Joshua Richards, who plays Bear Wolf in Emmerdale, has confessed that the intense modern slavery storyline has been emotionally draining, and he is relieved it is finally coming to an end. The actor, who has been at the heart of the harrowing plot for nearly a year, admitted that the role has taken a toll on his mental well-being, making it difficult to switch off from work.
The Dark Storyline
Since summer 2025, Bear Wolf has been trapped in a horrific situation. Lured to a farm by Ray Walters (Joe Absolom), he was thrown into a dark attic and forced to work alongside other vulnerable adults. As part of Emmerdale's effort to highlight modern slavery, Bear was manipulated and groomed by Ray and Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths), enduring truly horrific circumstances that left him deeply traumatized.
Bear escaped the farm at the start of 2026 and returned to the village. However, the trauma followed him. When he burst into Tenants, he found Ray trying to kill Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt). In a fit of rage, Bear grabbed Ray and strangled him so hard that he died. In the aftermath, Paddy and Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) tried to keep Bear's secret, but DS Walsh (Amanda Ryan) eventually uncovered the truth.
Joshua's Struggle
Joshua has delivered a powerful performance, but he admitted that the storyline has been challenging. 'It's quite difficult. You get home and you've got to learn the lines for the following day. You've got to go back. You finish work here, and then you go home. You sit down. You're still working,' he explained. 'And of course, it's gone on from what you've already done today, you're into another. So yeah, it's difficult to switch off and sometimes you just think, "God. I hope this ends soon, because this is killing me." I'd never thought I'd say that.'
When asked if he is glad the storyline is ending, Joshua said: 'I'm over the moon. Don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed doing it, because it's a massive thing to do, and I think what's humbling about it is the amount of people it involves. There's the massive crew, the writers, the script editors, the directors, everybody involved, the makeup, the costume, everybody's got to be so involved, the other actors. It's massive, and it's a big journey for everybody. And at the end, I think everybody just says, "Well done, but thank God that's over. Let's move on to the next and I'd like to park it."'
Bear's Fate
Paddy, Dylan, and Bear will soon stand trial for their crimes. If the jury does not believe their statements, Bear could face life in prison. Joshua discussed how Bear would cope behind bars, believing his character would simply accept his fate. 'I think he'd be all right because of this ability to shut down, and also, I think because of a whole lifetime of being on the road in various small rooms, on his own, never really having anybody as a partner, only the love of his life, which was Paddy's mother. He's been on his own for most of his life, and he can cope with that.'
He added: 'I think even when we saw him being abused by Ray, the physical abuse, I don't think in prison, at a confrontational situation, I don't think he'd be too worried, because even though he is in advanced years, he can still take care of himself. He's not afraid of anybody, and I think that's from a lifetime of taking the knocks. And it's not necessarily about being kingpin or boss. It's just the fact that he can physically take it because he's used to being knocked around.'
Joshua recalled a specific scene where Ray slapped Bear. 'When he gave Bear a slap in front of everybody, the director said, can you show more reaction? I said, "why? I don't think he would. He's been used to being slapped in the face all his life." And Joe said, "he's quite right, what I'd like to do is this." So he slapped me and he shook his hand in pain and it worked. You made the point that he thought he had the right just to slap him around. But when he did hit him, it hurt his hand, because the guy's been punched in the face for 40 years, it's not going to hurt him.'
He concluded: 'So I think in prison, I don't think he'd turn around and be ultra-violent to anybody, I think he'd just say, "oh right, fine." That's not me, by the way. I'd cry!'
