DECODED – Why Robert Sugden is Emmerdale’s most complex and controversial character?
ROBERT Sugden is one of Emmerdale’s most popular characters.
The manipulative kl has been played by four actors since being born in 1986 and the drama hasn’t always been confined to on-screen.
7
Robert is currently in prsn for md
It’s been eight months since Robert was sent to prsn for 14 years for the md of rp Lee Posner and disappeared off screens.
But where are all the actors who used to play the scheming md now and what are they up to?
Richard Smith (1986–1989)
7
Richard Smith was the baby behind Robert
The truly original Robert Sugden was played by a baby called Richard Smith.
For three years he gurgled and screamed during scenes with his on-screen parents and played the part of a small child to perfection.
Richard never returned to acting after leaving the show.
Christopher Smith (1989–2001)
7
Christopher Smith played Robert as a child
The Dales troublemaker was played by Christopher Smith from 1989 to 2001.
And his exit from the role was the most dramatic thing that happened.
In September 2001, Smith sued Yorkshire Television for unfair dismissal from his part as Robert, which was down to producers wanting an older actor for more adult storylines.
Christopher lives in Los Angeles and works as a producer on AMC talk show Talking D3ad.
7
He now lives in LA
Karl Davies (2001–2009)
7
Karl Davies turned Robert into a schemer
Robert’s always been a bad lad, with much of his bitterness stemming from his resentment of adoptive brother Andy.
That jealousy took on new heights while Karl Davies was in the role, between 2001 and 2009.
It was while he was in the role that Robert stole Andy’s childhood sweetheart Katie Addyman from under his nose and bedded the mother of his child, Debbie Dingle.
After Karl bid farewell to the Dales he went on to star in ITV series Kingdom, appeared in three episodes of Game of Thrones and plays Sarah Lancashire’s character’s son Daniel Cawood in BBC drama Happy Valley.
More recently he appeared in Call the Midwife and the critically acclaimed drama Chernobyl.
7
Karl Davies (left) appeared in Chernobyl
Ryan Hawley (2014–2019)
7
Ryan Hawley quit the soap last year
The actor had a few bit parts to his name before joining the soap and becoming hugely popular as Robert.
Under Ryan’s tenure, Robert came out as bisexual and married three times – once to millionaire heiress Chrissie White and twice to mechanic Aaron Dingle.
Robert Sugden dumps Aaron Dingle from prsn in Ryan Hawley’s final Emmerdale scenes
He also kl two people – Katie Sugden and Lee Posner – and became so scheming and duplicitous that he would stop at nothing to trick people out of their money.
The Sun exclusively revealed how Ryan had quit the show to try other projects.
However since leaving Ryan’s career has been very quiet and he has yet to land any new parts.
News
My Parents Humiliated Me at My Father’s Retirement Dinner Then My Husband Revealed Who He Really Was
Chapter 1: The Nobody My name is Diana Parker. I was thirty-two years old when my mother stood in front of 150 people at my father’s retirement party, leaned into a microphone, and made my marriage the punchline of the…
MY MOTHER TOLD ME NOT TO BRING MY SON TO EASTER AGAIN—THEN MY 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER STOOD UP AND SAID WHAT NONE OF THE ADULTS WOULD
Chapter 1: Don’t Bring Him It happened at a rented folding table covered in deviled egg crumbs, pastel napkins, plastic forks, and the shiny foil wrappers from Easter chocolate. The April wind moved through the dogwood trees behind my aunt’s…
MY FAMILY USED ME AS AN ATM, Until They Sold My Anniversary Gift and Learned I Was Done Paying
Chapter 1: The Good Daughter The smell of peppermint rinse and sterile latex was the permanent weather of my life. As a dentist, I spent my days working inside the smallest rooms of other people’s fear. I knew the exact…
MY HUSBAND GAVE ME AN “ALLOWANCE,” HIS MOTHER AUDITED MY GROCERY RECEIPTS—THEN THEY DROVE TO MOCK MY “TRAILER PARK” HOUSEWARMING
Chapter 1: The $3 Receipt Friday night in the Miller house always felt like a trial. Not dinner. Not family time. A trial. The kitchen table, a scuffed pine monster Linda insisted was “perfectly good,” was covered in crumpled receipts,…
MY NEWBORN WAS TURNING BLUE—MY HUSBAND LEFT FOR HAWAII AND SAID I WAS “JUST DRAMATIC”
Chapter 1: Blue Lips “Stop being so dramatic, Elena. He’s just coughing.” My mother-in-law said it like I had interrupted her breakfast, not like my three-day-old son was turning blue in my arms. Beatrice Vance stood in the middle of…
MY BILLIONAIRE FATHER DISOWNED ME AT MY OWN WEDDING—HE HAD NO IDEA THE “TRASH” HE MOCKED WAS ABOUT TO BECOME HIS BIGGEST REGRE
Chapter 1: Disowned Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have a billionaire father? Trust me, it is not the fairy tale people imagine. My name is Fiona Ashford. I was twenty-eight years old when my father stood…
End of content
No more pages to load
