Rodney's heart attack is good news for Patrick

Emmerdale star Patrick Mower has experienced a serious case of deja-vu after his character Rodney Blackstock suffered a heart attack.

Phone lines at Yorkshire Television, where the soap is made, were inundated with callers worried that Rodney had died - so bringing an end to Patrick's involvement in the soap.

"Exactly the same thing happened when I was in a TV show called Callan, years ago, with Edward Woodward," remembers Patrick.

"My character in that, James Cross, was involved in a has-he, hasn't-he been killed storyline and the phone lines were jammed then also."

Public reaction to Rodney's heart attack is good news for Patrick. Yorkshire TV bosses are now aware of how popular the character is and, provided he recovers from his heart attack, seem likely to give him some big storylines in the future.