Paul Lambert

Paul Lambert is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Mathew Bose. Paul appeared between 2004 and 2009. He arrives as the son of existing characters Val Lambert (Charlie Hardwick) and Rodney Blackstock (Patrick Mower) and in 2008 Paul, who is openly gay, enters into a civil partnership with Jonny Foster, the first of any primetime soap opera. In 2015, Bose made brief returns to the soap on two occasions, one being in March and the other being in September. Characterisation and development When Paul arrives in the village, he is the only gay male in the programme. While Bose said he liked "being the only gay in Emmerdale", he did not want Paul to be defined by his sexuality. In a February 2008 interview, Bose said that he thought about leaving after a storyline where Paul has a one-night stand with a married man, Grayson Sinclair (Christopher Villiers), saying that he did not believe Paul would have done that. He also criticised the storyline saying, "It makes out that all gay men are promiscuous and I don't think they are any more promiscuous than anyone else." The actor said that the audience "distrust why shows are doing things then start not to like the character's story and it is hard to win them back." After he "kicked up a fuss", he said the storyline "seems to have been dropped", but said that he would give it a few months before deciding whether to stay with the programme. In September 2008, it was announced that Matthew Bose would be leaving Emmerdale. He said that he had "had a brilliant time" playing Paul but felt it was time to "explore new projects". He said it was a "personal decision", and played down press rumours about low morale amongst the cast and denied they were unhappy with series producer Anita Turner. Turner said that it was "always disappointing to see great actors go" and that the door would be "open for him to come back at any time". On 17 February 2015, it was announced that Bose was returning to the show for a brief stint, appearing that March. On 11 August 2015, it was announced that Bose would be returning again for the funeral of his mother, Val. Paul returned on 1 September, before departing again on 2 September.