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Former Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden is reportedly set to join a rival soap, three years after his ITV exit.
The English actor, 45, who portrayed David Metcalfe in the long-running series for 17 years, is said to have landed a role as a regular cast member on the Channel 4 drama Hollyoaks.
A source told The Sun: ‘This an exciting new chapter for Matthew. He’s a big signing for Hollyoaks and is expected to be a hit with viewers.’
Matthew left the ITV soap in late 2023 after being offered the starring role of Buddy in an eight-week run of Elf The Musical in London‘s West End.
However, a strict cast rule meant he was not allowed to take time off over Christmas, so he chose not to renew his contract.
His Emmerdale exit played out on screen in April 2024 – seven months after he confirmed on This Morning that he would be leaving the soap.
Former Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden is reportedly set to join a rival soap, three years after his ITV exit (pictured 2024)
The English actor, 45, who portrayed David Metcalfe in the long-running series for 17 years, is said to have landed a role on the Channel 4 drama Hollyoaks (pictured on Emmerdale 2022)
During his appearance on the show, Matthew admitted he was nervous about saying goodbye and revealed bosses had left the door open for a possible return, though that now appears unlikely.
He said at the time: ‘I’m so nervous about leaving, almost two decades.
‘It feels like the right time, yeah, the door has been left open, they’re not killing me off, they promised. Who knows, I might be back, we will see.
‘Not only has it given me 18 years of an amazing job, it’s given me family. It’s been a big, big part of my life.’
Daily Mail has contacted Channel 4 and Matthew’s representative for comment.
News of Matthew’s new role comes almost a year after he broke his silence on the ITV 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.
Previously speaking on The Lewis Nicholls Show, Matthew said he and Isabel had been ‘falsely’ accused and said the pair were in fact impersonating a white British character from the BBC sketch show League Of Gentleman.
A source told The Sun: ‘This an exciting new chapter for Matthew. He’s a big signing for Hollyoaks and is expected to be a hit with viewers’ (pictured on soap 2023)
The actor 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’,’
‘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.
Matthew left the ITV soap in late 2023 after being offered the starring role of Buddy in an eight-week run of Elf The Musical in London’s West End (pictured 2023)
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 that they had left the show before he returned from suspension.
He added: ‘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 Daily Mail at the time: ‘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’.