Emmerdale’s James Hooton has revealed a former co-star of his now has a very different career after leaving the show.

Sam Hall played Samson Dingle in the ITV soap from 2009-2024. The character is the son of James’ alter-ego Sam Dingle.

Everything changed for Samson in the Summer of 2024, when he got drunk with a friend while at The Hide.

When Samson’s mate Josh discovered that HOP! employee Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano) is trans, he began calling him by his previous name.

Josh gradually became more aggressive towards Matty and tried to force him to hand till money over.

When Josh pushed Samson towards Matty, he was stabbed by the knife Matty was holding. He was rushed to hospital, and Matty was arrested.

In the aftermath, Samson proceeded to lie to the police about what happened, due to the fact Josh was threatening him to keep quiet.

Samson stayed quiet for a while, which meant Matty spent time behind bars even though he was innocent. The guilt eventually became too much for Samson and he ended up telling the police the truth.

The young man was sentenced to four years in prison. It meant saying goodbye to his life in the village as well as daughter Esther, who he shares with Amelia Spencer (Daisy Campbell).

A lot has changed for star Sam Hall since leaving the show. Recently, James Hooton reflected on how much he’s missing his on-screen son, who now has a job that is worlds away from acting.

‘I’d love Samson to return. Sam Hall, who played him, has become a friend of mine’.

He added to his chat with Inside Soap: ‘He’s also a qualified electrician, so has done a lot of work for me in my house!’.

James also said that Samson returning to the village would create some intriguing storylines, as Sam and Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) would learn about just how much Samson has changed since being in prison.

Despite his son no longer being in the Dales, life remains dramatic for Sam Dingle.

He’s part of the Dingle family, of course it’s always chaotic.