ST HELENS actor Michael Parr has made an explosive return to ITV soap Emmerdale.

‘Bad boy’ Ross Barton made a comeback this week, as he was revealed as the mystery opponent of character Billy in a bare-knuckle fight.

Michael, who grew up on Hard Lane, appeared on morning show Lorraine on Tuesday to speak about his return to the soap after a six-year hiatus.

Speaking to relief presenter Ranvir Singh, former De La Salle pupil Michael said his “phone had blown up” with all the messages on social media and WhatsApp following his return.

And Michael promised there would be plenty of “chaos” in store from Emmerdale bad boy Ross.

“Ross is such a fun character to play, he just knows where to poke people, he’s a bit of a menace,” he said.

Michael also spoke about how his hobby of Thai boxing came in handy as Ross made a fighting return back on the Dales.

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Asked how it felt to be back in Emmerdale after six years away, Michael, 38, said: “The first word that comes to my mind is I’m just grateful to be working in the acting industry.

"With the writers’ strikes, it never really bounced back after Covid, it was just getting going again. There’s a lot of actors out of work so I just feel grateful to have a job.

“Emmerdale is such a fun place to work because everybody’s really nice.”

Michael also reflected on how much his life has changed since he first starred in Emmerdale 11 years ago.

He was also asked about social media use with the actor acknowledging it is a “hard relationship to negotiate”.

He said: “I want to be involved, I think it’s beneficial to my career, I don't want to ignore the fans of the show who have boosted my profile.

“The negative aspect is I find myself addicted to it and constantly searching on my phone. It’s a really hard relationship to navigate. It has its positive but it has its negatives, it’s a hard one to negotiate.”

Emmerdale is broadcast on weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV1.