Emmerdale viewers are certain that a member of the Dingle clan is being held captive by the wicked Ray Walters and his malevolent mother, Celia Daniels.

As regular watchers of the ITV soap will be aware, Bear Wolf, portrayed by Joshua Richards, has been coerced into unpaid labour by Ray (Joe Absolom) and Celia (Jaye Griffiths), toiling endlessly on their farm. It seems the former wrestler has been manipulated by his "boss", following the heartbreaking demise of fellow captive Anya.

During Wednesday's visit to the village (26 November), prisoners Mick (Leon Harrop) and Simo (Steven Gidwaney) questioned Bear about his plans to break free from Ray and Celia's grip once and for all.

Spurred on, Mick informs Bear, "The spare key to this place is in the scullery. I saw them when I was in there. You can get them for us."

Bear doesn't confirm whether he intends to participate in their daring escape, but he does express his desire to see his son again, according to the Daily Star.

In an unexpected turn of events, Bear later pilfers a set of keys from the farm kitchen and passes them to Simo.

He also lets the captives know that Ray and Celia will both be absent from the farm the next day as they plot their escape. Will the men succeed in escaping from Ray and Celia's lethal forced labour?

Little is known about the other slaves in Bear's operation; however, some Emmerdale fans are convinced Simo is working undercover as a police officer, whilst others believe his blood relatives are already living in the village, theorising he could be Eli Dingle.

Joseph Gilgun originally portrayed Eli Dingle on screen, making his debut in 2006. As Marlon Dingle's (Mark Charnock) younger brother, Eli swiftly captured viewers' hearts.

His storyline was central to significant plot twists, particularly his romantic entanglement with cousin Debbie (Charley Webb) and his part in Alice's (Ursula Holden-Gill) mercy killing. However, Eli left the village in 2010 after a robbery storyline.

Could Steven Gidwaney have been recast as Eli?

Emmerdale enthusiasts have been debating Simo's true identity, with one viewer posting on Facebook: "I think he's a Dingle."

Another commented: "He looks like Eli Dingle", whilst a third responded: "Thank you, I said this today got a proper look at him.

"Ahh could be but does looks familiar", exclaimed one fan as another chimed in: "I said that last night, it makes sense with the rumours of him coming back to take Ray down."

One insisted Simo was an undercover cop as another replied: "I don't think so, more likely to be another Dingle!"

Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX