EMMERDALE's Matthew Wolfenden has landed his first leading role after quitting the ITV soap.
The 43-year-old actor is set to star in the musical adaptation of iconic Christmas movie Elf.
He'll play Buddy at the Dominion Theatre in London from November 15 to January 6, 2024.
Matthew confirmed the news on Instagram today and shared a line from the classic 2003 flick that catapulted Will Ferrell to international stardom.
The dad-of-three penned over a picture of a snow globe with his face inside it: "Santaaaaaa!! I know him."
The excited star added: "Can. Not. Wait!!!"
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Waterloo Road actor Tom Chambers, who has also starred in Holby City, Father Brown and Casualty will reprise his role as Buddy's father Walter Hobbs from the play's 2022 run.
The show opens in two months time, so it’s likely that Matthew will leave Emmerdale sooner than fans had expected to get started on rehearsals.
Matthew announced he was quitting Emmerdale last month.
His stand-out soap moments included David wearing ex-fiancée Leyla Harding’s wedding dress to The Woolpack, and the shopkeeper's devastating cancer diagnosis.
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Speaking about the storyline, the actor told This Morning: "The clip there where I'm totally bald, we did a testicular cancer storyline where David lost all his hair.
"I spent six months shaving my eyebrows and shaving everything to do that storyline, the pople I met through it people who survived cancer were amazing.
"I do feel as an actor I did it justice and as an actor that makes you proud."
He also revealed there is room for him to make a comeback.
When Holly asked "how are you feeling?" he told the This Morning: "I'm so nervous about leaving, it's been two decades.
"It feels like the right time, but the door is left open. They're not klling me off.
"I'm allowed to tell you that, I might be back, but we'll see."
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