“All the good ones go.”
Emmerdale viewers were in for quite a shock in last night’s (July 27th) episode after fan-favourite Rishi Sharma was killed off.
Played by Bhasker Patel for the last 12 years, Rishi had had a disagreement with his son Jai (Chris Bisson) when the truth about his paternity came to light. In recent scenes, Rishi was forced to admit that Jai wasn’t his biological son, but his brother’s.
The shock revelation led to an awkward moment with a disappointed Jai just as he and Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) were about to walk down the aisle. Rishi was adamant he wouldn’t attend the ceremony after he realised his son was disappointed in him for not telling him sooner.
Nonetheless, Georgia (Trudie Goodwin) gave him a pep talk and he decided to go, after all. Sadly, he wouldn’t make it – as the camera panned to show a lifeless Rishi at the bottom of the stairs.
Strong reactions from upset Emmerdale fans were quick to arrive after the episode aired.
Absolutely gutted , I didn’t realise he was leaving the show and in such a sad way. Wishing him enormous luck in his next adventure
— Sharon Matthews (@Shaz11670) July 27, 2023
I really DO hope this was @bhaskerpatel‘s decision to leave and not Emmerdale culling yet another older character? Damn it, all the good ones go. Will miss Rishi. Thank you Bhasker, you’ve been amazing. ???????? The only positive is that Nikhil might come back for the funeral?
— VOR (@VoiceOfReasonEF) July 28, 2023
Such a huge loss to the show. @bhaskerpatel was very much the heart of #Emmerdale as #Rishi. He (Rishi) was that rare thing in soapland: a decent, loving, family-centered man who was a friend of everyone.
A great pity to see both actor and character leave in this manner.— John Hughes (@hughesjg) July 27, 2023
Just caught up with tonight’s Emmerdale. I’m genuinely gutted about Rishi, he was my absolute favourite character. So many characters deserved bumping off before him, and the storyline leading upto it was god awful ????
— JayeLorene (@JayeLorene) July 27, 2023
As Jai is set to discover his dad’s body in a new episode, an emotional Patel appeared on today’s Lorraine to give some insights into his dramatic exit.
“The producer rang me and said, ‘I need to talk to you, and we’re killing you off because we want a big story and it’s going to be a big surprise,'” the actor explained.
“[In] my 12 years at ITV, they let me do a lot of other work, so I felt a part of ITV, a part of Rishi, but at the same time… I was working in London as well.
“So when the producer said, ‘We’re going to kill you off’, I was like, ‘Okay, that part of my life with this guy is over and I’m going to move on.'”
Read more:
- 6 Emmerdale spoilers next week: Dan pleads guilty, Gabby tries it on with Billy
- Samantha Giles to leave Emmerdale role as Bernice Blackstock
- Emmerdale airs sudden emotional exit – and Arthur is heartbroken
Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soapshub.
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