Legendary Emmerdale villain’s return ‘sealed’ two years after prison sentence
An iconic Emmerdale villain could be making their shock Dales return soon, according to soap fans
Fans of Emmerdale believe they’ve rumbled an iconic villain’s return two years after their prison sentence. ITV soap viewers will know that Samson Dingle (Sam Hall) is the son of Sam (James Hooton) and Alice Dingle (Ursula Holden-Gill).
In October 2022, Samson became a father at the age of 16 after Amelia Spencer (Daisy Campbell) gave birth to his daughter, Esther (Ella Kenny), following a one-night stand earlier in the year. Everything soon changed for the youngster in 2024 when he got drunk with a friend at The Hide.
Samson’s friend, Josh Cope (Osian Morgan), discovered that Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano) was trans, and quickly began berating him. Josh became more and more aggressive, before pushing Samson towards Matty, causing him to be stabbed by the knife Matty was holding. He was rushed to hospital, with Matty soon getting arrested.
Samson continued to lie to the authorities about what happened, as Josh threatened him to keep quiet. Matty remained in prison until Samson decided to tell the truth.
Sam Hall played Samson Dingle in Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
Samson was then sentenced to four years behind bars for perverting the course of justice and attacking Josh, leading to his exit from the village.
Now, several Emmerdale fans believe that Samson could make a shock return later this year, just two years after he left the soap. Some viewers believe Samson’s possible return could spell trouble for the Dingles, who already have a lot on their plate at the moment with Cain’s (Jeff Hordley) cancer diagnosis and Moira’s (Natalie J Robb) wrongful imprisonment.
“Am I right in thinking Samson Dingle could be released [in] August this year on good behaviour? Do we think he will get released or he’ll have been a bad lad inside so he’s not released early? Or he’ll be released off screen and go to wherever his daughter is with Amelia?” one person asked on a Facebook fan page.
Another added: “Omg forgot about him,” while a third said: “If he comes home, don’t think there will be room for him anymore, or have they got 6 bedrooms?”
Samson was sentenced to four years in prison back in 2024 (Image: ITV)
A fourth fan shared: “I think he’ll go to Amelia,” with another similarly commenting: “If they do decide to bring him back it’ll possibly be with a different actor.”
Sam Dingle star James Hooton recently revealed that he was missing his on-screen son, who now has a job that is worlds away from his acting career.
Speaking to Inside Soap, James said: “I’d love Samson to return. Sam Hall, who played him, has become a friend of mine. He’s also a qualified electrician, so has done a lot of work for me in my house!”
Addressing Samson’s potential return, the actor added: “There’d be great stories to explore, like things that had happened to him in prison.”
Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and STV, while Coronation Street airs weekday nights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and STV as part of ITV’s new soap power hour scheduling pattern for Coronation Street and Emmerdale
