Former Emmerdale star Liam Fox announces new gig

Former 'Emmerdale' star Liam Fox has a new gig following his exit as Dan Spencer last year.

The 53-year-old former soap star made his final appearance on 'Emmerdale' in August, with Dan going to prison after the manslaughter of Lloyd Sawyer and Liam has now revealed that he has joined the touring production of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', where he will play the role of Grandpa Potts.

He shared on Instagram: "Absolutely over the moon to be able to announce my next adventure post @itvxofficial @emmerdale as I join the cast of @chittyontour from this spring as #grandpapotts #actorslife #excited #blessed @uktheatre."

Liam previously admitted he had been thinking about leaving 'Emmerdale' for a while so was thrilled when producers came up with his exit storyline.

He told The Mirror: "I had actually got to a point where I had been starting to think I needed a change to perhaps leave 'Emmerdale' but I was struggling to have the bottle to make it.

"And so, when the producers first told me about what was going to happen to Dan, my immediate reaction was, 'This is brilliant'. I knew it would mean I would be working flat out so I wanted to put everything into it."

Dan was jailed after fatally punching Lloyd, who had been online-stalking his daughter Amelia.

Liam said: "Millions watch Emmerdale and I hope if it makes one person watching stop and change their mind about how one punch can lead to catastrophic results, then this story is worth it for that alone. I know the sentence will come as a shock to fans but it’s important to get it right, especially as there are campaigns ongoing for people who commit manslaughter to get a longer sentence.

"If someone killed my child or wife then I would want them to pay for it too. I’ve loved playing Dan because he is a likeable character. He wants to do the right thing but this story is one where he’s done everything against what Dan stands for. Whilst this story is bittersweet as it means I am leaving the soap, I have also had a brilliant time filming and I have even lost a stone in the process."