Joe Absolom has quit ITV's popular soap Emmerdale.

His short but memorable run as villain Ray Walters is coming to an end, and he will bow out of the show in the new year.

Absolom joined the long-running soap earlier this year, but his time in the Dales was always intended to be brief.

A source told The Sun: "Bosses knew they only ever had Joe for a certain amount of time, but they’ve definitely made the most of having someone of his calibre in the village.

"He filmed his final scenes........

© South Wales Argus