Henry Wilks
Encyclopedia
Henry Wilks is a fictional character
from the popular soap opera
Emmerdale
played by Arthur Pentelow
. He ran the Woolpack Inn, along with Amos Brearly
for nearly 20 years.
Henry was a retired Bradford
wool merchant. He had brought his business acumen
to Beckindale, and consequently became a director of Emmerdale Farm - when it became a limited company. He also became a joint owner of the local village pub 'The Woolpack'. The pipe-smoking character became a favourite amongst viewers and the relationship with his business partner, Amos Brearly (played by actor, Ronald Magill
), brought a humorous dimension to the more serious topics depicted in the programme. Henry was also a great friend of the long-running character Annie Sugden, played by actress Sheila Mercier
.
Henry and Amos were on tap behind the bar at the Woolpack from 1973 to 1991. Amos retired to Spain in January 1991 and the pub was bought by former NY Estates manager Alan Turner. Henry stayed on at the pub and became irritated by Alan's ways. Henry died suddenly of a heart attack in October 1991. This was due to the real life death of actor Arthur Pentelow also of a heart attack.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the popular soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
played by Arthur Pentelow
Arthur Pentelow
Arthur Pentelow was an English actor who was best known for playing Henry Wilks in Emmerdale Farm from 1972–91...
. He ran the Woolpack Inn, along with Amos Brearly
Amos Brearly
Amos Brearly is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by Ronald Magill.He ran the Woolpack, along with Henry Wilks for 19 years.-Character backstory:...
for nearly 20 years.
Henry was a retired Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
wool merchant. He had brought his business acumen
Acumen
Acumen may refer to:* The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, for example in the case of Business acumen* Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund* Acumen Nation, an American rock music group...
to Beckindale, and consequently became a director of Emmerdale Farm - when it became a limited company. He also became a joint owner of the local village pub 'The Woolpack'. The pipe-smoking character became a favourite amongst viewers and the relationship with his business partner, Amos Brearly (played by actor, Ronald Magill
Ronald Magill
Ronald Edmund Magill was an English actor. He is best remembered for playing Amos Brearly in the British soap opera Emmerdale Farm from 1972 to 1991, and appeared again in this role in 1994 and 1995.-Early life:...
), brought a humorous dimension to the more serious topics depicted in the programme. Henry was also a great friend of the long-running character Annie Sugden, played by actress Sheila Mercier
Sheila Mercier
Sheila Mercier is an English actress and the elder sister of actor Brian Rix. She was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, United Kingdom....
.
Henry and Amos were on tap behind the bar at the Woolpack from 1973 to 1991. Amos retired to Spain in January 1991 and the pub was bought by former NY Estates manager Alan Turner. Henry stayed on at the pub and became irritated by Alan's ways. Henry died suddenly of a heart attack in October 1991. This was due to the real life death of actor Arthur Pentelow also of a heart attack.