Latest news with #raceRow
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden breaks his silence on soap's infamous race row which saw him 'wrongly' accused by co-star and left suffering a nervous breakdown
Former Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden has broken his silence on the soap's infamous 2021 race row which resulted in him and co-star Isabel Hodgins being suspended for three months and him suffering a nervous breakdown. At the time the pair were said to have 'mimicked the accent of a mixed-raced actress' on set, resulting in a vigorous enquiry, with their characters' absences explained by the pair taking an extended Portuguese holiday. Speaking on The Lewis Nicholls Show Matthew, 45, said he and Isabel had been 'falsely' accused and said the pair were in fact impersonating a white British character from BBC sketch show League Of Gentleman. The actor, who quit the role of David Metcalfe in 2023, claimed ITV bosses stopped him from defending himself publicly, resulting in his mental health 'spiralling' before checking into the Priory Clinic. He said: 'So a young cast member mistakenly thought he heard us doing a Chinese accent, so he went up to see the producer and said, 'I'm not very happy about this, I think I've just heard them mimicking a Chinese accent',' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'So because of this we did have to get suspended because as soon as that's an issue they have to go down the correct routes while they investigate what happens'. Matthew explained that he and former co-star Isabel, 31, who plays Victoria Sugden, were in an onscreen romance and as a result of spending so much time together bonded over TV comedy and would often act out their favourite scenes. 'I said to her, "Have you ever seen the League of Gentlemen?" And there's a scene in the League of Gentlemen where Reece Shearsmith dresses up as a lady called Pam Doove and it's called the Orange Juice Scene'. 'He's playing an actress who comes into an audition room and is very eloquent - it's an old acting joke - and then the director says, "Go out of the room and come back in" and say "Has anyone got a bottle of orange juice?" for an audition. and she returns and does it in a different accent'. Matthew claimed the Emmerdale press team told him to 'stay quiet' when 'all he wanted to do' was tell the truth about what really happened. 'It was hard and I got very very poorly and had a nervous breakdown. I ended up having a nervous breakdown and I ended up in the priory for a month. I thought I was going to lose my job over this over something I haven't done. He continued: 'I've always struggled with my mental health so just ended up with this big spiral down and ended up having a nervous breakdown. I had to be taken into the Priory for a month to get better.' While not naming the person who made accusation against him, Matthew said they'd left the show before he returned from suspension. 'It would've been difficult to go back and be face to face with the person who accused you absolutely wrongly'. An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Whilst we would never comment on specific cases, ITV takes all allegations of racism and bullying extremely seriously and investigates all incidents thoroughly and takes appropriate action'. At the time fellow Emmerdale star Aaron Anthony was said to have dramatically quit because he was 'bitterly angry' with two of his co-stars amid the race probe. Aaron, who played Ellis Chapman, told producers he would not be returning after his contract ends because he is furious with his colleagues' alleged behaviour, claims The Sun. Aaron was reportedly so 'furious' about the row and how the subsequent investigation 'has been handled', he has decided to leave the show after two years. A source told the publication: 'Aaron is bitterly angry about this situation and he has had to be persuaded to come back to Leeds film his scenes in recent months. 'He has done some filming over the last couple of weeks, but the understanding is that those scenes will be his last. 'He has been very vocal in his opinions about the allegations and about the way in which the enquiries have been handled by the bosses. He now feels his position on the show is untenable.' MailOnline has contacted Aaron's representatives and Emmerdale for comment at the time. Aaron took over the role from disgraced actor Asan N'Jie, who was sacked for threatening to 'kill' fellow soap star Jamie Lomas, 44, at the TV Choice Awards in 2019.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden breaks silence over soap race row and confirms why he was suspended
FORMER Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden has broken his silence about the soap's race row and finally revealed the truth behind it. The David Metcalfe actor and co-star Isabel Hodgins - who plays Victoria Sugden in the ITV soap - disappeared from screens in 2021 after it was revealed a complaint had been made about them. 2 2 At the time Emmerdale denied the pair had been suspended, but now four years on, Matthew has revealed the truth of what happened revealing they were 'mistakenly' accused of doing a Chinese accent. Speaking for the first time about it, he said: 'We were falsely accused of doing an accent on set. 'Whenever the word race is used they have to take it seriously. So a young cast member mistakenly thought he heard us doing a Chinese accent, so he went up to see the producer and said, 'I'm not very happy about this, I think I've just heard them mimicking a Chinese accent so because of this we did have to get suspended because as soon as that's an issue they have to go down the correct routes while they investigate what happens. 'Unfortunately when you get suspended from a continuing drama, you have to get written out of storylines and that is not an easy process because the storylines are written six weeks in advance, you film six weeks in advance and then it's on screen. 'So even if you're off for two weeks that could be three months of not being on screen. 'Basically what had happened was me and Izzy were working lots together at the time because were were in a relationship [on screen] and we loved watching comedies. 'So we were sat one day talking about what comedies we loved to watch and we were doing scenes, mimicking the scenes, doing the lines from the scenes. 'And I said to her, 'Have you ever seen the League of Gentlemen?' And there's a scene in the League of Gentlemen where Reece Shearsmith dresses up as a lady called Pam Doove and it's called the Orange Juice Scene if anyone wants to Google it and see what I mean. 'And he's playing an actress who comes into an audition room and is very eloquent - it's an old acting joke - and then the director says, 'Go out of the room and come back in and say 'Has anyone got a bottle of orange juice?' for an audition. [She returns and does it in a different accent]. 'So we were doing this in the accent that you heard me do and this young kid thought that was us doing a Chinese accent and wasn't happy about it so he went and complained and that led to us being suspended, it led to all this stuff going in the press with the word 'race' and 'race row'.' Matthew Wolfenden breaks down in tears on This Morning over Emmerdale exit after playing David for 18 years Matthew claimed he was told by bosses not to speak out and explain what happened, and the situation left him vulnerable and saw him checked into a mental health clinic. He added on podcast The Lewis Nichollls Show: 'I didn't have a leg to stand on because the press team at Emmerdale just said to stay quiet. 'All I wanted to do was tell my truth and tell that story and I was kind of told not to. And that was difficult because I was being accused of something that I hadn't done. 'It was hard and I got very very poorly and had a nervous breakdown. I ended up having a nervous breakdown and I ended up in the priory for a month.' He added: 'I thought I was going to lose my job over this over something I haven't done. 'I've always struggled with my mental health so just ended up with this big spiral down and ended up having a nervous breakdown. I had to be taken into the Priory for a month to get better.' Matthew, who later quit the soap in 2023, added: 'It was just a horrible, horrible time. It was a difficult couple of years to me.' He also revealed that he would have struggled to speak to the cast member who made the allegation - but fortunately they left the show during his absence. The actor said: 'That person [who made the allegation] had left the show before I started back which in hindsight yeah, it would've been difficult to go back and be face to face with the person who accused you absolutely wrongly. 'I think there's certain ways of approaching that conversation instead of going straight to the boss… where we would have to be suspended on that accusation. 'It was a tough pill to swallow.' Emmerdale has been contacted for comment.
