# UK Soap and Drama Discussion > Emmerdale > General >  Ben Freeman axed from 'Emmerdale'

## Abigail

From DS

Ben Freeman has been told that his Emmerdale contract will not be renewed.

The actor, who played mechanic Scott Windsor, has been on a leave of absence from the soap since being charged with rape in Barbados in December last year.

An ITV spokesman told the News of the World: "We cannot be sure of Ben's availability for work, so we cannot renew his contract. It is due to the uncertainty of the process of law and the lead times in writing a character in and out of a soap."

Freeman said: "I am focusing on the legal proceedings in Barbados and look forward to speaking to ITV once this situation is behind me."

A TV source added: "This was the bad news Ben desperately didn't want."

----------


## Perdita

Most people will have forgotten about him as he has been away for so long now, no problem writing him out for good then. Hope they donÂ´t kill him off though, in case he can come back one day. His character never did anything for me but he is good looking.  :Smile:

----------


## Chris_2k11

Where is he actually supposed to be in the show?

----------


## Chloe O'brien

I think he went into Hotten to buy some spare parts for a car  :Rotfl:

----------


## Chris_2k11

> I think he went into Hotten to buy some spare parts for a car


those queues ey!?  :Rotfl:

----------


## Abbie

> I think he went into Hotten to buy some spare parts for a car


haha seriously!!!!
Well I have forgotten about him

----------


## Perdita

Ben Freeman has appeared in court in Barbados after being accused of raping a 16-year-old girl.

The former Emmerdale star is alleged to have forced the girl to have sex with him against her will by a hotel pool in November 2006. 

Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Leacock outlined to the jury what he believes took place.

"They were in the smaller pool swimming when the complainant says the accused made advances by kissing her on the lips," he said

"She will tell you she protested his advances. He then lifted her out of the pool and placed her in one of the lounge chairs around the pool.

"He proceeded to have sexual intercourse with her without her consent... She will tell you she protested and she cried and begged him not to."

Freeman, who played Scott Windsor in the ITV soap, denies the charges.

The trial continues.

----------


## tammyy2j

Where is Scott?

Surely they could recast the role again?

He should have returned for Viv's troubles

----------


## Perdita

> Where is Scott?
> 
> Surely they could recast the role again?
> 
> He should have returned for Viv's troubles


Scott left the village to stay with an old army mate down in London and phoned Debbie one day to say he was not coming back and that the house was put up for sale. So he could come back I suppose.

----------


## Bad Wolf

Emmerdale actor Ben Freeman has been cleared of rape in Barbados.

The 28-year-old had been accused of forcing himself onto a 16-year-old girl at an exclusive resort in the country in December 2006.

A 'not guilty' verdict was delivered after 90 minutes of deliberation at the High Court in Bridgetown.

"I'm grateful to be vindicated by the jury's verdict and am looking forward to spending time with my family and close friends who have been enormously supportive to me over the past two years," said the actor outside court.

Freeman was axed from the ITV1 soap earlier this year due to the uncertainty of his future availability.

----------


## Perdita

Wonder whether this means he is coming back to Emmerdale.   Spoiler:    Need another bad boy in the village seeing that Matthew is leaving shortly.

----------


## Bad Wolf

dunno, mud sticks, he might not work again........

----------


## *-Rooney-*

he was axed so he prob wont be back, he should have just been suspended until the trial was over and if it came back guilty then axe him

----------


## Chris_2k11

its a shame now, thats his career more or less over with

----------


## Pinkbanana

According to the two Sunday papers I read today, Ben is in talks with Emmerdale about returning to the soap.

----------


## Bad Wolf

i read that too, maybe he will go back?

----------


## thestud2k7

if he does return good luck to him

----------


## Perdita

Actor Ben Freeman has spoken of his 'anger, joy and relief' at being cleared of rape - branding his two-year ordeal a 'complete horror'.

Last week, a jury pronounced the former Emmerdale star not guilty of raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl on a sun-lounger at a Barbados hotel.
It meant the end of a nightmarish couple of years for the actor, who saw his life and career come to a standstill as he waited desperately for his name to be cleared.

The 28-year-old told the Sunday Mirror: 'My feelings are a mixture of anger, joy and relief. I'm not really feeling happiness. I'm angry because I was accused of rape in the first place and I never did it.
'At the time, things happened so fast - I was accused, arrested, charged and a statement was taken all in a matter of hours. I couldn't believe what was happening to me.
'Everything in my life was falling apart and it was all based on lies. It was complete horror.'

Ben, who had been on holiday with his two younger sisters and step-father, had to return to the scene of the incident, and give his clothes to police to examine.
He then had to say goodbye to his sisters at the airport and wait another week before he was bailed and allowed to return to the UK.

'I am still so angry for my family because they've had to go through every horrendous moment with me.'
Ben was not allowed to stay at his mother's house, even for Christmas, as she is a foster-carer and had children living there.
Ben said: 'Rape is the most horrendous thing to be accused of. 

'It is one of the most heinous crimes and when you are accused of it as a well-known figure it is magnified a hundred times. It is true to say I've lost two years of my life.'
The case meant that Ben, who earned Â£100,000 a year in Emmerdale, could not work, and he had to mortgage his house in Leeds 'to the hilt' to pay for his Â£200,000 defence costs.
The accusation also affected the way he was treated by others.

'There have been times when I just felt like a monster and people in the street would pull children away from me, saying "Don't go near that man."'

He admits, though, that he is not entirely without blame.
'I don't absolve myself from all guilt. I didn't do anything illegal - but it was very stupid.
'Having sex with a girl aged 16 in an open place was naive and immature.'

He added that he does not normally find 16-year-olds attractive, and that he made a mistake with 'enormous consequences'.
During the trial, the actor admitted he knew the girl, who is from Cheshire, was 16 at the time but said she never resisted his advances as he denied the charge at the High Court in Bridgetown, Barbados.
He said they first began kissing one evening after larking around in the hotel pool and then went on to have sex on a nearby lounger.
When the jury delivered the verdict at the end of the six-day trial, tears and screams of joy instantly broke out from his family's section in the court.
The first person he called was his mother, Caroline.
He then phoned his 97-year-old grandfather who, Ben says, has been in tears about the situation many times.

Now the actor is looking forward to getting his career back on track, *and the soap bosses have said they will happily meet with him on his return to the UK*.
He has also credited his girlfriend, actress Sophie Ladds, 32, for being 'very supportive' throughout the ordeal.

So perhaps we will see him back again.  :Smile:

----------


## Perdita

Ben Freeman made "bad choices" that led to him being accused of raping a girl, the actor has conceded.

The 28-year-old's trial in Barbados concluded with a 'not guilty' verdict on Friday. Freeman had been accused of forcing himself onto a 16-year-old British girl at a holiday resort in the country in 2006.

Speaking to This Morning, Freeman admitted that he regretted his actions and was eager to return to work.

"I do have to say that I made a lot of bad choices that I put myself in a position where someone can say that about me," he said. "The important point is that I didn't do anything illegal but it was silly."

Freeman played the role of mechanic Scott Windsor in Emmerdale from 1998 until 2007.

----------


## Chloe O'brien

I don't think Ben will be able to return to acting.  Although he was found not guilty a lot of people will find it hard to accept it, look at John Lesile he has never been able to return to tv work after being accused of Rape.

----------


## inkyskin

I think he should be able to go back,I think it's unfair that because a silly little girl played big girls games and because of that an innocent person suffers.

Yes,apparently mud sticks,but it shouldn't.

He should be able to return to the soap with his head held high.

 :Angel:

----------


## Perdita

Former Emmerdale actor Ben Freeman could still make a return to the Yorkshire soap, despite a recent tabloid report.

The 28-year-old, who played mechanic Scott Windsor for nine years, was axed from the ITV1 show in 2007 after being charged with rape in Barbados. He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing after facing trial in October last year.

At the end of last year, Freeman met with soap chiefs to discuss a possible return, but a weekend tabloid claimed that producers had concluded that there was 'no room' for him to make a comeback to the show as 'storylines had moved on'. 

However, a spokesperson for the soap today told DS: "There are no current plans for Ben to return to Emmerdale but it has not been ruled out in the future."

Freeman recently signed up to tour with the Bill Kenwright-produced musical Dreamboats and Petticoats.

*There is plenty of room for him to return imo*

----------


## tammyy2j

Does he still own the garage and the house or did he sell to Carl King?

----------


## Abbie

Why would we want him to come back?

----------


## *-Rooney-*

no its debbies garage, thats how she owes money to carl - i think?

----------


## Perdita

Yes, I think he lent her the money to buy Scott's half. He could come back and pay off Carl and get his half back and work with Debbie again  :Big Grin:

----------


## Perdita

BEN Freeman last night told of his longing to return to Emmerdale â saying: âIâve got unfinished business.â 

Ben, 28, was suspended from the soap by ITV chiefs immediately after being charged with rape in Barbados two years ago. 

The actor â who played mechanic Scott Windsor â was devastated when soap bosses failed to renew his contract before his case came to court. 

The actor was cleared by a jury â who took just 90 minutes to find him not guilty of raping a 16-year-old British tourist. 

But last night Ben said he was in talks to return to Emmerdale.

He said: âThere has been talk of me going back in August. Iâd love to go back. Scottâs a great character. 

âIronically, I was thinking of leaving anyway because Iâd been playing the character for such a long time. 

âBut because I didnât get to leave on my own terms, Iâd like to go back, finish off the story properly and say goodbye to Scott like that.â 

He said scriptwriters are considering merging his comeback with the return of Deena Payne (his on-screen mum Viv Hope) after her year-long sabbatical ends in August. 

He said: âI miss Yorkshire and I miss Emmerdale. When I visit the set everybody is amazing. 

Theyâre one big family and have been incredibly supportive.â But Ben revealed to TV Biz how he had battled to rebuild his life and career after his ordeal. 

He said: âIt was a nightmare. It has been awful, but I want to rebuild my career. I want to be back on telly. 

âI want people to say, âLetâs forget about that, let him get on with his work,â because Iâm pretty good. 

âI was worried that nobody would want to employ me, but that has not been the case.â 

He told how he had struggled to have a relationship after the false rape claim. 

Ben â who had a long-term relationship with former Emmerdale beauty Amy Nuttall â has been dating actress Sophie Ladds, 32, for the past six months. 

He said he no longer has the same care-free approach to life â and doesnât enjoy flirting with women.

Ben said: âSophie and I are happy. Weâve been together now for six months. 

âItâs not that Iâve found it hard to trust women again â Iâm just not interested in going out there and meeting lots of different girls. Itâs made me realise how blinkered I was before with women. 

âI didnât realise that women went after men, or if I did, I didnât see it as a problem. Iâm growing older and things change. 

âI want a career now and family is more important to me than ever. 

âMy whole outlook has changed a lot. But Iâm positive about the future.â 

BEN stars in Dreamboats and Petticoats at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley, South East London, from Thursday February 19. 

*Yes   I would love it if he came back* 

From The Sun

----------


## Perdita

Emmerdale star Ben Freeman will NOT return to the soap despite being cleared of rape.

The actor had hinted at a comeback in an interview this week.

But a spokeswoman for the ITV show yesterday said they have âabsolutely no plansâ to bring him back.

The news is a crushing blow to heart-throb Ben, 28 â who played mechanic Scott Windsor.

He was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl on a sun lounger on holiday in Barbados in 2006.

Ben stepped down from the show pending the outcome of the case and a year later Emmerdale chiefs didnât renew his contract claiming his upcoming court case would make it too difficult to plan storylines.

Ben was found not guilty last October after a six-week trial. Days later soap bosses said they would be âhappy to meetâ with the Â£100,000-a-year actor.

Ben saw producers at the Emmerdale studios but no further discussion took place.

An insider said: âStorylines are already in place until the summer and there is no mention of Scott Windsor. If I was a betting man I would not put money on the likelihood of Ben coming back.â

Ben, now dating actress Sophie Ladds, 32, is starring in a musical, Dreamboats and Petticoats, in Bromley, SE London.

Benâs spokeswoman said last night: âI am bemused. We were led to believe the door was still open.â

From The Mirror

----------


## Abbie

Good, I hope he doesnt come back

----------


## Abigail

I hope this has nothing to do with the allegation. I understand that it may be bad for ITV's image to employ somebody who was charged with a serious crime but he was aquitted. He sould be able to get on with his life now and build a career that isn't based around, or affected by, the allegation.

----------

Chris_2k11 (16-02-2009)

----------


## Chris_2k11

> I hope this has nothing to do with the allegation. I understand that it may be bad for ITV's image to employ somebody who was charged with a serious crime but he was aquitted. He sould be able to get on with his life now and build a career that isn't based around, or affected by, the allegation.


Completely agree.

----------


## Perdita

It's been a tough couple of years for former Emmerdale actor Ben Freeman after he was accused of, stood trial for and ultimately cleared of rape in Barbados. Now, the 28-year-old actor - who played Scott Windsor in Emmerdale - stars in the all-singing, all-dancing production of Dreamboats And Petticoats. DS recently caught up with Ben to chat about the musical, his recent ordeal and a potential return to the Yorkshire-based soap.

Can you tell us a little about the musical?
"It surrounds a group of kids who are talented singers and musicians. They go to this youth club and the story follows their love stories. It's kind of like a modern-day, English version of Happy Days and it's written by two fantastic sitcom writers Maurice Gran and Lawrence Marks. The lines are great - it's very funny. The plot sees them enter a singing competition, so there are loads of songs that the audience will know to sing along and dance to."

What role do you play?
"I play Norman, who's like The Fonz â that's the only way to describe him. He's really cool, has a swagger to him and thinks all the girls love him. I absolutely love the character."

Have you done much preparation for the role?
"Well I go to the gym anyway, but I've been doing a lot more running and cardio because it's incredibly tiring doing all the routines. I've also been speaking to my dad because he was a '50s child, so he knows all about the era and he had an enormous quiff like I have in the show!"

Who else is in the cast?
"There's Scott Bruton from the X Factor who plays Bobby and Jennifer Bidall from Hollyoaks, who's playing my love interest Sue. It's great watching people who can sing, dance and play about 14 different instruments at the same time!"

Do you play an instrument?
"I play a bit of piano, but not an awful lot. I'm not brilliant at it, so I leave the rest to the band. "

Do you enjoy the kind of music featured in the show?
"I love it. My dad used to play it all the time. Even if you didn't grow up in the '50s, though, there are numbers that you'll recognise. There are a lot of Elvis numbers and Hank Marvin ones. Then there are classics like Twist Again by Chubby Checker. It really is great music."

What's your favourite music from the show?
"The track that I go on stage to is The Wanderer by Dion, I love that one. That'd have to by my favourite track."

How have the events of the past couple of years affected you?
"It's made me focus more on my career and look to the future. I have a completely different outlook on life now. I'm not upset, angry or disappointed, I'm just really pleased that I've got another job and am able to move on."

There's been a lot of talk of you potentially returning to Emmerdale to reprise your role as Scott Windsorâ¦
"I loved playing the character â I played him for 10 years and he had a great screen family. The Windsors were fantastic â they were great comedy value. With Scott, you loved him and hated him at the same time."

Is that something you'd still be interested in returning to?
"Yeah, definitely. I'm doing Dreamboats And Petticoats for at least the next six months and there's hope that it'll go to the West End. If it did, I'd love to do this, but because of the way I left Emmerdale, there's still potential for Scott to return to the Dales. If they asked me to go back, then I'd definitely think about it. I love the show and love the people."

Have you attended the meetings that have been reported in the press?
"Yeah, I have. There is talk, but we'll have to see what happens. Last year an the year before were the two worst years of my life, but this year is looking great."

Do you still keep in touch with any of the cast?
"All the time. I still see Deena Payne [Viv] a lot and play football with Kelvin Fletcher [Andy]."

Have you seen much of it recently?
"Emmerdale's been going for a long time and all soaps have their good times and bad times. At the moment, I think it could do with some life breathing into it, but at the end of the day, it's still there and people are still watching it. I'm sure it'll be around for a long time to come."

Dreamboats And Petticoats began its run at selected theatres around the country yesterday.

----------


## lilliput

> Does he still own the garage and the house or did he sell to Carl King?


Debbie bought both the house and garage.
She borrowed money from Carl for the house so he holds her mortgage.
He has nothing to do with the garage.

----------


## tammyy2j

Married ex Emmerdale actor Ben Freeman has been having an affair with his West End co-star Gina Beck, it has been claimed.
Ben, who has a 15-month-old son, was pictured openly kissing and hugging his lover, 31, on a packed tube just last week - apparently not caring who saw them.
Sources said the pair have been lovers since January and have enjoyed sneaking around behind the back of Ben's wife, former Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Biddall, after meeting on West End show Wicked three months ago.

----------

