are fed up with these people and the terrible acts they are committing”.
‘But unfortunately, in society, you can’t do that, because they’re all pervading and they’re always there, hovering in the darkness.
‘But I thoroughly enjoyed working with Joe Absolom and with Jaye Griffiths who are both great actors and I do miss them now, as they’ve gone. But for the storyline, I think everybody in the village has nothing but benefits from their demise.’
Who will take Ray and Celia down?
