Emmerdale actress Natalie J Robb has teased her co-star Michael Parr’s return to the ITV soap as Ross Barton.

It was announced earlier in the month that that Mike would be reprising his role following a six-year absence, originally playing him between 2013 and 2018.

In a video shared on social media, Vinny Dingle star Bradley Johnson was seen strolling around Emmerdale’s production hub in Leeds looking for the returnee.

Little did he realise, he was in the background of each shot!

Natalie, of course, plays Ross’ aunt Moira Dingle, and is currently having a rough time after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. The illness was discovered after she suffered a number of seizures, and family noticed a worrying change in her behaviour.

At one point she accidentally set fire to a barn at Butler’s Farm.

Speaking to Radio Times, she expressed her excitement at having a member of her on-screen family return: ‘I love Mikey… he’ll kill me for calling him that!’

‘We’ve kept in touch over the six years since he left, and I’m thrilled he’s back’ she continued.

‘I enjoy the continuity of seeing those familiar faces again. He looks exactly the same and hasn’t aged a bit, how dare he!’

Shortly prior to the farm inferno, her twisted sister-in-law Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly) arrived and began to taunt her. Moira suddenly began to hear her (very much deceased) arch-enemy Emma Barton’s voice, and imagined that Ruby was her.

Emma was, of course, Ross’s mum.

‘Well, Moira did kill his mother, remember!’, Natalie joked.

‘Ross is back with a bang, of course, and is going to cause some trouble, like he always does.’

Some fans have already speculated that his return could spell an end for Charity (Emma Atkins) and her husband Mack (Lawrence Robb).

Given the family connection, this could turn very awkward!