What happened to Douglas Potts in Emmerdale and who played him?

31 May 2022, 09:05

Why did Doug leave Emmerdale? And where is Duncan Preston now? Here's what we know...

Emmerdale fans will know Douglas Potts who joined the ITV soap back in 2007.

He is the father of Laurel Thomas and Caroline Swann, and the ex-husband of Hilary Potts, as well as being the grandfather of Arthur and Dotty Thomas.

Over the years, his storylines have included helping Laurel with her alcohol addiction, as well as embarking on romances with Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen) and Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop).

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But what happened to Douglas Potts and who played him? Here’s what we know…

What happened to Douglas Potts in Emmerdale?

Douglas Potts left Emmerdale in 2020 after deciding to move to Australia.

In early February 2020, the Thomas family were devastated to hear Ashley's father Sandy Thomas had died in Australia.

The family travelled to Oz for his funeral and Doug ended up not wanting to leave.

He later revealed to Laurel that Betty Eagleton had offered him Sandy's old apartment and he wanted to move there.

After some doubts, he eventually decided to go on 27th February 2020.

Who played Douglas Potts in Emmerdale?

Duncan Preston played Douglas Potts from 2007-2020.

He is 75-years-old and is best known for his appearances in television productions written by Victoria Wood, including his roles of Clifford in the soap opera parody sketches Acorn Antiques, and Stan in the sitcom dinnerladies (1998–2000).

He also starred as DS Todd in EastEnders back in 1987 and Jonathan Haslam in the sitcom Surgical Spirit in 1989.

Where is Duncan Preston now?

Duncan has appeared in plenty of other TV shows including Casualty, Heartbeat, The Royal, Holby City and Midsomer Murders.

He has also had roles in films such as Porridge and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.

As for his private life, Duncan was married to actress Susan Penhaligon between 1986 and 1992.

After they divorced, the couple got back together in 1997 and are still together now.