Sutton: I couldn't turn 'Emmerdale' down

Former Hollyoaks actor James Sutton has revealed that he couldn't turn down his new Emmerdale role.

The 26-year-old, who starred as John Paul McQueen in the Chester soap, arrives in ITV's rural serial next week as Ryan Lamb, son of Faye Lamb (Kim Thomson) and Mark Wylde (Maxwell Caulfield).

In an exclusive interview with DS, Sutton said of his role: "I've had quite a lot of contact with Emmerdale over the last year or so - I've had a few castings and met various people. This was the first part that came up that I was really interested in, though. It's a good story and I'm working with some fantastic people - I couldn't really turn that down.

"It's a really good opportunity for me and I know I said that I wouldn't do another soap, but at the time, I probably didn't want to do another one. It's just the way things work out."

His character Ryan, an unemployed mechanic, arrives in Yorkshire to stay with his mother Faye in the hope of finding another job. He has no idea, however, that his father - who he believes to be dead - is very much alive and living in Emmerdale village.

Of his new screen counterpart, Sutton said: "He's a laddish lad and an out of work mechanic. He's grown up with his mum and is very protective of her. I wouldn't say he's a ladies' man, but he has an eye for the pretty ladies in the village."

He added: "He's a nice guy, but when the storyline progresses and we discover things about Ryan's family, the audience might possibly see another side to him – maybe a darker side..."

> Click here to read our full interview with James Sutton
> Video: 'Emmerdale's James Sutton trailer
> Behind the scenes with James Sutton at 'Emmerdale'