Overview
John Barton is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by James Thornton. The actor was asked to audition for the part and he called it the "most frightening audition" he had ever done. Thornton won the role of John, who was introduced to Emmerdale along with his family as part of an overhaul of the show by the series producer Gavin Blyth. The Barton family took over the running of Butler's Farm and they were described as being "sexy, modern and contemporary". Thornton made his debut screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 July 2009. The following year, he signed a one-year extension to his contract. In November 2011, Thornton revealed that he was to leave Emmerdale after three years and he departed on 16 February 2012.
Shortly before he arrived on-screen, Blyth described John as being "a very charismatic and modern farmer." He was a family man, who was honest and hard-working. Kate Woodward of Inside Soap called him "ruggedly handsome" and said he had a heart of gold. Thornton called his character a "proper bloke", who was quite moral. John and his family moved to the village to make Butler's Farm a success. John was good at business and employed a modern approach to farming. He and his wife, Moira (Natalie J. Robb), were childhood sweethearts and their marriage was initially solid. However, John shared a kiss with Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw) and two years later Moira had an affair with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley). John struggled to forgive Moira for her infidelity, but eventually realised that he could not be without her.
Creation and casting
On 22 May 2009, it was announced a new farming family called the Bartons would be introduced to Emmerdale in July. Kris Green of Digital Spy reported the show's series producer, Gavin Blyth was introducing the new family as part of an ongoing reinvention of the soap. The family, which consisted of five members – a mother, father, two daughters and a son – took over the running of Butler's Farm. Natalie J. Robb was cast in the role of Moira Barton and Adam Thomas, Sophie Powles and Grace Cassidy were cast as teenagers Adam, Holly and Hannah respectively. Thornton was asked to audition for Emmerdale when the role came through to his agent. He auditioned alongside Robb and they read scenes together.
Characterisation
Upon announcement of his casting, John was described as being a principled, ambitious farmer, who is trying to run a business and keep an eye on his family at the same time. He said "There are definitely going to be confrontations with the Dingles. John will enjoy that battle and give as good as he gets." While Kate Woodward of Inside Soap branded him "ruggedly handsome" and said he wanted to create a happy home for his family. Woodward added that John had a heart of gold and wanted to have fun, though he was not a push over. John and his family moved to the village to make a go of Butlers Farm, which John had big plans for. Thornton stated that John was good at business and he had a modern approach to farming. He was hands on and knew how to make money.
When asked to describe John's approach to his work and family, Thornton said "Even though he's a business guy, he's not just about the money. He likes working hard and obviously cares about his family first and foremost. He's a genuine, grounded bloke and at the moment things are going really well for him." The actor revealed he did have some personal experience of farming as he used to help out on a farm near to where he grew up. For the role of John, Thornton had to take tractor lessons.
Marriage to Moira Barton
In their fictional backstory, John and Moira were childhood sweethearts, with the spark between them "instantaneous". It was love at first sight for the both of them and Robb commented that the couple had a "great chemistry" together. Following several dates, John and Moira married and had their three children. When asked if they were enough for each other, Thornton quipped "Yeah, definitely. What I love about their relationship is that she's a strong woman – she doesn't take any prisoners. She's the boss of the house and he respects that. She calls the shots!" Of why Moira puts her marriage in jeopardy, Robb revealed "She still loves John, but she feels isolated and neglected because he's stopped including her in the finances of the new business.
He's changed the dynamic of their relationship." Cain later tells John what has been going on between him and Moira by dropping hints about their affair. John initially believes Cain is winding him up, but paranoia set in and he confronts his wife in a bid to get the truth. Speaking to Anne Richardson of Inside Soap, Thornton said John is shocked and heartbroken when Moira confirms she did have an affair. The situation is made worse because Moira cheated with Cain, a man hated by most residents. The couple keep their children in the dark and Moira goes quietly. John was named as one of six official suspects, along with Moira. Of John's motive Inside Soap's Kate White said "John's family is in ruins thank to Cain's affair with his wife, Moira.
Violence erupts as the men have a vicious fight this fortnight – and when John is discovered fleeing from the crime scene with blood on his hands, it looks like an open-and-shut case!" Digital Spy conducted a poll asking viewers to select which suspect they thought had carried out the attack and John received 26.3% of the vote, placing him first in the poll.
Eve Jenson
In May 2010, John kissed Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw). Prior to the kiss, John had spent weeks trying to fend off Eve's advances. In an interview with What's on TV, Shaw said Eve developed a big crush on John and because they had a few things in common, it made her hopeful that he was interested in her. Both Moira and Adam noticed Eve flirting with John in The Woolpack, but they just teased him about it. Shaw revealed the attention from Eve was just a bit of fun for John, as he had some problems at home and used it as a way of escaping. He thought Eve was "a nice girl" with nothing malicious about her, which left him open to her charms. However, Cain saw everything and he blackmailed John into paying the outstanding garage bill. Cain later told Moira that he saw John and Eve kissing.
Robb deemed John Moira's soulmate and said even though she knew he looked at other woman, she did not think he would ever act upon it. The actress added that Moira had sensed something before it happened, which made the situation worse.
Departure
On 28 November 2011, it was announced Thornton was to leave Emmerdale. Of his decision to exit the soap, Thornton said "I have had a fantastic time playing John for the past three years, but it's the longest I have ever played one part and the time now feels right to move on. I have decided to leave on a high with a big exit storyline in 2012, which I'm really excited about. I will miss all my colleagues at Emmerdale and have many very fond memories of my time in the Dales." Thornton revealed that he thought the storyline was "brilliant" and stated "As I learned more, I discovered that the scale of John's departure was going to be huge, and that the amount of money they were spending was massive. So I was really, really pleased. As an actor, you always want to do something that's going to grab the audience's attention."
Storylines
John and his family arrive in the village and move into Butler's Farm. When Rodney Blackstock (Patrick Mower) accidentally leaves his van's brakes off, it begins rolling through the village towards the shop. John tries to help Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller) stop it, but it crashes into the shop trapping three of the village residents. John then helps pull the van out of the debris using his tractor, so the villagers can be rescued. When John catches Aaron playing with a lighter in one of his barns, he hits him and locks him inside. After being released, Aaron reports John to the police and he is arrested. Moira goes to Aaron's family and begs them to get Aaron to drop the charges, and he does. John becomes worried when his lambs starting dying on the farm.
When Adam confesses that there has been a chemical spill, John is furious as it incident could threaten the future of the farm and their business. Eve Jenson begins working on the farm and starts flirting with John. He ends up telling her about Holly's drug problems and when he gives her a lift home, John and Eve share a kiss, which Cain Dingle witnesses. He begins blackmailing John into paying an outstanding garage bill and later tells Moira what happened. She asks John to leave the farm, but she eventually forgives him and he returns. John and Moira discover Holly has been thrown out of college for drug dealing and they make her work on the farm. When Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) reveals that some ketamine has gone missing from her bag, John accuses Holly of taking it, but fails to find anything during a search of her room.
Holly's drug problem becomes worse, but when she refuses to stop, John disowns her and she goes missing. John and Moira eventually find Holly and John tries to force her into his car, but she runs off. She eventually returns home and John and Moira decide to lock Holly her in her room, to stop her taking anymore drugs. The situation begins to affect the whole family and Moira goes out and buys some heroin to give to Holly, so she can be weaned off slowly. John becomes frustrated with the situation and when he threatens to try heroin unless she stops, Holly agrees to fight her addiction. Declan Macey (Jason Merrells) announces that he wants to sell the farm, but John refuses to leave and vows to make it into a profitable business so that he can buy it from Declan instead. The pressure of the business causes John and Moira's marriage to suffer.
Cain later reveals that he has been having an affair with Moira and John tells her to leave their house. Cain goads John into a fight and Adam later finds John walking down the road with blood on his hands. When Cain is found to have been attacked, John becomes a suspect and is arrested. He is later released due to a lack of evidence. John begins flirting with Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter), which causes a fight between Aaron and Adam. Moira is also unhappy that John is seeing Chas and the two women fight. John later informs Moira that he wants a divorce. When John and Chas go to have sex, John realises that he cannot go through with it and decides that he cannot live without Moira. He and Moira talk about their issues and reconcile. They tell Adam, Holly and Hannah that they are back together and they book a hotel room for them.
John borrows Andy Sugden's (Kelvin Fletcher) Land Rover and he and Moira make their way to the hotel. However, John loses control of the Land Rover on some black ice and it crashes down a hillside. John and Moira are both trapped in the vehicle when Declan and Katie Sugden (Sammy Winward) discover them. Declan manages to get Moira out, before the Land Rover falls over a cliff. John is rescued and taken to the hospital, where he undergoes surgery for an aortic rupture which although was successful doctors warns the family that he still in a critical condition and that there was a risk of bleeding later on. Shortly after Moira tells him she loves him, John goes into cardiac arrest and despite doctors efforts to perform emergency surgery for another bleed, he dies.
Reception
Thornton received a nomination for Sexiest Male at the 2010 British Soap Awards. In 2012, he earned a nomination for Best Exit and won Spectacular Scene of the Year for John and Moira's car accident. Of the John and Eve storyline, Inside Soap's Kate Woodward and Sarah Ellis commented "For some reason, John's head is being turned by foxy farmhand Eve. We think he needs that head read". All About Soap's Laura Morgan called John "the fit farmer" and said "our hearts are broken" at his death. Of his final scene, Morgan explained "We couldn't hold back the tears as Moira stood over his hospital bed tenderly stroking his face, and John said they made the perfect team. And with those words he slipped away, watched by his devastated family."
External links
* John Barton at itv.com * John Barton at What's on TV * John Barton at the Internet Movie Database