Dales actor "chuffed" over fan response

Lyndon Ogbourne has revealed that he is thrilled by the strong reactions his Emmerdale character provokes from viewers.

The actor's twisted alter ego Nathan Wylde returns to screens next week following a break from the village and is expected to cause more trouble for his family in the months ahead.

Fans have already seen Nathan try to blackmail mum Natasha (Amanda Donohoe) after she confessed to killing his dad Mark. He has also attacked his father's first wife Faye Lamb (Kim Thomson) in dramatic scenes.

Speaking to Inside Soap, Ogbourne admitted: "I already have people giving me jokey abuse while I'm out and about regarding how nasty Nathan is. But I'm actually really chuffed about that, because if viewers want to go out of their way to tell me what a git my character is, then I must be doing something right!"

He continued: "When Nathan was away from the village, I was travelling in India. Even over there, I bumped into someone who gave me a hard time. There's no escape from Nathan!

"I do find myself trying to defend him, though. Because I know him so well, he's someone I want to stand up for - though I'm not sure there's any justification for the way he behaves."