“There’s always going to be fireworks.” Emmerdale star Michael Parr has spoken

in-depth about Ross Barton’s big return for the first time.

The actor’s popular character made a surprise comeback in Monday’s

episode (October 28), in which Ross was revealed as Billy Fletcher’s fearsome opponent in an underground boxing match. Show bosses had announced plans for Ross’s reappearance last month, but the exact timing and storyline details had been kept under wraps to surprise fans.

Here, Michael shares details of what’s next for Ross as the bad boy goes head-to-head with Billy.

ITV 

Can you tell us how your return came about and whether the call came as a surprise to you?

“It wasn’t necessarily a shock. The acting industry had been quite quiet due to the writer strikes and stuff, and I had some work on the horizon. So when they called, it came at a great time. But it also meant that I had some big decisions to make because I couldn’t do both of the jobs.

“Ultimately Emmerdale felt like home, and it was a good storyline which they pitched to me. Laura Shaw, our producer, is very charming and she put it all out to me, like: ‘This is where we want it to go. This is what we want to do’.

“It meant that I got to move back up north again. It just came at the right time.”

How has Ross got himself involved in bare-knuckle boxing?

“I don’t think we’re actually going to give away just yet why he’s in the predicament that he is, but Ross is a very feckless character. He’s always got an eye open for a quick buck and there’s money to be made in this bare-knuckle thing.

“I also have to think about somebody with the psyche of Ross, somebody who’s lost his mum, lost his dad, lost his brother. What kind of mind frame are you in when you’ve lost all those people?

“So it’s all going to be revealed, but you just see him make his entrance being quite a prominent figure in the underground boxing world. This is where he meets his match in Billy.”

ITV 

What does Ross make of Billy, especially given his own past connection to Billy’s wife Dawn?

“Well, yeah, there’s always going to be a rivalry if there’s a potential love interest in the middle of it all. But Billy is quite a tall, athletic, handsome lad. You know, Ross has met his match.

“Obviously it’s a young man’s sport, so I think you’ll find that Ross is maybe not in the same position that he was in last time. He’s much older. He’s been through a lot more trauma. So it’s about developing an understanding – can he still do this anymore? He’s really met his match because Billy’s much younger and more athletic than Ross is.”

Do we find out what Ross has been up to during his time away from Emmerdale?

“All will be revealed the week after. You’ll find out where he’s been, who he’s still in touch with, and what’s been going on in his life. But I don’t want to give anything away just yet.”

There have been mentions on screen of Ross seeing his son Moses regularly. Does Ross want to be a good father?

“He wants to be in his son’s life, but Ross had such an inauspicious start in life with his mum – I don’t know if you remember, we did the storyline where it turned out that she basically tried to kill Ross when he was a child.

“So he’s just riddled with traumas, and Ross is the kind of person who can’t get out of his own way. And there’s a Friedrich Nietzsche quote: ‘Under peaceful conditions, the warlike man will attack himself’. And I think that’s really Ross’s mind frame.

“He can’t handle quiet times because he’s just such a traumatised person. He’s always looking for conflict because he doesn’t know how to handle peace.”

ITV 

What is Ross’s relationship with Charity like?

“I think she’s definitely softened. She doesn’t seem to be the troublemaker that she was. I know that could change at any minute, but he’s grateful to her for doing such a good job with Moses. And you really can’t hate somebody who’s doing a great job of raising your most beloved possession.

“But it’s Ross and it’s Charity. There’s always going to be fireworks. They’ve got the history, but is there still a spark there? And does Ross want to rekindle? Or is he just doing it because there’s a stepfather role in Moses’s life now, and that is obviously not going to play well with Ross?”

How does Ross get along with Mack?

“Oh, well, it’s like when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. I think it’s going to be one of those. I think they’re going to definitely clash and fight over the affections of Moses.”

How will Ross feel about seeing the rest of his family again?

“He left on a good note with Moira. I think because they had both tried to kill his mum, so they had things in common! And she’d always been somebody who looked out for Ross.

“And my relationship with Nat [J Robb, who plays Moira] is amazing. I love that woman. She’s been so maternal to me. She’s not changed at all. But she’s got her own storylines going on, so she’s busy with that.

“It’s going be nice to have them on screen again, and I hope that there’s a lot more work down the line, because I really love working with Nat.”

ITV 

Who else were you looking forward to catching up with?

“Well, I have a real soft spot for Jeff Hordley [who plays Cain]. I bump into him once a year, and it’s always at Glastonbury.

“He’s such a music head, and I pretend that I’m a music head. I love hearing him talk about his music. I just nod my head and pretend I know what he’s talking about, because, to be honest, I like old rap music and I haven’t really evolved with the times. But he’s a good person to talk to and find out what’s cool at the minute.

“Everybody here, it’s been so amazing to just see people and hear their life story. It’s been so nice to rekindle with people and hear people’s stories and find out what’s going on – and tell them all of my stories as well.”

How did you prepare for the physical scenes?

“Going to the gym and martial arts is one of my favourite pastimes. It’s something that I do a couple of times a week to keep my mental health on track and my body in shape.

“The filming days were long and we were on our feet doing the same movements over and over and at points we did get tired. I did find it beneficial that I was used to exercising in my spare time.

“I’m very lucky that I’ve done martial arts since I was 19. I’m a big UFC fan, that’s my favourite sport to watch. But yes, I think my martial arts training has come in handy for Ross’s scenes.”