Emmerdale's new Barton clan includes ex Hollyoaks star Anthony Quinlan

Former Hollyoaks star Anthony Quinlan is joining the cast of Emmerdale as the eldest son of a struggling single parent farmer.

His character, Pete, is the son of James Barton, played by former Coronation Street star Bill Ward.

The family, which already includes Pete's on-screen brother and petty criminal Ross (Michael Parr), is completed by Joe Gill, playing the youngest brother Finn.

Bill, who played Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street, said: "The Barton boys are tremendous: feisty, strong willed, and a lot of fun to work with.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed the scenes we've had together thus far, and look forward to an awful lot more bad behaviour in the future."

Anthony played Gilly Roach in Hollyoaks.

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.