Recently, it was revealed that Matthew Wolfenden, who has played David Metcalfe for 17 years, was planning to quit Emmerdale.
According to a source, Matthew was looking for acting possibilities outside of the Dales because he hadn’t been receiving any “gritty storylines” recently.
Certainly, Matthew has experienced a fair share of grim stories throughout his time in Emmerdale, such as Maya Stepney (Louisa Clein) grooming Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) in a heartbreaking case of child abuse. Meena Jutla’s (Paige Sandhu) deadly spree through the hamlet put David’s life in danger as well.
In recent years, the focus of his plots has frequently been on his financial difficulties as he fought to keep the store bearing his name open. This caused him to make some bad choices, like earning a speeding ticket that he tried to pass off as belonging to his wife Victoria (Isabel Hodgins).
After going through this difficult time, David and Victoria’s relationship never fully recovered, and they have been leading separate lives ever since. While Victoria has focused on her position at the Hide, David continues to work in the shop with his father Eric (Chris Chittell), despite his inability to maintain the enterprise without Eric’s financial support.
There is much speculation regarding how the character will leave—would the door be left open for a comeback or will he be eliminated?
It appears that David will attempt to renew his romance with Victoria in subsequent episodes, which raises the possibility that she played a role in his decision to leave.
Jacob is one guy who is not pleased when David realizes he still has strong feelings for his ex. Could he possibly be about to obstruct real love?
And what response will Victoria have to David’s passionate declaration? She had previously been very adamant that she doesn’t see them having a future together, but may she be about to change her mind?
David might be on the verge of experiencing yet another heartbreak, or perhaps a happily ever after is just around the corner. It’s going to be dramatic in any case.