Eric Pollard

Eric Pollard (also Pollock) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Chris Chittell, who has appeared in the show since 30 September 1986. He is currently the longest-serving character in the soap after the exit of Alan Turner and longest-serving character in the history of the show for 32 years. The character served as the show's villain, but this has been noticeably toned down in recent years, particularly since Eric's marriage to Val Lambert (Charlie Hardwick) and the introduction of his long-lost illegitimate son, David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden). Introduced originally for a 12 episode stint, Eric became a popular character amongst viewers for his villainous ways and mistreatment of others. Although the character would disappear and then reappear again for long periods of time during his early years on the programme, by the time that the soap had redeveloped itself following the infamous Emmerdale plane crash, Eric was a regular character. He has been married five times: to Eileen Pollock in 1964, Elizabeth Feldmann in 1992 (although the marriage was bigamous), Dee de la Cruz in 1997, Gloria Weaver in 2002 and Val in 2008. He is also known for his various feuds, which has resulted in him being punched by over 30 different characters in his time on the programme, many of them members of the notorious Dingle family.