Ellis Chapman in Emmerdale might not have set screens alight during his time on the soap, but the two actors who played him certainly made an impact off-screen.
First arriving in the Dales in September 2018, Ellis left in October 2019 only to be recast in December of the same year.
He then departed again in February last year.
Ellis is regularly mentioned on screen, but what happened to the actors who played him? Could either of them come back?
Who was Ellis Chapman in Emmerdale?
Ellis Chapman arrived as a love interest for Victoria Sugden, but it was soon revealed that his mum, Jessie Grant, was dating Marlon Dingle and Ellis stayed in the village.
They were later joined by his half-brother Billy Fletcher, and his dad Al Chapman followed soon after.
Ellis’s feud with Billy was one of his main storylines, with the pair struggling to find middle ground. Their rift led to Ellis being stabbed outside a nightclub by Billy’s rivals.
After Ellis’s relationship with Victoria faltered, he turned his attentions to Belle Dingle and Priya Sharma.
Priya had also been dating his dad and the three became involved in a love triangle.
When Ellis left for Australia in February 2022, he had been seeing Belle, but his final scenes were with Priya as they declared they would always love each other.
Who played Ellis Chapman in Emmerdale and what happened to him?
Ellis was initially played by Asan N’Jie from his arrival in 2018 to his initial departure in October 2019.
Ellis left screens suddenly for a job in Dubai after Asan was sacked from the soap for “unacceptable behaviour”.
However Ellis returned later that year with a new face. This time he was played by Aaron Anthony.
Aaron had had roles in many television shows including Doctors, Holby City and Midsomer Murders before he took over the part of Ellis.
However, in February 2022, Ellis left abruptly once again after receiving a job offer in Australia. This time, it was reported that Aaron had left over an alleged racist incident on set.
Why was Asan N’Jie sacked from Emmerdale?
At the 2019 TV Choice Awards, Asan was caught on camera threatening to stab and kill Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas in a reported row “over money.”
According to the Mirror, Asan said to Jamie: “Do you think you are a [bleep] big man? I’m going to [bleep] kill you. I’m going to [bleep] knife you.”
It was later confirmed that Asan had been axed from the ITV soap following the incident.
At the time ITV issued a statement saying: “Emmerdale suspended Asan N’Jie yesterday pending further investigation into an incident at a central London hotel on Monday night.
“ITV executives have met with him this morning and as a consequence, Asan’s contract has been terminated with immediate effect.”
According to reports, Asan phoned Jamie to apologise.
Why did Aaron Anthony leave Emmerdale as Ellis Chapman?
After a short break when Ellis was off-screen the role was recast with Aaron Anthony taking on the part. But he then left in February 2022.
Reports at the time suggested Aaron had quit the role of Ellis following an alleged race row involving other cast members.
Aaron was said to have been annoyed about the reported behaviour of two Emmerdale colleagues – Matthew Wolfenden and Isabel Hodgins – during filming for Survival Week.
The Sun claims that the verbal altercation was over a comment made. It also alleged there was mimicking of a mixed-race co-star’s accent.
The co-star has not been identified.
The source added: “We have been told that Aaron brought this up with Matthew subsequently and that there was a tense conversation between them. Matthew and Isabel stopped filming afterwards.
“Emotions have been running high on set ever since. But no one knows what to believe.
“The female cast member who was involved is filming as normal. But she wishes that she wasn’t entangled in it.”
According to the newspaper, Matthew, 42, and Isabel, 29, both categorically denied the allegations.
They are said to believe that there was a misunderstanding.
The pair were written out of the show shortly after the incident. However they returned to screens in January after their characters had had a very long holiday in Portugal.
Aaron quits the show
It was later claimed Aaron had quit the show over what had happened.
A source told The Sun: “Aaron is bitterly angry about this situation and he has had to be persuaded to come back to Leeds to film his scenes in recent months.
“He has done some filming over the last couple of weeks, but the understanding is that those scenes will be his last.”
The insider said Aaron appeared “very vocal” about the allegations.
“He now feels his position on the show is untenable,” the source added.
Emmerdale responded to the claims last year.
A spokesperson for the soap told Entertainment Daily: “While we would never comment on individual cases, Emmerdale has robust policies in place to deal with any allegations brought to our attention and take the appropriate steps.”
In addition, an ITV spokesperson added: “We don’t comment on cast contracts.”
Is Ellis being recast in Emmerdale again?
When his dad, Al Chapman, was shot dead last year, it was suggested Ellis would return for the funeral.
In fact, he did comeback, but wasn’t seen on screen.
He, and his mother, Jessie, came for the service and left immediately after.
Ellis’s brother Billy still mentions Ellis, and has even met up with him in London, but Ellis has not been seen in the Dales by viewers since his departure almost a year ago.
Aaron Anthony has since starred in The Pact and Asan N’Jie has continued his career in Bloodlands. And with both having left under clouds, it seems unlikely the door would be open for them.
So if there ever was a return for Ellis, a recast looks likely.
But should he come back to the Dales?
Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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