Emmerdale viewers were thrilled as Caleb Milligan arrived on the soap this festive season.
Cain and Chas Dingle's long lost brother was taken into care as a child and believed his mum, Faith, died when he was a teenager. A flashback episode aired last night which showed the origins of Cain and Caleb's relationship.
The episode revealed why the brothers are estranged and why Cain has kept his existence a secret. In the present day, Caleb is played by Will Ash, who is renowned for his role as Christopher Mead in Waterloo Road.
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The actor told the Daily Star how he is already well-acquainted to his onscreen brother as he shared a surprising connection. Cain is played by Jeff Hordley and Will revealed they both attended the same school.
He said: "We both went to the same school, North Chadderton Comprehensive in Oldham and had a really inspirational drama teacher called Colin Snell who not only inspired us but the likes of Nicola Stephenson and then went on to another school with Jonas Armstrong and Jenna Coleman."
They both acted in the play Another Country while at school together, though Jeff was a few years ahead of Will in the sixth form. He added: "For me when I was that age, coming in and seeing all these lads in a play taking acting really seriously, I've never seen that before and it was one of the reasons I ended up going professional. It was quite inspiring."
The two have also appeared in some of the same shows before, as they landed roles in both Children’s Ward and Heartbeat in the past. The 45-year-old actor hails from a talented family as he is the second cousin of Peter Ash, who plays Paul Foreman in Coronation Street.
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