How did Al Chapman die in Emmerdale?

CHAS Dingle has seemingly found a new love interest in the Dales, all things aren't all as they seem.

The Emmerdale favourite was left lonely following the death of her former lover Al Chapman. But what happened?

Who was Al Chapman in Emmerdale?

Al was one of the many past characters of the ITV soap to have roamed the Dales and wreaked havoc throughout the village.

The former husband of Jessie Dingle and father of Ellis Chapman, Al was born Alistair Chapman on November 23, 2023.

He was adopted as a youngster but had no contact with his birth or adoptive parents, focusing all his energy and attention on his work.

The character was initially introduced to viewers in August, 2019, and his business acumen was made obvious from the get-go as he rocked up the eponymous village after not seeing his son for over a year.

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He masked himself as an investor, interest in Ellis' and his brother Billy Fletcher's (Jay Kontzle) personal training company.

Initially excited when an investment company shows interest in his business, Ellis organised a meeting but he was brought right back down to earth when he discovered who Al really was.

Al involved himself in many explosive storylines for the sake of growing his finances.

In early 2020, just as the Hop was set to open, Al became involved in the murder of Graham Foster as his business partner Kim Tate (Claire King) asked him to get rid of her former other half.

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The businessman agreed, desperate for cash he'd then give away to loan sharks in the hopes of getting them off his back and away from his son.

Kim offered to pay Al for his troubles and he accepted the money – without ever being able to kill Graham as Rhona Goskirk's evil ex-husband Pierce Harris got to him first.

Despite this, Al acted as if he had killed Graham and kept Kim's money but he quickly changed his tune when his son Ellis found out he had murdered someone for money.

In April, 2020, Al then grew closer to his colleague, Priya Sharma and the relationship was complicated by his rivalry with her brother Jai (Chris Bisson) with whom he owned The Hop.

The pair kept their romance a secret until Jai eventually caught them together and they were forced to admit the truth.

They were soon engaged – but Debbie Dingle returned to the Dales with bad news for Priya as she revealed she'd been having an affair with Al.

History seemed to repeat itself when Al became romantically involved with Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter).

The pair had been at odds for months over ownership of The Woolpack as Al was planning to tear down the iconic pub, replacing it with luxurious apartments.

Eventually, the tension between them grew and led them straight to bed, despite her marriage to Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and his own engagement to Kerry Wyatt, as Chas struggled to cope with the news of her mother Faith suffering from cancer.

Sadly for Al, the illicit romance marked the beginning of the end for his time in Emmerdale.

After ruffling many feathers in Emmerdale, Al measured up to one of the toughest men in the village – Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).

But in rubbing up against the famously hot-tempered character, igniting a long and explosive feud, proved to be fatal for Al.

Cain made it clear he had no sympathy for Al when his affair with his daughter Debbie was revealed to all.

And Al only managed to make the mechanic angrier when he single-handedly put the future of The Woolpack, a part of the Dingle family legacy, in jeopardy.

Ellis Chapman didn't make things any better as he once left both Cain's sister Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and his son Kyle Winchester (Huey Quinn) out in the cold during a whole night.

Both Belle and Kyle ended up in hospital with the latter having to stay as he battled pneumonia.

Cain vowed revenge and acted on his word by targeting Ellis and Al swore vengeance.

However, tensions reached an all-time high when Cain himself found out Chas had been cheating on Paddy with his long-time foe.

But instead of being up in arms about the romance, Cain lured Al into a barn and both men engaged in a brutal fight.

Unfortunately, the altercation took deadly proportions as Al was shot dead.

While the culprit seemed to have been figured out due to Cain's hatred for Al, many things weren't adding up and viewers racked their brains to figure out if somebody else was responsible for the death of Al Chapman.

A flashback scene then solved the mystery and made it clear that Cain had been wrongfully imprisoned as his son Kyle accidentally shot Al himself in an attempt to protect him.

Cain had pressured Kyle into keeping quiet and was willing to take the fall for him but the young boy was unable to cope with the guilt triggered by his actions.

The crime was covered by Cain and Kyle's mother Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson) but the child eventually confessed everything to the authorities, willing to face the consequences of his actions.

It wasn't until Caleb Milligan's (Will Ash) arrival in Emmerdale that the ordeal finally drew to a close as he worked hard for the charges against Kyle to be dropped.

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Who played Al Chapman in Emmerdale?

Al Chapman was portrayed by a TV star who shot to worldwide fame after his small role in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as the aggressive centaur Magorian in 2007.

British actor Michael Wildman portrayed the businessman from 2019 until his exit in late 2022.

He began his career in 1997 with an appearance in the comedy Bring Me The Head of Mavis Davis.

Following his first taste of fame and prior to his role in the Harry Potter franchise, Michael bagged a number of roles on the small screen and became a star on the West End by playing Lance Corporal Dawson in A Few Good Men, where he worked with Rob Lowe.

He was also able to work alongside Samuel L. Jackson in the fifth episode of British sitcom Extras.

Michael has seemingly kept away from the spotlight since he was last seen in Emmerdale but he hasn't denied the possibility of his character returning to the long-running show.

"I have to represent Emmerdale. There's always a chance I can come back like Bobby Ewing in the shower you know."

"That's what I am holding out for", he said during a chat with BBC Radio Oxford in March, 2023.

Since his alter ego's death, his on-screen fiancée Kerry left the village in the hopes of making extra cash to put an end to the financial predicament Al threw her in.

Meanwhile, Chas and Paddy's marriage came to a shocking end as the vet found out she had cheated on him.

The Woolpack bar manager has been left feeling lonely as Paddy moved on with former flame Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley).

But a mysterious man named Simon has recently given her some hope for a fresh romantic start.