Sutton promises "exciting" Dales future

James Sutton has promised that there are "exciting" times ahead for his Emmerdale character Ryan Lamb.

In an interview with DS, Sutton said that fans can expect the village mechanic to become more prominent on screen over the next few months.

Ryan's life was recently turned upside down as he discovered that businessman Mark Wylde (Maxwell Caulfield) was his biological father. The bigamist has since been murdered by wife Natasha in an act of revenge.

Speaking of Ryan's forthcoming plotlines, Sutton revealed: "He's going to have a lot more to do in the coming months. He's got to come to terms with the fact that he's got this new family now and this father who vanishes - he doesn't really get a chance to talk to him before he disappears.

"He strikes up a relationship with Will, my new little brother which is really nice and Ryan's got a lot coming up with Nathan. Those two really are at loggerheads. We've got some really exciting stuff coming up together."

Sutton also said that he is happy to stick with the role for the foreseeable future as he is having "an absolute ball".

He added: "It's honestly the best place to work. The people there are just wonderful and they've made me feel so welcome and [series producer] Gavin [Blyth]'s doing a great job. It feels like we're part of something really quite exciting that's on the up. The viewing figures have been really good the last couple of weeks and I don't want to go anywhere right now."

Sutton has been shortlisted in the newcomer category at this year's National Television Awards. Click here to cast your vote on the official website.

> Click here to read our interview with James Sutton