‘I didn’t like it’: Tom King star speaks out on ‘distressing’ Emmerdale animal abuse scenes
(Emmerdale’s James Chase discusses animal abuse scenes in Tom King story)
Emmerdale’s James Chase has opened up about what it was like to film some scenes that featured his character abusing an animal.
James plays the role of Tom King in the ITV soap, who is currently physically, mentally and emotionally abusing his wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper).
Most recently, Belle spent time away from the village in a mental health unit, under the impression her mental health was causing a negative impact on Tom and their marriage.
In reality, we know Belle’s mental health is being exacerbated because of Tom’s abuse. When Belle left the Dales, the evil man began to fear she may confess her ordeal to a professional. He felt out of control, and had to do something about it.
Tom developed a plan that involved him poisoning Piper the dog. He hoped that if Belle discovered her beloved pooch was unwell, she would return home – and it worked.
Since these scenes aired, a whopping 313 complaints have hit television regulators Ofcom – as well as a barrage of concerned social media posts from viewers
Viewers aside, actor James Chase recently expressed his thoughts on these difficult scenes.
Speaking during an episode of This Morning, the star said: ‘Certain scenes like syringing the dog was not…I really didn’t like it, which is a good sign.’
The backlash also prompted the soap’s official social media account to post a video of the scene, assuring that little Minnie – the dog’s real name – was okay.
‘These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set!’ they said.
‘We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever.’
Yesterday, after Belle returned to the village, Tom tried to get her to open up about what she discussed with her therapist, paranoid she had revealed his true colours.
Belle told Tom that she doesn’t want to talk about it right now, leaving him with no choice but to respect her wishes.
