Bob Hope has been a key part of Emmerdale life for 22 years this year having made his first appearance on the soap back in 2000.
Tony Audenshaw made his debut as Bob when his character tried to sell Viv Windsor stockings for her shop. Less than six months later, Bob was proposing to Viv and he's been a fan favourite ever since.
Bob has been involved in some of the Leeds-based soap's biggest storylines over the years - from his shock when friend Terry Woods returns from holiday with his daughter Dawn in tow for her to later died in shock scenes to having an affair with Laurel behind wife Brenda's back, and more marriages and divorces than one person needs.
Emmerdale viewers haven't seen as much of Bob of late after he sorted out his differences with Marlon Dingle and Rhona Goskirk over their daughters' online bullying ordeal.
But many people may not know that Tony had another role in Emmerdale before playing Bob. In 1996, fours years before bagging his permanent role, he arrived in the village as a character called Acky, appearing for six episodes.
Acky was a security guard at Frank Tate's quarry and appeared in scenes at The Woolpack and he also was seen hitting Betty Eagleton with a stick and knocking her out.
And before his big break in the ITV soap, he also appeared in rival soap Brookside on Channel 4 in 1995. He starred as PC Ian Coben in Channel 4 soap and landed the role of Bob just over one year later. Tony has also had roles in toher TV programmes including Where the Heart Is, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Peak Practice and Heartbeat but it still remains that Bob is the character he is most recognised for.
But he might not have got the job in the first place if his former on-screen wife had anything to do with it. Deena Payne, who played Viv Hope until 2011, previously revealed that she wasn't sure that Tony was right for the part, saying to Soap from the Box podcast: "The truth [is] there were six people auditioning for Bob and the producer came up to me and said, 'Look, did you have any feelings about [any of them]?
"And I said, 'Well, not number six because he was really creepy'. And that's Tony," the Daily Star reported her as saying. "Anyway, bless him, not that anybody told him – he got the job. And in retrospect, he was so right because he used to backcomb his hair like Viv backcombed her hair."
Away from his work on Emmerdale, the Denton-born actor has a very surprising other job as he fronts a band called White Van Man who tour and play plenty of gigs. An intro on the band's official Facebook page reads: "How do? Come and see us live, we play pubs round Stockport and The High Peak and unusual events that."
The Mirror reports that back in 2010, the band teamed up with acclaimed operatic singer Sean Ruane for an unofficial England football song to try and inspire the side at that year’s World Cup. However, the song, Viva Englandia, didn't bring the team much look with the side crashing out in the early stages of the competition.
Running is another interest of Tony's having completed an impressive ten London Marathons. He even broke the Guinness World Record back n 2010 for the fastest time set by a runner dressed as a baby, when he completed the London Marathon in 3 hours and 13 minutes.
He's also run the Robin Hood Marathon in Nottingham in 3 hours 54 minutes and 29 seconds and he often laced up his trainers while in fancy dress for the charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.
But his soap life interrupted his real-life challenge one year. Tony previously Zoe Ball on ITV show Zoe Ball on Sunday that he was heckled by some Emmerdale fans during the 2018 Brighton Marathon following Bob's affair with Laurel in the soap.
He said: "I was at the Brighton Marathon and the reaction was unbelievable. They were saying: 'You're disgusting! Don't do that to Brenda. Keep your hands off Laurel!'"
Tony has also suffered some heartbreak in his life. In 2017, his wife Ruth died of pancreatic cancer aged 43, 16-months after being diagnosed with the devastating disease.
The couple had been married since 1996 after meeting in an aerobics class together three years earlier. They had two children together, George and Emily.
Speaking to The Mirror after Ruth's passing, he said: "She knew it was too late for her, but she wanted to help others. Two weeks before she died she had some of her cells harvested to be used in research trials.
"They might be pivotal in some kind of breakthrough. I have to hope so. That’s what Ruth was all about. She was a brilliant person. She was so brave. It’s really unfair that she’s gone, but my life was enriched so much by spending 24 years with her."
Tony is reported to have spoken out about his loss in order to raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer UK, following his late wife's wishes. Then, speaking on Loose Women a couple of years later in 2019, Tony said: "I really miss Ruth — grief is not linear. It goes up and down. I grieve, go to work, keep busy. Let’s have more miserable storylines to cheer me up at work!"
Tony has also previously opened up about his life before he became an actor Speaking in the same Loose Women interview, he explained that during his trips to London in the 70s he would sleep in the back of his car, instead of forking out £70 on a hotel or B&B, because he could not afford the city's high prices.
He said: "I used to work at Thorpe Park, the theme park, I use to be the Thorpe Park rangers and do the voices. Up North things are much cheaper. I came down here in the 80s, and it was £70 for a BNB. If I was down for five nights I would sleep in the car, because I didn't have much money coming in."
