Emmerdale return ‘sealed’ for star over two decades since first episode in Bob Hope twist

‘s Bob Hope, played by Tony Audenshaw, could be in for a surprise as fans speculate about the return of a beloved character.

Bob has been a constant presence on the soap since 2000 and holds the title of ‘s most married character, with a string of failed romances to his name.

His love life has included marriages to Viv Windsor (Deena Payne) and Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop), as well as a scandalous affair with Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy).

Last month, Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson), his partner and mother to one of his seven children, left the village after six years, leaving him heartbroken.

In addition to being a father, Bob is also a grandfather to TJ Woods, born in 2003. TJ is the son of the late Terry (Billy Hartman) and Bob’s daughter Dawn (Julia Mallam) Woods.

Tragically, Dawn died in an explosion at the King’s River show home in 2006. Five years later, TJ contracted E.coli while living in the village with his father.

In a devastating twist, TJ’s father Terry was killed in a village fire. With seven year old TJ orphaned, Bob decided it would be best for him to live with his ex-wife Jean (Julie Higginson; Susan Penhaligon) in Morocco, where he has remained ever since, reports Leeds Live. However, fans are speculating that TJ might be making a comeback. Moreover, they believe he may have already made an appearance.

Fans have taken to the internet to share their theories, suggesting that Dylan (Fred Kettle), the homeless friend of April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) who was introduced last week, could actually be TJ. As viewers will remember, April – Bob’s granddaughter – disappeared over Christmas for several weeks.

In a heart-wrenching episode last week, audiences were shown what she had been doing since leaving the Dales, including forming a friendship with street-dweller Dylan.

One fan on an Facebook fan page proposed: “Ok wacky theory time but bare with me, how old would you say Dylan is, 22 maybe would you say? So could Dylan ( now sit down and hold on tight here comes the wacky stuff) could “Dylan” be TJ, Bob’s grandson?”

Other fans concurred, with one commenting: “As in dawns son? That’s a great theory.” Another added: “He is supposedly in Morocco but you never know.” Echoing these sentiments, another fan wrote: “Good theory and I think Dylan could be in his early twenties.”

airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm