EMMERDALE'S JOE ON ROLE

AS FLASHBACK WEEK BEGINS

- BY CHRISTINE SMITH

FLASHBACKS will finally reveal who murdered Ray Walters as Emmerdale examines the main suspects in a gripping week of whodunnit episodes, starting tomorrow.

Hated as he is for the havoc he wreaked during his time in the Dales, Ray's death devastates only one person: Joe Absolom, who plays him.

The actor says: “I've started to think ‘Why did I say kill me off?’

“That said, Ray had to get his comeuppance. I think the audience is happy. He couldn't stay in the soap.

“There has to be a moving on but as an actor I have loved it and I could easily stay forever.”

As this week's episodes promise to unmask Ray's killer - with the main suspects including Laurel Thomas, Rhona Goskirk and Marlon Dingle - Joe, 47, admits to feeling sad.

The actor, whose TV credits include EastEnders, Doc Martin, Code of Silence, The Bay and The Level, says of his time on the soap: “It’s been very good and I've definitely got the blues.

“It's a compliment to Emmerdale. It's been such a nice, positive place to work and I am going to miss it.

“When you are a jobbing actor the reality of that fear of finding a new role also steps in. It can be terrifying wondering what is next. But as I have got older I feel like I have got a bit of karma and I know I will be all right.”