Nick Miles has broken his silence following his departure from Emmerdale, where he portrayed Jimmy King for more than two decades.
The 63-year-old actor, previously known for his role in The Bill, was written out of the ITV soap in dramatic scenes broadcast on Thursday evening, with his character dying after a devastating car crash.
In a video posted on Emmerdale’s official Instagram account, co-star Nicola Wheeler asked Miles why Jimmy had to be killed off.
His response was straightforward: “Everybody I know who read that script, the first thing they said was that it made me cry.”
The character had first appeared in the Yorkshire-set serial back in 2004, making Miles’s stint on the programme a 22-year run.
Speaking to Metro, Mr Miles disclosed that this was not the first occasion on which show bosses had contemplated killing off his character.
Back in 2006, he had taken a break from filming to perform in a play called Meeting Joe Strummer at the Edinburgh Festival.
During his absence, which coincided with the storyline involving the collapse of the Kings’ house, writers decided Jimmy should be killed.
Nick Miles has broken his silence following his departure from Emmerdale
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GETTY
The actor only learned of this near-miss roughly three years after the fact.
“The producer told me that she had to jump up and down, kicking and screaming,” he recalled.
“She said: ‘I promised him he could come back. I’m not gonna kill him off while he’s away,’ so that was close!”
Mr Miles also offered a warm tribute to Ms Wheeler, his on-screen wife. “We both broke down,” he said of their final scenes together.
Nick Miles has played Jimmy on the soap for 22 years
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ITV
“It’s the end of a long relationship that we made together. I sent her a letter telling her that I’ve been so lucky to have the best onscreen partner. But we will always be mates.”
Jimmy’s death continues a grim pattern that fans have dubbed the “King curse.” Since the family arrived at Home Farm in 2004, nearly every member has met a violent end.
Brother Max perished in a car accident linked to the feuding Sugden brothers Robert and Andy. Patriarch Tom King was pushed from a window and killed a year later.
Matthew, another brother, died in a 2008 car crash after attempting to murder sibling Carl, who was himself killed during a live episode in 2012. Tom’s widow Rosemary also died off screen.
Nick Miles’ Emmerdale character Jimmy King died in heartbreaking scenes on Thursday
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ITV
In Jimmy’s final moments, Nicola rushed to the wrecked wedding marquee where he lay trapped.
She held his hand and told him she loved him as he imagined their planned vow renewal, before he succumbed to his injuries.
Viewers have reacted with fury to the decision, with many arguing the character was “done dirty” and deserved a better send-off.
Some questioned why the door could not have been left open for a potential return, while others said Jimmy was not a character they would have chosen to axe.
Adding to the frustration is the timing of Patsy Kensit’s imminent comeback as Jimmy’s ex-wife Sadie King, which means the pair will never share the screen again.
Ms Kensit has already been filming for two months and recently appeared on Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast, where she offered a taste of what lies ahead: “I’m only back for six months but the storylines are fantastic, it’s written really well. It’s a hell of a ride, and I’m right in the middle of it at the moment.”