Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext) | '{{Infobox soap character 2
|series=Emmerdale
|color=#99CCCC
|image1=Image:Ashley Thomas.jpg|
name=Ashley Thomas|
portrayer=[[John Middleton (actor)|John Middleton]]|
born=14 November 1961|
death=|
years=1996—|
home=[[List of residences in Emmerdale#Mulberry Cottage|Mulberry Cottage]]|
occupation=[[Vicar]]|
wife = [[Bernice Thomas|Bernice Blackstock]]<br>(2000–03)<br>[[Laurel Thomas|Laurel Potts]] (2005—)|
father = [[Sandy Thomas]]|
mother = Mrs. Thomas|
brothers = Luke Thomas|
daughters =[[Gabby Thomas]] |
sons = [[List of recurring and minor Emmerdale characters#Arthur Thomas|Arthur Thomas]]| adoptivesons = [[Daniel Thomas (Emmerdale)|Daniel Thomas]]|
nieces = [[Jasmine Thomas]]|
first = 5 December 1996|
last =|
classification = [[List of Emmerdale characters|Present; regular]]|
romances = [[Sally Spode]]|
}}
'''Ashley Michael Thomas''' is a [[fictional character]] in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[soap opera]] ''[[Emmerdale]]'' played by [[John Middleton (actor)|John Middleton]].
==Overview==
Ashley Thomas is [[vicar]] of Emmerdale. On his arrival, he presided over the wedding of [[Linda Glover]] and [[Biff Fowler]], only to conduct the funeral of Linda’s brother, Dave, just weeks later.
==Relationship with Bernice Blackstock==
Ashley soon began developing feelings for the landlady of the ''Woolpack'' [[pub]], [[Bernice Blackstock]]. He tried putting them aside as Bernice was engaged to Gavin, despite suspecting that Gavin's intentions weren't what they should be. Oblivious of this feelings, Bernice confided in Ashley and went to him for comfort when she found Gavin in bed with [[Jason Kirk]]. A few months later, Ashley told Bernice how he felt but she rejected him.
===Ashley and Bernice's marriage===
Nevertheless, Bernice’s feelings for Ashley were growing and the couple married on Christmas Day, 2000. Bernice was soon pregnant but miscarried, causing her and Ashley to drift apart. He went away to work, not knowing how to support her, but she blamed him for abandoning her and began an affair with Woolpack chef, [[Carlos Diaz (Emmerdale)|Carlos Diaz]], despite him being engaged to her half-sister, [[Nicola Blackstock]]. Bernice got pregnant but didn't know who the father was.
Carlos and Bernice's affair was revealed on his and Nicola's wedding day. Bernice insisted Nicola tell Carlos that she wasn't pregnant - she lied so he would stay with her. Angry, Carlos told her about his affair with Bernice and how he could be the father of her child. Furious at their betrayal, Nicola told the congregation what she had just learned. Determined to keep his family together, Ashley - who was baby Gabrielle’s father - forgave Bernice but their marriage never recovered. Not wanting Ashley to feel he had to leave, Bernice took a job on a cruise liner.
===Relationship with Louise Appleton===
In 2003, his luck seemed to change when he began a passionate romance with another Woolpack landlady, [[Louise Appleton]]. While they enjoyed each other’s company, Louise and Ashley were not in love and, after nearly dying in a [[Major Storylines of Emmerdale#The Storm_2003|road accident]], they parted amicably.
==Relationship with Laurel Potts==
Although Ashley resolved to stay single, romance was brewing again. Laurel had had feelings for Ashley for some time but he didn't notice until she announced she was leaving. Ashley went after her and declared his feelings for her. The relationship soon became serious and, as Laurel prepared to leave for volunteer work in Tanzania, Ashley proposed. However, his bishop refused to give his blessing and Ashley resigned briefly. Unable to live without his job, Ashley went back and told Laurel they had to put their wedding on hold. The relationship was tested to breaking point as they struggled to convince Bishop [[George Postlethwaite]] of their genuine love.
Meanwhile, Ashley’s curate, [[Ethan Blake]], was falling for Laurel himself. When he told Laurel, she explained that she loved Ashley but Ethan had been lying to George about Ashley and Laurel's relationship. The truth came out, in front of George, who finally gave them his blessing and conducted the service. On their wedding night, Ashley was horrified to find his father, [[Sandy Thomas|Sandy]], in their bed. Ashley told Laurel that he and his father had been on bad terms since Sandy helped Ashley's mother die. With Laurel’s help, father and son were reconciled.
====Laurel's pregnancy====
In December 2006, Laurel discovered she was pregnant. Her pregnancy was uneventful apart from morning sickness interfering with her job as cleaning products made her feel sick. She and Betty started using more natural alternatives. After that, Laurel was able to keep working.
When she was approximately seven months gone, her parents were involved in a car crash. Her father only got cuts and bruises but her mother was in a coma so Laurel went to look after her father. After weeks of worry, her mother made a full recovery. When Hilary was back on her feet, Laurel came home.
===Baby Daniel===
Now due any day, Laurel went to the church and found [[Shadrach Dingle]], helping himself to the communion wine. She told him off but her waters broke and they realised she was in labour. [[Emily Kirk]] had locked the door, thinking the church was empty, so Shadrach rang the bell for help. Later, at Hotten General, Laurel had a baby boy that she and Ashley named Daniel.
Laurel's parents, Doug and Hilary, visited - wanting to meet their grandson. Hilary and Laurel had a heart-to-heart, discussing issues that went back years as Laurel told her mother that she was happy for her to stay but expected to be treated with more respect, now that she was a wife and mother herself. Hilary agreed and she and Doug stayed in the village.
===Daniel's death===
On 21 February 2008, Laurel, Ashley and her parents were having dinner when Laurel found Daniel dead in his cot. Initial shock gave way to anger and Laurel lashed out at everyone. When she snapped at Gabby, Ashley accused her of blaming Gabby for being alive while Daniel was dead so she moved in with [[Betty Eagleton]]. [[Greg Doland]] tried comforting her and she kissed him. Ashamed of her actions, she returned to Ashley and they did their best to work things out. She and Greg agreed to keep their kiss a secret.
===Arthur===
Laurel's mother, Hilary, began suspecting that Arthur Doland was Laurel and Ashley's son. This started when she thought Arthur looked just like Laurel at the same age. Wanting to be sure, she compared Laurel and Arthur's baby photos and realised that he was her grandson. Blood tests confirmed Laurel and Daniel's blood groups were incompatible and Ashley felt the Dolands had a right to know. Initially they dismissed what he was saying as the grief talking - but when the hospital contacted them, they panicked. Scared of losing their son, they tried leaving the country but were stopped by Ashley and Shadrach. Mel ran away with Arthur but Greg went for a DNA test, wanting to prove Ashley wrong. The test confirmed that Arthur wasn't Greg's son and he bonded further with Laurel over stories and pictures of Daniel.
Laurel refused to believe Arthur was hers, feeling she was betraying Daniel. Ashley continued trying to prove that he and Laurel were Arthur's parents. The tension worsened when she admitted kissing Greg. Betty and her parents begged her to support Ashley while Mel begged her not to take Arthur, saying they could be involved in his upbringing. Ashley told Laurel that he would raise his son, with or without her. Ashley and Laurel were granted custody but Laurel refused to have any contact with Arthur. Picking up on the tension, he refused to eat and in desperation, Ashley asked Mel to help. Arthur gradually started eating again but Laurel wouldn't touch him until one day Doug and Betty slipped out, leaving her and Arthur alone. When he started crying, Laurel found him alone and gave him a bottle. She finally started bonding with him. The real turning point, however, was when Arthur became snuffly. Laurel panicked and rushed to hospital, demanding tests. When the doctor said that Arthur just had a cold, she demanded a second opinion. Mel, who had taken them to hospital, tried calming her, prompting the doctor to ask who was the child's mother. After a moment, Laurel said she was. That day, Laurel realised she couldn't ignore Arthur and Mel realised why she and Greg had been advised by the social workers not to have contact with the Thomas'
==Potential closure of church==
During November 2008, Bishop George visited Ashley with bad news. The Church Council was considering closing the church in the village and the rest of Ashley's parish would be absorbed into other parishes. Ashley felt this was very unfair as he and Laurel were just getting back on track and making Arthur part of their family.
Laurel and Nicola, meanwhile, had other plans. Trying to raise the church's profile in the area, they entered the church choir in a regional competition and raised the church's profile, winning a special achievement award. However, Eric Pollard and his son, David, (Nicola's then boyfriend), revealed that they and Nicola had been working together to sabotage the choir and buy the church. Furious at Nicola's betrayal, the village shunned her and David dumped her. When Laurel found Nicola sleeping in the church because she was homeless, she and Ashley invited her to move in with them. After a sit-in protest at the church on Christmas Day, Eric withdrew his offer. The villagers were thrilled but George warned Ashley that it was only a matter of time before the church was sold to someone else.
Ashley and Laurel were starting to get used to the idea of moving on when the village held a leaving party for them at the Woolpack and they were joined by the new owners of Home Farm, Mark and Natasha Wylde. It had been announced that they had bought the church and the vicarage too so local feeling was against them until Natasha announced that their intention of returning the church to the community, instantly wiping out the bad feeling. She told Ashley and Laurel that they would have to pay rent and surprised, they agreed.
===Trouble with Jasmine===
Jasmine had moved into Tug Ghyll with best friend/former girlfriend, Debbie Dingle, as the vicarage was so crowded. Ashley and Laurel were worried about her when the body of her boyfriend, [[Shane Doyle]], was discovered in the lake at Home Farm. They supported her and noticed that she was very jumpy, unaware she, Debbie and Eli were responsible. Jasmine's guilt increased when Ross Kirk was charged with Shane's murder but Donna Windsor-Dingle got him released. Eli and Debbie were arrested, thanks to evidence found at the Dingle homestead, but Jasmine escaped. Jasmine felt guilty about Debbie standing trial for murder in her place and burst into Debbie's court hearing, confessing. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in prison.
These events had other consequences. Jasmine, before she went on the run, had told Laurel that she had killed Shane. Seeing how jumpy and nervous she was, Laurel asked if she was pregnant. She wasn't but Laurel wouldn't let it go so Jasmine confessed. Laurel, in not telling the police what she knew, was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and sentenced to community service. Sandy returned, and was determined to get Jasmine out of prison, despite her guilty plea. His obsession upset Gabby and thinking if she was naughty, she'd be sent to prison, she smashed the computer monitor in the cafe. When Ashley realised why she'd done it, he threw Sandy out. Sandy took shelter in the shed in Debbie's garden, where she found him, and made him realise that Jasmine wasn't the only important person in his life. Sandy had blamed Debbie for Jasmine's plight but he realised that if Debbie was in prison, her little girl would lose her mother.
==Meeting the Spodes again==
As life settled down again, Ashley, Laurel and their family were busy with community affairs. Bishop George visited Ashley, wanting to discuss a "play and pray" initiative, wanting to make more people realise that religion can be fun. Ashley was asked to captain a local cricket team against an old rival of his, Reverend Vincent Spode. Ashley wasn't interested initially but that changed when he heard Vincent's name. Ashley explained to Laurel that he hated Vincent for stealing his ideas for his thesis at university and his then girlfriend, Sally, whom Vincent was now married to. Vincent knew how Ashley felt about him but didn't care and Bishop George, seeing all the disagreements between the two couples, made Laurel Vincent's vice-captain and Sally did the same for Ashley.
On the day, Vincent's team were winning when Ashley, wanting to get Vincent out, threw a ball hard at him but missed, hitting Vincent on the shoulder. He was injured and had to go to hospital, ending the match. Ashley and Laurel didn't expect to see Vincent or Sally again.
===The Spodes' domestic troubles===
They were surprised to see Sally regularly. Sally was nice enough but annoyed Laurel with her constant appearances. Gennie suggested to Laurel that Sally could be lonely so, trying to be charitable, Laurel made an effort to welcome her and include her in their circle of friends.
She was stunned when Sally arrived with a suitcase, announcing she'd left Vincent and asked to stay at the vicarage. Ashley agreed, telling her she could stay as long as she needed, but Laurel felt if Sally and Vincent's marriage was over, she should get a place of her own. Sally used this to cause trouble between Ashley and Laurel, culminating in Laurel contacting Vincent. While he waited for Laurel at the pub, he discovered that Sally was staying with the Thomases and was refusing to move out. Vincent was furious at Sally for lying as he had been worried and furious with Ashley for "concealing" his wife. He lost his temper and hit Ashley but Sally started crying and making the Thomases believe Vincent had been bullying her for years - something Ashley was only too happy to believe.
Shocked at what she'd seen, Laurel apologised to Ashley and Sally, insisting Sally stay with them but Vincent called Bishop George. He insisted Sally and Vincent go for counselling and Sally went home briefly, only to return days later with a black eye. She insisted it was an accident and when Bishop George and Vincent arrived, Ashley told them about Sally's injury. George only believed it when he saw it for himself. He insisted Sally move in with Edna Birch. Sally agreed reluctantly but engineered an incident that meant she returned to the vicarage. George, horrified, by these events, sent Vincent on a retreat to Wiltshire.
===Sally's Obsession===
Unaware that Sally was developing feelings for him and annoying Laurel with her attempts to take her place, Sally decided Laurel was in the way. At a village bonfire event, Laurel's coat accidentally caught fire and Marlon put it out as soon as he noticed but it gave Sally an idea. Annoyed that Laurel was attempting to exclude her, she moved a storage heater closer to a curtain in the church - aware it would overheat - and left, locking the door behind her. The church caught fire with Laurel trapped inside but she rang the bell so Zak and Ashley rescued her. When she came round in hospital, she told Ashley that she had rung the bell because the door was locked. Ashley insisted that the door must have got stuck. Laurel and Nicola realised Sally was responsible and told Ashley but, on Sally's advice, Ashley told Laurel that she needed help. Angry and disgusted, she took the children and left the village - only allowing Gabby to return for school.
Everyone told Ashley to do as Laurel asked and ask Sally to leave but he wouldn't. They both insisted that they had done nothing wrong and now she was staying with Edna, there was no reason for people to gossip. Eventually Ashley realised, after Sally tried to kiss him, that he wanted his family back. Sally, however, had other ideas - discovering Ashley's plans, she deliberately stepped in front of his car so he accidentally knocked her down. She was rushed to hospital but only had minor injuries but she told Edna and the Bishop that she and Ashley had had an affair, which had now ended. Horrified, Edna doubted Ashley and the Bishop suspended him but after being confronted by Ashley and Edna, Sally admitted she was lying so they told her to leave the village. When she refused, he threatened to kill her if necessary. Ashley and Edna were thrilled when Sally left but, before leaving, she broke into Ashley's house and wrecked the place. She also painted "Burn in Hell" on the wall. Bishop George saw it and agreed that Sally was clearly unbalanced. Vincent confirmed that Sally wasn't well but didn't explain further so Ashley was reinstated by the church, effective immediately.
Unfortunately Laurel was struggling to forgive Ashley for choosing Sally over her. Her father and Diane Sugden visited her, trying to make her realise that divorce wasn't her only option but Laurel wasn't willing to listen.
==External links==
*[http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=3712 Ashley Thomas] at [[itv.com]]
{{Emmerdale}}
{{Emmerdale characters}}
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{{EDBlackstock}}
{{EDLambert}}
{{EDPotts}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Ashley}}
[[Category:Emmerdale characters]]
[[Category:Fictional priests and priestesses]]' |
