Emmerdale heartthrob Ian Kelsey reveals he’s spoken to soap writers about sensational return as Dave Glover – 30 years on from character’s shock death
Soap legend Ian Kelsey lifts the lid on life on set of some of the UK’s biggest soaps
Actor Ian Kelsey first shot to fame in Emmerdale, joining the soap in 1994 as charming young farmhand Dave Glover. With the soap regularly pulling in millions of viewers a night, Ian became an overnight star, while his signature curtains and bushy eyebrows earned him a legion of loyal female fans.
But after Dave met a fiery end 30 years ago in 1996, Ian went on to develop something of a habit for dramatic soap deaths.
His Casualty character, Dr Patrick Spiller, died from a pulmonary embolism, a fate he later suffered again in Doctors, while his Coronation Street villain Vinny Ashford was killed during Pat Phelan’s notorious reign of terror.
Speaking to Heart Bingo Online, the actor spills the beans on life behind the scenes of Britain’s biggest soaps, from hilarious on-set blunders and cast nights out to exciting talks around his comeback to Emmerdale…
You were a huge soap heartthrob during Emmerdale’s heyday. What was that level of fame like?
From what I remember, it was brilliant and stressful all at the same time. It all happened very quickly because, back in the mid-90s, you were talking 12 to 14 million people watching an episode, as opposed to maybe three or four million now. That’s a lot more eyes on you in everyday life. Even walking around supermarkets, you’d get people passing you saying, “Oh, I know who he is!” It’s still lovely when somebody recognises you and you can stop for a bit of a chat, tell them a few little stories about what it was like back in the day on Emmerdale. They’re really happy to meet you, and it’s lovely to put a smile on somebody’s face.
It’s funny, because if I let my hair grow long, I get recognised for Emmerdale instantly because of the hairstyle I used to have. I remember speaking to former England goalie David Seaman at a charity golf day for his charity, Safe Hands. He told me the reason his hair used to be really long with a centre parting was because of my hair! So I was responsible for the England goalkeeper’s ‘90s hair. Mad!
Speaking exclusively to Heart Bingo Online, Ian Kelsey shares:
Did the Emmerdale producers insist you had to keep your signature curtains?
I did get told off once because nobody had told me I had to keep my hair the same. One day, I just turned up and I’d had it all cut off. They were like, “What have you done?” I said, “I got bored of it!” It was my first TV gig, so I didn’t know about continuity or the importance of Dave Glover’s look. I got properly told off for that.
What was your biggest pinch-me celebrity moment during those years?
I got invited to see one of the James Bond films being scored at a studio. I genuinely don’t think I’d have been able to get that access if I hadn’t been on the telly. I remember thinking it was one of the best things I’d ever witnessed, seeing a 92-piece orchestra.
Do you think soaps have lost some of their magic as viewing figures have declined?
The viewers aren’t declining. There’s just more choice. Back in the day, there were only the five main channels. Whoever was sitting down in front of the telly at 7pm was watching one of those channels. That’s how you got 12 or 14 million people watching. Now, with streaming and everything else, all those channels have diluted the number of people watching each programme. I don’t think the viewers have died off. I just think there’s more choice.
You’ve famously been killed off in several shows. How many times have you actually died on screen?
Oh my God, I’ve just died again, but it hasn’t been on screen yet! I’ve even died of the same thing twice. There’s been five deaths altogether! Back in the day, I used to ask the props people if I could have my coffin plaque. I usually try to pinch a little memento from whatever show I’ve been on, and I’ve got three coffin plaques on my Christmas tree. I didn’t get a coffin plaque on Coronation Street because I was put in a bin bag and thrown in a lake. I don’t think a bin bag on the Christmas tree would have been my favourite!
Which of those deaths was your favourite to film?
Oh, absolutely the fire on Emmerdale. That was the massive Christmas episode. We had to go to a special film studio where they do fires. If the fire takes hold, they’ve got equipment that can suck all the oxygen out of the studio and put the fire out instantly. It was a massive, massive shoot for just that one episode. It was fantastic to do.
Did anything ever go spectacularly wrong while filming?
Before Emmerdale, I’d had horse riding lessons for the film Black Beauty, although I never actually needed them. But when the Emmerdale producers found out I could ride, they wrote a scene where I was cantering across a field with Claire King, who played Kim Tate. She was an experienced rider. The trouble was, I couldn’t go any faster than a canter! Claire was supposed to race past me, then we’d meet at a fence and have a scene together. But as soon as she shot past, my horse pricked its ears up and thought, “Hey, we’re having a race here!” And suddenly it started galloping! I’d never galloped before. Anyway, the scene finishes, I get off my horse, and the director shouts, “Cut!” We look over, and the sound engineer is crying with laughter. All he could hear through my microphone as I went across the field was me grunting! I made sure I got all my lines out in the right order because I wasn’t doing that again.
Any other mishaps?
I remember filming what I think was my first bed scene. It was with Kathy, my soon-to-be wife on Emmerdale, played by Malandra Burrows. I came onto set, took my shoes off, took my socks off, took my jeans off and took my T-shirt off. I kept my boxer shorts on and got into bed. She was already in bed, and she went, “Ian, what are you doing?” She still had her socks and jeans on! I didn’t realise I could keep some clothes on!
Did you enjoy working on Emmerdale?
Yeah, we were all mates. Everybody used to go out together all the time. We filmed in an old cotton mill away from the main studio in Leeds. We were one big family. We’d go out and, before you knew it, it was 11pm and time to get home, learn your lines and come back in again!
Did being good friends with Claire King ever make filming romantic scenes awkward?
You’ve got to remember there are 40 people watching you do this. Yes, it’s the intimate act of kissing, but you’ve got to do it maybe 15 times, over and over again, with 40 people watching you from three feet away. It’s not as intimate as the viewer would actually think.
What was Connor McIntyre like to work with on Coronation Street?
He’s the absolute opposite of his character, Pat Phelan. He’s one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met in the business. It was an absolute joy to work on that show. It really, really was.
How did you and Connor unwind after filming such intense scenes?
The intense stuff for us involved really late-night shoots, sometimes finishing at four in the morning, so there wasn’t much going out afterwards! But I’ve spent time with Connor since. He’s a lovely guy.
Which soap had the biggest party culture?
Casualty was a big party job. It really was. It was hell for me because I had tons of Latin to learn. I was playing a registrar working in A&E, so I had massive chunks of medical jargon that I had no idea what I was saying. I just had to learn it, parrot fashion. And if you went up to Bristol to work on Casualty, you’d better be prepared to go out! We’d drag the guest artists out all the time.
How did you cope with filming the next morning after a late night?
Oh, the first thing you’d do was lie down in the makeup chair and get eye drops to make you feel more alert. I felt like I was sponsored by eye drops, the amount I had to be given.
Would you ever like to return to Emmerdale?
I wouldn’t mind getting back on Emmerdale and coming back from the dead. Or coming back as Dave Glover’s twin brother. I’d be grateful for that.
Have there ever been discussions about bringing you back?
Yes. I’m hanging out at the studios with my partner Beth (Cordingly), who plays Ruby Fox-Miligan, and I have spoken to a few writers. They’ve said it has been mentioned before. Claire came back from the dead. Claire’s husband, who’s on it now, came back from the dead. So, you know, maybe I’ll come out of the shower like Bobby Ewing!
What surprised you most about the Coronation Street and Emmerdale sets?
The size of Coronation Street. I worked on the new street at Media City, and I think it’s slightly smaller than a normal house. That really surprised me. Whereas when I worked on Emmerdale, we were actually filming in a real village. Sometimes it was like doing theatre because you’d have 14 coaches turn up, with an audience of 200 or 300 people watching you film a scene. I’d be working on television, then look to my right and there’d be 14 coaches.
How did you stop storylines leaking with so many people watching?
I don’t know. But the coaches used to turn up, and people would come over in the middle of filming a scene and ask you for an autograph. We’d have to cut. Back then, there weren’t digital phones, so people would take photographs and the flash would go off.
