{{Short description|Fictional character from Emmerdale}} {{distinguish|Henry Wilkes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Use British English|date=June 2013}} {{Infobox soap character |series = Emmerdale |image = Henry Wilks.jpg |name = Henry Wilks |portrayer = [[Arthur Pentelow]] |first = {{start date|1972|10|16|df=y}} |last = {{end date|1991|08|29|df=y}} |years = 1972–1991 |creator = [[Kevin Laffan]] |introducer = David Goddard |occupation = [[Public house|Pub landlord]]<br/>[[Businessperson]] |wife = Margaret Wilks (backstory) |daughters = [[Marian Rosetti]] |grandsons = Nicolo Rosetti |cousins = Alice Wilks }}
'''Henry Wilks''' is a fictional character from the [[Television in the United Kingdom|British]] television soap opera ''[[Emmerdale]]'', played by [[Arthur Pentelow]]. He ran the Woolpack [[public house]] alongside [[Amos Brearly]] ([[Ronald Magill]]) for nearly 20 years.
==Creation and casting== Henry is one of the eight original main characters conceived by the creator of ''Emmerdale'', [[Kevin Laffan]].<ref name="Beginning">[[#refhayward|Hayward 1997]], pp.9–11.</ref> The serial centred around the Sugdens, a farming family who owned Emmerdale Farm on the outskirts of Beckindale village. Laffan explained that he was interested by the notion that farming was "a way of life" and not just a way to earn a living, as well as "the mental attitude" that set them apart. This is why he introduced Henry, "an industrialist from the outside world" who comes into the farming community.<ref name="Beginning"/> After the show's story was mapped out, Laffan joined casting director Sue Whatmough, producer David Goddard, and director [[Tristan de Vere Cole]] for the casting process and interviews were carried out in May 1972 at [[Yorkshire Television]]'s London offices. Laffan recalled that they wanted to cast actors that would gel well together, and Arthur Pentelow was "an immediate choice" for the role of Henry.<ref name="Beginning"/> Gail Harrison was cast as Henry's daughter [[Marian Wilks]].<ref name="Beginning"/> Henry was introduced in the show's debut episode, broadcast on 16 October 1972.<ref name="Hayward20">[[#refhayward|Hayward 1997]], pp.20–21.</ref>
==Development== Henry's original character outline appeared in [[Anthony Hayward]]'s book ''The Emmerdale Companion'': "Henry Wilks is a widower used to having his own way. A retired factory owner, he has always given the orders carried out by others. Now, however, he must adjust his personal relationships, as he discovers on his first contact with the Sugdens."<ref name="Beginning"/> Henry is characterised as "blunt" and "honest", yet despite these personality traits he is also very "kind-hearted".<ref name=mag1>{{cite magazine|first=Linda|last=Hawkins|title=Henry Wilks—played by Arthur Pentelow |magazine=Emmerdale Farm: Celebration Edition 1000 Episodes |date=November 1985 |issue=1 |pages=29 |publisher=London Editions Limited}}</ref> Characters that talk nonsense can expect to witness Henry's "blunt" mannerisms.<ref name=Hayward/> He also has a keen interest in the environment and wants to preserve the natural surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales.<ref name=Hayward/> Henry is retired wool merchant from [[Bradford]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Television & Radio 1986 - IBA Yearbook of Independent Broadcasting |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Television-%26-Radio-ITV/IBA-Yearbook-1986.pdf |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=World Radio History |year=1986 |page=36 |publisher=Independent Broadcasting Authority |isbn=0900485-507 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619030326/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Television-%26-Radio-ITV/IBA-Yearbook-1986.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> He moves to Beckindale after the death of his wife.<ref name=mag1/> Henry's first meeting with the Sugden family is "acrimonious", as he discovers an unused right-of-way across their land and insists on using it.<ref name="Hayward20"/> He later becomes a shareholder at the local Emmerdale Farm.<ref name=mag1/> Henry is an old friend of [[Annie Sugden]] ([[Sheila Mercier]]) and he helps create a business plan to save the farm. He convinces the Sugden family to turn the farm into a limited company and joins the board of directors.<ref name=Hayward>[[#refhayward1|Hayward 1991]], p.131.</ref> In another story, Henry proposes marriage to Annie. Mercier told a reporter from ''[[TVTimes]]'' that Annie declined his offer because she thought it would ruin their good friendship.<ref name=tvt2>{{cite journal |title=Annie names the day! |journal=[[TVTimes]] |date=21-27 August 1993 |volume=150 |issue=34 |pages=18|publisher=[[IPC Magazines]]}}</ref> Aside from Annie, the only other woman that Henry cares for is his daughter.<ref name="Kingsley306">[[#refkingsley|Kingsley 1988]], p.306.</ref> Marian was the first member of the original cast to leave the show in 1973.<ref>[[#refhayward|Hayward 1997]], p.25.</ref> She moves to Italy, where she marries and gives birth to Henry's first grandchild, Niccolo. When Marian reveals her marriage is in trouble, Henry comes close to leaving the village to set up home with her and his grandson.<ref name="Kingsley306"/>
Writers created an on-screen partnership between Henry and [[Amos Brearly]] ([[Ronald Magill]]). When Henry's house is destroyed by a fire, he moves into the Woolpack pub and remains there permanently.<ref name=mag1/> Henry and Amos decide to create a business partnership and take joint ownership of the pub. Linda Hawkins, author of ''Emmerdale Farm: Celebration Edition 1000 Episodes'' stated that Henry and Amos are often "squabble amicably" but they are "close friends and enjoy each other's company."<ref name=mag1/> Amos believes that Henry constantly holds him back from money making schemes and "they constantly argue". Hawkins added that "underneath, Amos is devoted to Henry."<ref>{{cite journal |first=Linda|last=Hawkins|title=Amos Brearly—played by Ronald Magill |journal=Emmerdale Farm: Celebration Edition 1000 Episodes |date=November 1985 |issue=1 |pages=24 |publisher=London Editions Limited}}</ref> Anthony Hayward, author of ''The Who's Who of Soap Operas'' noted that there was "constant sparring" between the two but it always remained "friendly".<ref name=Hayward/> Hilary Kingsley, author of ''Soap Box'', believed Henry was "the perfect foil" for the temperamental Amos.<ref name="Kingsley306"/> Of Amos and Henry's living situation, Pentelow explained: I'm not a pub person at all and Ronnie (Amos) and I often laugh about the dingy living quarters we're supposed to share. We fantasise about a lovely lounge upstairs and luxurious bedrooms. We do have separate bedrooms, by the way, despite what people say."<ref name="Kingsley306"/> Amos and Henry's partnership lasted seventeen years until Amos decides to retire, after suffering a stroke and a fall down some stairs. Hayward assessed that Henry was an "emotional wrench" and "exasperated" that Amos would give up on their business. Henry views Amos' decision as a selfish act but their parting is amicable because Henry is "genuinely fond of Amos".<ref name=Hayward/> Writers decided to introduce [[Alan Turner (Emmerdale)|Alan Turner]] ([[Richard Thorp]]) as the new landlord of the Woolpack. Henry and Alan had many disagreements and Henry decides to move out of the Woolpack and onto lodgings at Emmerdale Farm.<ref name=Hayward/>
Pentelow died suddenly of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on 6 August 1991.<ref name="Dies">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82378750/emmerdales-mr-wilks-dies/|title=Emmerdale's Mr Wilks dies|date=6 August 1991|work=[[Evening Standard]]|location=London|access-date=29 July 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref> Producers initially considered sending Henry to visit Marian in Italy or die while he was on holiday, but instead he suffered a fatal heart attack at the harvest festival off-screen.<ref name="Billen">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82386978/whos-slip-sliding-away/|title=Who's slip sliding away?|last=Billen|first=Andrew|date=11 October 1992|work=[[The Observer]]|access-date=29 July 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|archive-date=29 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729032725/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82386978/whos-slip-sliding-away/|url-status=live}}{{free access}}</ref> Script editor Ann Tobin explained "It was a rite of passage and we wanted to allow viewers to mourn by relating the plot to real life."<ref name="Billen"/> As the show was filmed a few months ahead of broadcast, Henry's death did not occur within the serial until October 1991.<ref>[[#refparkin|Parkin 2002]], p.79.</ref>
==Reception== Hilary Kingsley, author of ''Soap Box'' opined that the character was "beautifully underplayed" by Pentelow. She also called Henry "the wise elder statesman of Beckindale."<ref name="Kingsley">[[#refkingsley|Kingsley 1988]], pp.305–306.</ref> Like Magill, Pentelow was often stopped in the streets by fans. He recalled that his favourite interaction was with an old man, who told him that he had given him "an hour or two of real pleasure."<ref name="Kingsley"/> A reporter for the ''[[Evening Standard]]'' stated Pentelow played "the bluff, wise Mr Wilks whose verbal duels with Amos Brearly were some of the most magic moments in the soap for its millions of fans."<ref name="Dies"/> Jon Kelly of the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' branded Henry "the resident tycoon of the Dales" and said he was "one of ''Emmerdale'''s best-known characters."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Emmerdale+Week%3A+Those+were+the+dales..+WE+FIND+THE+EMMERDALE...-a0130431740|title=Emmerdale Week: Those were the dales|last=Kelly|first=Jon|date=18 March 2005|work=[[Daily Mirror]]|access-date=29 July 2021}}</ref> Reflecting on the first few episodes of ''Emmerdale'' in 2012, Kelly's colleague Lewis Panther described Henry as a "bully boy businessman".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-previews/emmerdale-40th-anniversary-looking-back-1383813|title=Jack Sugden returns to claim Emmerdale Farm after his father's death: Looking back 40 years to soap's first episodes|last=Panther|first=Lewis|date=17 October 2012|work=[[Daily Mirror]]|access-date=29 July 2021|archive-date=29 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729082720/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-previews/emmerdale-40th-anniversary-looking-back-1383813|url-status=live}}</ref>
Anthony Hayward, author of ''The Who's Who of Soap Operas'' branded Henry a "reflective, pipe-smoking" businessman.<ref name=Hayward/> Writing for ''[[The Independent]]'', Hayward said that Henry and Amos had a double-act that lasted almost twenty years with "plenty of comic moments".<ref>{{cite web |author1-link=Anthony Hayward|last1=Hayward |first1=Anthony |title=Ronald Magill |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83155523/ |website=[[The Independent]]|location=London |pages=47 |date=8 September 2007|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref> In a 2021 ''[[Radio Times]]'' poll, Amos and Henry were voted as the joint tenth "best soap pub landlord of all time", receiving 3% of the votes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Julians |first1=Joe |title=Exclusive – Emmerdale's Charity Dingle tops poll to be crowned best soap pub landlord of all time |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/emmerdale-charity-dingle-soap-landlord-exclusive-newsupdate/ |website=[[Radio Times]] |access-date=21 September 2023 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004111313/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/emmerdale-charity-dingle-soap-landlord-exclusive-newsupdate/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Henry was named as one of "the 30 greatest ''Emmerdale'' residents" by a writer for ''[[Inside Soap]]''.<ref name=inso2945>{{cite journal|date=12–25 October 2002|title=The 30 greatest Emmerdale residents...ever!|journal=[[Inside Soap]]|issue=216|page=55}}</ref> They assessed that "gentlemanly Henry made an unforgettable double act" with Amos, adding "often likened to an old married couple due to their bickering."<ref name=inso2945/>
==References== {{reflist}} * {{cite book|title=The Who's Who of Soap Operas|last=Hayward|first=Anthony|author-link=Anthony Hayward|year=1991|publisher=Guinness Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-0-85112-966-2|ref=refhayward1}} *{{cite book|last=Hayward|first=Anthony|author-link=Anthony Hayward|title=The Emmerdale Companion|year=1997|publisher=Orion Media|isbn=978-0-7528-1776-7|ref=refhayward}} *{{cite book|title=Soap Box|last=Kingsley|first=Hilary|year=1988|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]]|isbn=978-0-333-46949-1|ref=refkingsley}} *{{cite book|last=Parkin|first=Lance|author-link=Lance Parkin|title=30 Years of Emmerdale|year=2002|publisher=Granada Media Group|isbn=978-0-233-05068-3|ref=refparkin}}
{{Emmerdale characters|past}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilks, Henry}} [[Category:Emmerdale characters]] [[Category:Fictional bartenders in soap operas]] [[Category:Fictional businesspeople in soap operas]] [[Category:Television characters introduced in 1972]] [[Category:British male characters in soap operas]] [[Category:Fictional landlords]] [[Category:Deceased fictional characters]]