Emmerdale fans ‘work out’ Simo’s real identity sparking recast claims
Emmerdale fans are convinced a member of the Dingle family is being kept as a slave by Ray Walters and his evil mum, Celia Daniels.
As fans of the ITV soap will know, for months, Bear Wolf (played by Joshua Richards) has been forced into free labour by Ray (Joe Absolom) and Celia (Jaye Griffiths) as he works tirelessly on their farm. But it appears the former wrestler has been brainwashed by his “boss”, following the tragic death of fellow slave Anya.
During Wednesday’s trip to the village (November 26), captives Mick (Leon Harrop) and Simo (Steven Gidwaney) interrogated Bear on whether he plans to escape from Ray and Celia’s clutches once and for all.
With encouragement, Mick tells Bear, “The spare key to this place is in the scullery. I saw them when I was in there. You can get them for us.”
Simo has been encouraging Bear to escape from Ray and Celia in gripping Emmerdale scenes (Image: ITV)
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Bear doesn’t confirm if he wishes to take part in their great escape, but he does express how much he would like to see his son again
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In a surprise twist, Bear later steals a set of keys from the farm kitchen and hands them over to Simo.
He also informs the slaves that Ray and Celia will both be away from the farm the next day as they plan their getaway. Will the men manage to break free from Ray and Celia’s deadly forced labour?
Not much is known about the other slaves in Bear’s workforce; however, some Emmerdale viewers are convinced Simo is an undercover cop, while others suspect has biological relatives are already residing in the village, theorising he might be Eli Dingle.
Simo is planning an escape from Ray and Celia’s modern slavery scheme (Image: ITV)
Joseph Gilgun brought Eli Dingle to life on screen, first appearing in 2006. Serving as Marlon Dingle’s (Mark Charnock) younger sibling, Eli quickly won over audiences.
His character featured prominently in major plot developments, notably his affair with relative Debbie (Charley Webb) and his involvement in Alice’s (Ursula Holden-Gill) assisted death. Nevertheless, Eli departed the village in 2010 following a burglary incident.
Has Steven Gidwaney been recast in the role of Eli? Emmerdale fans have been speculating on Simo’s real identity, with one person writing on Facebook: “I think he’s a Dingle.”
Joe Gilgun as Eli Dingle in Emmerdale(Image: ITV)
A second stated: “He looks like Eli Dingle”, while a third replied: “Thank you, I said this today got a proper look at him.”
“Ahh could be but does looks familiar”, exclaimed one fan as another chimed in: “I said that last night, it makes sense with the rumours of him coming back to take Ray down.”
One insisted Simo was an undercover cop as another replied: “I don’t think so, more likely to be another Dingle!”