Sam Dingle

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Sam Dingle
Emmerdale character
Nate Robinson

Sam Dingle is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by James Hooton. He made his first appearance in the episode broadcast on 14 February 1995.

Storylines

Sam arrives in Emmerdale village following his release from a young offenders institute. He falsely claims to have kidnapped

Solomon Dingle (Paul Shane
).

Sam begins a relationship with

Martin Crowe (Graeme Hawley), hears Ashley Thomas (John Middleton) tell Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen) that he believes that Sam had helped Alice die. Martin opens a murder investigation and when the police come to arrest Sam at Wishing Well Cottage, the Dingles barricade themselves inside. After eventually gaining entry and arresting Sam, Del Dingle (Hayley Tamaddon) tells them that she helped Alice die, so she is arrested too. Soon, all the Dingles admit to helping Alice die in order to protect Sam. With the family worried that Social Services will remove Samson if Sam confesses, his half-brother Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley
) asks Sam to describe Alice's death to him in as much detail as possible. Cain tells the police he helped Alice die and they charge him with the crime.

Sam is arrested for

Penny Drury
(Amelia Sefton). Sam rushes him to hospital, where Samson recovers.

Sam works at Butler's Farm, helping with

Andy Devine) see his bruises and after treating his cuts, warn Sam to stay away from Jo and Andy. Zak also tells Andy that while Sam was wrong to have approached Jo like that, Andy was wrong to have beaten him up. Jo and Andy's deteriorating marriage becomes common knowledge, and Sam warns Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb) about what is happening, so she can keep an eye on her and Andy's daughter Sarah Sugden
(Sophia Amber Moore).

Sam finds Ukrainian immigrant

Olena Petrovich (Carolin Stoltz) hiding in the Dingle's barn and helps tend to her wounded leg, while keeping her presence a secret. Eventually, he convinces Zak and Lisa to take her in and Olena helps out around the house. Sam persuades Eric to give her a job at the B&B and Sam began to fall in love with Olena. Zak asks Eli to spy on Sam and Olena, in case she is a gold-digger, but he decides that Olena is genuine and convinces Zak to let Sam make his own choices. Zak gives Sam his blessing, but as Sam's behaviour becomes more intense towards her, it is obvious that Olena does not reciprocate his feelings and she becomes uncomfortable around him. When Shadrach floods the Dingle house, Olena goes to stay with Eli and Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock
). Sam misses Olena and keeps visiting her at work, but Olena is distant. As Lisa, Sam and Olena are driving to pick up some building materials, they are pulled over by the police and Olena thinks they are looking for her. She and Sam flee into the woods, but are seen by the police. To give them a chance to get away, Lisa punches an officer and is arrested. Sam becomes jealous of Olena and Eli's close bond. When Olena tells him that she misses her son, Sam proposes, but Olena turns him down and says that does not have the right papers and would be deported. Sam asks Cain to obtain a fake passport for Olena and assures her that everything will be okay. Olena and Eli take this to mean that he accepts that Olena does not return his feelings. When Olena fails to attend Lisa's homecoming party, Sam goes looking for her and sees her kissing Eli. He then reports her to Border Control and watches as she is arrested.

When a drunken Eli accuses various people of reporting Olena, Sam admits that he is responsible and Eli throws a glass at his head. Sam breaks down in tears, telling his father that if he tried hard enough, Olena might have taken a chance on him. Zak comforts his son, but Sam feels guilty and decides to leave the village. Lisa persuades him to stay, saying that he cannot not sleep rough with a toddler. However, Eli blasts Sam for ruining Olena's life, before revealing that Zak had already told her to leave, or be deported. Sam is livid with his father for interfering and refuses to speak to Zak. He tries to apologise to Eric for getting him a £7000 fine for hiring Olena, but Eric refuses to forgive him. Zak convinces Eric to forgive Sam and Eric advises Sam to forgive his father. Sam tries to make amends to Olena by paying £200 into a bank account for her, before he finds Eric unconscious at the B&B, unaware that Eli had just robbed the B&B. Suspicions are raised over the missing money and Sam is accused of stealing the money. Eric tries to get Sam to tell him where the money for Olena came from, but Sam lies. Eli eventually confesses and apologises to Sam, before going on the run. Sam admits that he got the money through poaching from his employer, Natasha Wylde (Amanda Donohoe). Sam later discovers the body of Natasha's husband Mark Wylde (Maxwell Caulfield) in the woods, after his dog digs him up.

Sam becomes very close to

Joanie Wright (Denise Black). The family excommunicate Zak, but Sam cannot cut Zak out of his life. Things for the family become worse when Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller
) reveals that he was sexually abused as a child, and Cain instructs Sam not to tell Zak. However, Belle eventually tells him the truth. Sam begins talking to his father again, despite Lisa beginning divorce proceedings. When running to get help after Megan goes into labour, Sam is accidentally shot by Joanie. He is taken to the hospital and makes a full recovery. He later sets up a business called Scarborough Trader's in Scarborough. Sam is attacked in the grounds of Wishing Well Cottage by Belle's boyfriend, Lachlan White.

Casting

Actor James Hooton was cast as Sam in December 1994.[1] He decided to shave off his hair before his audition after learning what the role would entail. He commented "I thought, 'that will get it for me' and it did."[2] The producers agreed, as the short haircut made Hooton look "tough", which was ideal for the character.[1] Sam was introduced as a prominent member of the "roguish" Dingle family. Of his casting, Hooton stated "I love being part of Emmerdale. The Dingles are just like my real family now."[1] He was originally supposed to be in the serial for eight episodes.[2] His first contract ended in March 1995 and he hoped that it would be renewed, so he would become as well known as Annie Sugden and Seth Armstrong.[1] He later received a contract extension to July 1996.[2]

Development

On his character profile on the ITV website, Sam is described as "a simple, sweet-natured man who can easily be taken advantage of". It is noted that he loves his family, and that he wants to "win their approval with his enthusiasm". He is billed as a "loyal, thoughtful, honest" character that "stands up for what is right". The profile states that he enjoys nature and working outside, and dislikes people thinking that he is "stupid". It adds that Sam has "one of the longest police records of anyone" on Emmerdale, despite his "innocent soul".[3]

In 2010, actor Hooton spoke to

killed off is always a worry, since they are only contracted on 12-month contracts, which are renewed annually. He added that if he was written out, he would be "gutted", stating: "it's definitely the best job for me".[6]

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam and Lydia star in a standalone "lockdown" episode in 2020.[7] Hooton stated that it is "not all fun and games", to reflect lockdown not being a fun process for others. He explained that there is "light-hearted jovial stuff" in the episode, as well as "motional and serious stuff". This is due to Sam's worries about Lydia having Huntington's disease, so he worries that the virus will have more of an effect on her than anyone else. He noted that the episode is "journey for both of them", and praised the writing. Hooton opined that his character deals with lockdown well, as he does the shopping and continues to work, but his "one overriding objective" is to protect Lydia from the virus, as he sees her as vulnerable. He notes that Lydia does not agree with Sam's protection of her.[8]

Reception

For his portrayal of Sam, Hooton received a nomination for Best Actor at the 2006 Inside Soap Awards.[9] In 2020, Sam and Lydia's wedding was longlisted for Feel-Good Moment.[10]

A critic for the

Daily Post commented on his dim-witted nature, writing "Sam Dingle isn't exactly known for his razorsharp wit and macho persona; neither is he much of a ladies' man. In recent weeks his worrying tendency to fail to think things through saw him burn down Eric's factory, and now he has got the wrong end of the stick again. When Jo shows him some kindness, Sam gets the wrong impression that some of his non-existent charms have rubbed off on the beleaguered farmer's wife."[11]

References

  1. ^
    Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  2. ^
    Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  3. ^ "Sam Dingle". ITV. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  4. ^ Daniels, Colin (31 October 2010). "Hooton 'likes to hide behind character'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  5. ^ Lee, Jess (24 July 2018). "Emmerdale star James Hooton says he used to be unhappy on the soap". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  6. ^ Davies, Megan (4 August 2019). "Emmerdale bosses told Sam Dingle star James Hooton he wouldn't get a big storyline". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  7. ^ Harp, Justin (2 June 2020). "Emmerdale's Sam and Lydia Dingle to clash in lockdown episodes". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  8. ^ Warner, Sam (2 June 2020). "Emmerdale star James Hooton explains Sam and Lydia's lockdown tensions". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  9. ^ "2006 Inside Soap awards". Inside Soap. No. 27. 8–14 July 2006. pp. 50–52.
  10. ^ "Who will get your vote in the Inside Soap Awards 2020?". Inside Soap. 15 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  11. Daily Post
    . 2 August 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

External links

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