Emmerdale’s John Barton star now 14 years after tragic on-screen death
Emmerdale icon James Thornton is married to a famous actress who starred in Gavin and Stacey
James Thornton as John Barton in Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
Emmerdale’s Barton family has become iconic to ITV since pitching up in the Dales in 2009, and the clan keeps on growing.
John Barton (James Thornton) and his wife, Moira (Natalie J Robb), were the parents of Matty (Ash Palmisciano) and Holly Barton (Sophie Powles), and John also adopted Adam (Adam Thomas), who was the biological son of his brother, James Barton, famously played by Bill Ward.
Full of good looks and enough charm to fill the village, the Bartons appeared to be the perfect family when they took over the tenancy of Butler’s Farm from Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher). This sparked a long-lasting rivalry between the two families, which comes as Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) recently took the farm back.
James Thornton played John Barton in Emmerdale(Image: ITV)
John and Moira had enjoyed a life full of romance, having been a couple since childhood, but they soon cheated on each other with other villagers. Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw) enjoyed a kiss with dashing John, while Moira’s ensuing fling with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) put their bond to the test, though she did go on to marry the mechanic.
But cheating and lies couldn’t keep Moira and John apart. In February 2012, the couple got back together before John was killed off in a car crash, leaving his wife devastated. Speaking to the Daily Star at the time about his character’s tragic exit, James Thornton, now 50, explained why he left Emmerdale.
“When I first joined I signed for three years but it took me a while before I got it into my head that I would be staying that long. But then once I started doing it, the people and the atmosphere, I really, really enjoyed it. The main problem has been the logistics – I still live in London.
“It’s been hard. When you’re on a soap your life is dictated by a two-week block. If you want to go anywhere you have to put a request in four months before. I’m really lucky as I do a lot of voiceover work, which is a safety net for me coming out of the show.”
Life after Emmerdale
Joanna Page and James Thornton are married with four children (Image: Ferdaus Shamim, WireImagevia Getty Images)
James currently earns his living as a voice artist and has lent his vocals to numerous documentaries, including the BBC programme This Farming Life. He provided narration and made appearances in the documentary Benefits By the Sea: Jaywick (2015–2016), voiced the Channel 5 series The Motorway, serves as the voice of Talk TV, and also provides narration for advertising campaigns for major brands such as Ford, Amazon, Shell, and BP.
Away from Emmerdale, James starred in the series Stella (2014), as well as The Last Witch and Frankie (2013). Before landing the role of John Barton, he was known as Philip Roper in the series Red Cap between 2001 and 2004, and he also starred as Scott Bradley in Playing the Field (2000).
It was James’ role in David Copperfield that led him to his now wife, Joanna Page; he played Ham Peggotty, and she portrayed Dora Spenlow in the two-part series. Joanna, 49, shot to fame in the BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey, and has also starred in a long list of popular movies and television shows, including: Doctor Who (2013), Midsomer Murders (2019), Love Actually (2003), and Naviity 2 (2012).
Joanna Page shot to fame on BBC seris Gavin and Stacey (Image: BBC/BABY COW)
She has also gained a legion of fans on the podcast scene as she hosts Lush! with Joanna Page, where she and her husband, James Thornton, share stories about their chaotic family life. James tied the knot with the Welsh actress in December 2003, and they have four children together – Eva, Kit, Noah, and the youngest, Boe, who was born in 2021.
The family now lives in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, after living in London. They used to reside in East Dulwich and despite spending seven happy years there, she felt “cursed” and decided to leave.
“Somebody became fixated with my neighbour’s Porsche [and also] shouted at us: ‘The devil’s watching you!’ and I thought we had been cursed. Another neighbour, George, fed foxes from meat on a silver tray, and they screeched all night. So it felt like we were ready to move,” Joanna told The Times.
Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX
