Emmerdale enthusiasts were left gobsmacked upon discovering that William Ash, who portrays Caleb Milligan in the soap, had previously starred in a BBC crime drama.
Fans of the show will be familiar with the storyline involving Caleb's nephew Joe Tate, who suffers from chronic kidney disease and has been self-administering daily dialysis to keep himself alive.
Following an unsuccessful scheme to snatch a kidney from his half-brother Noah Dingle, Joe turned his attention to Caleb. He cunningly manipulated local GP Manpreet Sharma into believing he had scared off her blackmailer, thereby persuading her to obtain a blood sample from his uncle.
When it transpired that Caleb was a match, Joe swiftly hatched a plan to steal his kidney without arousing suspicion.
After a botched attempt to drug Caleb at his warehouse depot, Joe resorted to drastic measures, enlisting his accomplice Shaun to stab Caleb and steal his car, reports Leeds Live.
As Caleb lay defenceless on the ground, Joe promptly arrived on the scene and whisked him away to his unscrupulous medic, Dr Crowley, for the kidney transplant.
In the aftermath of the stabbing, Crowley battled to stabilise Caleb, who was later seen flatlining on the operating table. However, it was subsequently revealed that Caleb had survived the ordeal, with Joe successfully stealing his kidney.
Crowley then transported Caleb to the local hospital, informing the medical staff that he had been compelled to remove the kidney due to irreversible damage caused by the stab wound.
Later on, Crowley headed back to his private practice, where he revealed that Shaun had been arrested. At that moment, he was uncertain whether Shaun had disclosed the truth behind the attack.
Joe then issued a warning, saying: "If my kidney donor finds out what's happened, then we're both dead."
Amidst the chaos brewing with Caleb's secret transplant in the ITV soap, some fans were stunned to learn that actor William had previously appeared on the BBC's famed crime series, Silent Witness.
Back in 2020, William portrayed Major Mark Sealy, a father grappling with the death of his son John after an ill-fated military training exercise exposed him to CS gas.
Though it seemed an unexpected brain aneurysm claimed John, Dr Thomas Chamberlain later uncovered signs that a potentially lethal nerve agent might be involved, plunging the deceased's family into a hunt for clarity.
Emmerdale enthusiasts have been voicing their astonishment at William's prior TV stint on social media, with one viewer commenting on Facebook, "Watching an old episode of Silent Witness. William Ash is in it as an Army lieutenant or someone high up."
Echoing the sentiment, another fan posted, "Wow, look who I spotted on Silent Witness," while yet another shared their revelation stating, "Omg yeah it's Caleb."
Others praised the actor's versatility, with one person remarking, "Brilliant actor!" and another expressing fond memories, "I loved him in Waterloo Road as well."
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and is available to stream from 7am on ITVX
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