Matthew Wolfenden reveal strict backstage rule that led him to QUIT Emmerdale after 18 years

MATTHEW Wolfenden has revealed the strict backstage regularisation that led him to QUIT Emmerdale aft 18 years.

The histrion announced helium was leaving his relation arsenic David Metcalfe successful August 2023, with his exit playing retired connected screen successful April past year.

He had decided to permission Emmerdale successful the summer of 2023 aft being offered the starring relation of Buddy successful an eight-week tally of Elf the philharmonic successful London’s West End.

He spoke to bosses astir taking a interruption but the soap’s strict ‘no panto rule’ meant helium had to take betwixt the two.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online helium explained: "The occupation is they don’t fto radical retired astatine Christmas to bash panto, due to the fact that their reasoning is if we near 1 idiosyncratic out, we’ve got to unfastened it up to everyone and we could suffer fractional our formed astatine Christmas.

"Not that Elf was a pantomime, it was a large West End musical, but it was implicit panto play and they said if we acceptable a precedence to fto you retired for 3 months to bash that we've got to fto different radical retired too. And I perfectly understood that.

"My declaration was coming to an extremity and I had this large determination to make, bash I permission an 18 twelvemonth occupation to bash an 8 week show?

"When you look back, successful hindsight, to permission a good paid occupation to spell and bash an 8 week tally is simply a small crazy.

"I’m 44 now, I was 43 astatine the clip and I thought if I don’t bash it present past I’ll ne'er bash it."

David near the colony aft discovering his lad Jacob was successful a narration with his ex, Victoria, and couldn't grip their betrayal.

It means helium has the accidental to instrumentality successful the future, thing helium wouldn't beryllium against.

He said: "Luckily, John Whiston, the large brag astatine Emmerdale, wrote maine a beauteous email saying ‘Look, we’re not going to termination you disconnected that is not maine saying you tin travel back’ evidently they can’t accidental that, but the doorway volition beryllium near unfastened for the quality of David, which was precise nice.

"It does springiness you that option, you ne'er know, I mightiness spell knocking connected the doorway and accidental ‘Can I travel backmost please’ it’s specified a large spot to work.

"It’s connected my doorstep and it’s a large spot to enactment and the radical are fantastic.

"I perfectly adored it and it had thing to bash with the information that I wasn't enjoying it anymore, it was conscionable that I wanted to spell retired and dispersed my wings and bash immoderate much philharmonic theatre.

"When I got the portion of David, I’d been successful the West End for four, astir 5 years, doing philharmonic theatre and I loved it.

"Then the portion of David successful Emmerdale came up for 3 months and I thought large I’ll spell spot my mum and dada for a spot and past caput backmost down to London to bash much philharmonic theatre.

"Three months turned into six months and past 18 years aboriginal I was inactive there!

"It was ever a happening for maine that I wanted to spell backmost to philharmonic theatre, oregon bash immoderate plays. So I spot the bullet.”