Peter 'Pete' Barton is the son of James and Emma Barton and the brother of Ross and Finn Barton, the half-brother of Adam and Lewis Barton and the former husband of Debbie Dingle.
Pete arrived in the village with his father, James, and younger brother, Finn, after his father lost their own farm in 2013.
Biography[]
1986-2013: Early life[]
Pete was born in 1986, the eldest child of farmer James Barton and his wife Emma. When he was three years old, he caught his mother trying to smother his infant brother, Ross and stopped her. He told James and Emma left the family following the birth of Pete’s youngest brother, Finn, causing Pete to grow closer to James. At some point Emma returned but Pete sent her away without telling James or the others. As he got older, Pete and Ross did not get along as Ross thought that James preferred Pete. This caused issues between James, Pete and Ross until Ross eventually left the family. By 2013 the family farm was in trouble but Pete stayed there out of loyalty to James.
2013-2014: Arrival in Emmerdale and relationship with Debbie Dingle[]
In December 2013, Pete’s aunt, Moira Dingle tracked his family down after more than twenty years, as Pete’s brother Ross had turned up in the village. She saw they were struggling and offered to help, which Pete wanted to accept despite James being unsure. Soon Pete moved to the village with James and Finn after they lost their farm due to financial issues.
In January 2014, Pete and Ross find themselves battling for the affections of Debbie Dingle. Pete believed that Ross was harassing Debbie and confronted him over it, but Debbie remained unimpressed. An angry Ross messes with Pete’s van as he prepares to drive to a meeting, causing him to break down. He calls for help and is pleased when Debbie is the one who comes to fix his van. They get chatting as they work on the vehicle and this turns to kissing. They have sex in the back of the van, but afterwards Pete ruins things by mentioning Debbie’s ex, Cameron.
He then tries to get back in her good books but she ignores his efforts. Pete tries to be friendly with Debbie's daughter Sarah, who takes a shine to him. She draws a picture of him, which Debbie sees on the fridge where he lives. Debbie tells him she wants to sleep with him, but he declines, saying that she scarcely pays him attention. Pete and Debbie later get together and keep it a secret until Ross finds out.
In April 2014, Pete suggests that Debbie should get professional help because of issues over Cameron but is upset when a furious Debbie breaks up with him because of this. A few days later, Debbie finally admits that what Cameron did badly affected her and Pete comforts her. At the time, Debbie was on bail for attacking a guy who groped her, so Pete went to see him and threatened him into dropping the charges against Debbie. Soon Debbie hears about this and she kisses him, leading to them getting back together.
In June, Pete is surprised by the revelation that his cousin Adam is actually his half-brother as James slept with Moira over twenty years earlier. Pete frustrates Finn by pretending that it is fine and later stands by James as Ross and Adam turn on him. He becomes annoyed by Adam’s wild behaviour, especially when he steals drugs from local vet, Vanessa Woodfield. Eventually, Adam calms down and Pete begins to accept him into the family.
Debbie and Pete continue dating throughout this and they are happy but the pair argue when Pete takes Sarah out on her bike, and Debbie tells him that if Sarah falls and cuts herself, she could die due to her previous illness. Pete shouts at Debbie, saying she should have told him, before storming off. Pete and Debbie make up and move in together in October 2014.
2015: Reunion with Emma, marrying Debbie and feud with Ross[]
In January 2015, Pete is shocked when Finn finds their mother, Emma, and brings her back to the village. Pete and James want Emma gone because of what she did to Ross but Finn and Ross, who have no clue about this, convince her to stay. However, Pete hears that Emma has been left alone with Debbie’s young son, Jack, Pete races to the house and tells her to get away from the boy. He then tells Finn, Ross and Debbie the truth but is surprised when his brothers are willing to forgive her. In April 2015, Pete is ecstatic when Debbie proposes to him and he accepts.
When Charity Dingle, Debbie's mother, gives birth while in prison in June 2015, Debbie becomes his guardian so the baby, Moses, stays with them. Pete likes having Moses around but Debbie refuses to let Emma anywhere near him after what she tried to do to Ross, which causes the two women to argue and Pete is stuck in the middle. In late July, Pete is shocked when, on his stag night, days before the wedding, Ross reveals that he is Moses’s father. Everybody is unhappy with him for not saying anything and Pete un-invites Ross from the wedding.
Pete learns the truth of Debbie and Ross' affair just before the helicopter crash
On their wedding day, Pete finds out that Debbie has been cheating on him with Ross when a recording that Ross set up plays while they are at the altar. Pete is furious but before he can say anything, a helicopter crashes into the venue. Debbie is seriously injured in the crash and despite the recent revelation, Pete gets her out with help from her father, Cain and goes to the hospital with her. Then while at the hospital, Pete sees Ross and they fight causing them to be thrown out. They continue brawling in the car park with Pete punching Ross to the ground. Ross hits his head and stops moving, resulting in Pete thinking that he has killed Ross. Panicking, he puts Ross into the boot of his car and takes him to the woods where he leaves his body and then goes to see Debbie who is now conscious. He says he forgives her and tells her never to mention Ross again, as he would have probably moved away anyway, which Debbie believes has happened.
After the police found a body that they thought was Ross's, Pete confessed everything to Debbie as he was certain that he would be caught as the killer. After confessing, Debbie was left in shock and later told Pete that James and Emma went to identify the body, but it was not Ross's. Debbie then storms out, shocked by the news that her husband has just delivered. Pete's father, James, goes into Debbie's house and finds Pete broken down on the floor. Pete then confesses the truth to his dad, and James demands that Pete show him where he hid Ross's body. However, when they drive into the woods and locate the place, Ross is nowhere to be seen. The cliffhanger at the end of the same episode shows Ross in a hospital bed, recovering from the injuries that he suffered during his altercation with Pete.
Ross discharges himself from the hospital later that week and returns to the village and makes his way to Butlers Farm. When Pete returns to the farm, Ross greets him with the line "Hello bruv, bet you weren't expecting to see me again..." Within minutes of his return, Ross and Pete find themselves arguing again, and Ross throws a punch. However, when he extends his arm, he falls to the floor unconscious. Moira walks in and immediately presumes that Pete has attempted to kill his brother once again, as do the rest of his family, until Ross regains consciousness in hospital and tells his loved ones that Pete was not to blame. Soon after Pete's confession he and Debbie separate due to his actions reminding her of ex-fiancé Cameron Murray and the fact she still loves Ross. Their marriage is later annulled and Pete is upset by this.
In early October 2015, Pete is injured while dirt bike racing with Adam, Finn and their friend Andy Sugden. Soon after, Ross returns after a few weeks away and Pete is unhappy to see his brother again. Later in the month, Pete is further upset as Debbie and Ross tell him that they are now in a relationship. On New Year’s Eve, he finds out that Ross had Debbie give him an alibi for Robert Sugden’s shooting a few weeks earlier and is angry at Ross for using Debbie. He visits Debbie at the garage later that day and tells her that Ross was behind the shooting, so she goes to confront him.
2016-2017: Prison, relationship with Leyla, deaths of James, Finn and Emma[]
After growing closer to Moira, who was married to his uncle John Barton and had a son with his father James, Pete made a rejected pass at her. Feeling ashamed, Pete deliberately assaulted Ross to get arrested. As he was on licence, he was sentenced to prison, which he intended as a way of paying for his behaviour towards Ross and Moira.
Pete returned to the village in early May 2016 when he was released from prison. He gave Robert Sugden a letter for Aaron Livesy which was from Aaron's dad, Gordon. When he was reunited with his family, Finn was excited to tell him all about his new business that he would like both of his brothers be a part of. Pete declined his offer indicating that he would never work with Ross and that he has already got a new job as a barman in Aberdeen. However, Pete then decided to stay and work with Ross and Finn at their new taxi firm, Barton Brothers Taxis. Pete was unable to get a taxi license due to his conviction, so he volunteered to be man the switch while his brothers drove. Pete then began a relationship with Leyla Harding after she showed interest in him during a pub event.
In September 2016, Pete is sad to lose his cousin Holly Barton after she suffers an overdose. A couple of days later he and Leyla learn that Holly was secretly dating Jai Sharma which Pete soon reveals to the rest of his family, causing Adam to punch Jai as they believe that he provided Holly with the drugs. Pete supports Moira and Adam as they struggle with the loss.
In October, Pete plans to help James out on Wylies Farm now that he owns it, but when James falls down the stairs while moving in, they have to put this off. A week later, Pete is devastated to hear that his father is in hospital after being a part of the Hotten Bypass Crash. James later dies and Pete is inconsolable after his death. Then in November, Pete is shocked when Ross revealed that James had declared his love for Moira before his death. This upset Emma and Pete was angry with Ross for telling everyone the day before the funeral. At James’s funeral Emma leaves suddenly and Pete believes that she is still hurt by Ross’s news. Emma then tells him that James was miserable and went to the bypass to commit suicide which shocks him.
On 21st December, Pete helps Moira at Butlers and she kisses him. They sleep together that night but both promise to keep quiet as Pete doesn’t want to lose Leyla. Later that day, Pete sees Leyla’s son Jacob wandering in front of Moira’s van and pushes him out of the way. He takes Jacob home and Leyla is extremely grateful for what he did, though she demands to know who’s behind it. Cain soon confesses but Moira later tells Pete that she was the one driving. In May 2017, Pete agreed to move in to Tug Ghyll with Leyla, still keeping his night with Moira a secret.
On 9th June, Leyla is out when her friend Priya Kotecha comes over looking for her and Pete offers her a drink while she waits. He teases her about being a princess and says she won’t drink from a can but she does to prove a point, which amuses Pete. They share an intense moment and end up kissing, leading to them having sex. Pete feels extremely guilty about this and insists that they keep their fling quiet which Priya agrees to. On 19th July, Leyla proposes to Pete but he turns her down due to his guilt over Priya. However, after talking with Priya, Pete apologises to Leyla and proposes to her. She accepts and they begin planning their wedding, though things are awkward as Priya is Leyla’s maid of honour. Pete asks Ross to be his best man, which shocks him but he accepts.
In August, on the day of the wedding, Pete realises he can’t marry Leyla and goes to climb out a window but is surprised to see Leyla doing the same thing. They talk and decide that they are better off apart, so they call off the wedding. That night, Pete goes to the honeymoon suite to spend the night but Priya turns up there as well. They argue over who gets the room and end up sleeping together. The morning after, Priya tells him it meant nothing and storms off. Later, Emma discovers Pete’s tryst with Priya and tells Leyla. Pete is furious with his mother for interfering and shouts at her.
In October 2017, Pete goes to the hospital after Finn is shot by Emma. He is devastated to learn that his brother died from cardiac arrest on the operating table. However, Pete then finds out that Moira is in hospital having just given birth to a baby boy who is Pete’s son. After Emma kidnaps Moira’s baby, Pete goes searching for them and finds Emma at Dale View. He demanded that she tell him where the baby is and she says he is in the church before begging Pete not to leave her, but he is disgusted by everything she has done and walks out. Emma is later found dead at the bottom of the viaduct and Pete believes she killed herself. After the baby is returned to Moira, Pete asks if she will let him have Finn as a middle name in honour of Pete’s brother, but Moira awkwardly tells Pete that her estranged husband Cain may be the baby’s father, which hurts Pete. He goes to Cain and angrily tells him that he might have another son. On 10th October, the DNA test comes back and reveals that Cain is the father, saddening Pete.
After losing James, Finn and Emma as well as discovering that he isn’t the father of Isaac, Pete descends into depression and pushes everyone away. He begins drinking constantly and hardly leaves the house. In December 2017, Pete falls down the stairs while drunk and is knocked unconscious in the fall. Fortunately, Ross arrives home from his time away and calls an ambulance for Pete. After this, Pete is prescribed anti-depressants and his mood seems to improve. Later in the month, Adam Barton confesses to Emma’s murder and Pete is shocked that his half-brother killed her.
2018-2019: Relationship with Rhona Goskirk[]
In January 2018, Pete is angry when Adam escapes custody and goes on the run. He and Ross demand that Moira tell them where he is but she claims not to know. A little while later, Moira confessed that she killed Emma and Adam just took the blame, which surprises Pete and Ross. She gets them to promise not to say anything but both of them become cold towards her.
Pete then offers to take part in a charity skills auction at the Woolpack, volunteering for DIY jobs. He is won by local vet, Rhona Goskirk who was embarrassed but Pete told her it was fine. They bonded as he worked for her and soon began a relationship. Rhona was uncomfortable with their age gap but Pete reassured her it didn’t matter. Pete wanted Rhona to introduce him to her son Leo but she was unsure as he needed stability due to his Down syndrome. She soon came round and Pete got on well with Leo.
On 8th February 2018, Pete heard that Ross had been the victim of an acid attack and went to the hospital to be there for him. Over the following weeks, Pete tried to support his brother but Ross kept pushing him away. He refused to leave the house and Pete asked him to go to the cafe with him but Ross was too self-conscious. Pete became frustrated and told him that James and Finn couldn’t go to the cafe anymore, so Ross agreed to go. However, this went poorly and Ross called Rhona tart, angering Pete. He then got Ross to go to the pub and it was going well as they reminisced about old times. Pete was happy to Ross had cheered up but then some women started making fun of him and Ross stormed out. In April, Ross was caught by Rhona robbing the vets and Pete discovered his painkiller addiction. Pete continued trying to help as he talked Rhona out of calling the police. Ross leaves the village with his girlfriend Rebecca and her son later that year.
In February 2019, Pete accidentally drove a tractor into a barn, badly injuring Rhona. At the hospital she was told she needed a hysterectomy and Pete worried about this. After the operation, Pete was uncomfortable about Rhona and they had an awkward discussion about kids. Rhona ended it with Pete as he still wanted kids and she didn’t think it was fair, but Pete was unhappy about this. Soon, they decided to get back together as Pete said he cared about her too much. However, the symptoms of Rhona’s menopause put a strain on their relationship. She began snapping at Pete and he was frustrated as he didn’t know what to do.
In April 2019, he bought her slippers for her birthday, Rhona got angry, saying he didn’t find her attractive anymore and they argued. Rhona went on the Big Night Out and Pete felt bad that they were still on bad terms. The next day, they made up and Pete was happy that they were back on track. Following a run in with new farmhand, Nate Robinson, Pete learned that he had kissed Rhona on the night out but Rhona said that he came on to her. Pete was furious and fired Nate from the farm, which prompted Rhona to confess that she kissed Nate. Pete was shocked by this news but still apologised to Nate and gave him his job back. Pete and Rhona then talked about everything and they both promised to do better moving forward. In June, Pete proposed to Rhona but she turned him down. He was heartbroken but a few weeks later, Rhona asked Pete to marry her and they became engaged. However, the next day both of them realised they weren’t happy and agreed that they were better off apart, ending their relationship for good.
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2019-2020: Departure[]
After her father dies in a fire in early August 2019, Pete grows close to Tracy Metcalfe and attempts to help her find out who was responsible for his death and clear his name after he gets blamed. He also finds out that Moira is having an affair with Nate Robinson but agrees to keep it a secret. He stays quiet until October, when Cain knocks him unconscious and locks him in a barn, believing that he is the one Moira is having an affair with. Pete soon gives in and tells him that it is Nate who is sleeping with Moira and so Cain goes off to prepare his revenge. In November 2019, Tracy and Pete started a short-lived relationship after Tracy's sister Vanessa Woodfield and her fiancee Charity got them to confess their feelings for each other. However, they soon realised they were better as friends and called it off.
Pete leaves the village
In December 2019, as Pete grows more and more annoyed with Moira, who is lashing out as a result of her marriage breaking down thanks to her affair with Nate, he gets an offer from Nate, who has been employed by Kim Tate to run Pete's family's old farm Wylies Farm and asks him to join him. He thus quits his job at Butlers and starts working at Wylies. However, after living there for a while the memories started to get to Pete as he grieved his dead father and little brother. He decided that it was time for him to move on and he planned to move to Liverpool to be with Ross. On 10th February 2020, after a tearful goodbye to his friends, Pete drove out of the village for his new life in Liverpool.
Pete was mentioned in March 2025 after Joe Tate had him beaten up by a thug called Shaun in order to get Ross out of the village. Ross returned to the village a few days later, saying Pete had checked himself out of hospital, insisting that he was fine.
Residences[]
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| Unknown farm | Until 17th December 2013 |
| Butlers Farm | 17th December 2013 to 20th October 2014 |
| Mulberry Cottage | 20th October 2014 to 26th August 2015 |
| Caravan at Butlers Farm | 26th August 2015 to 2nd November 2015 |
| London | 2nd November 2015 to 15th December 2015 |
| Dale View | 15th December 2015 to 12th January 2016 |
| HMP Hotten | 12th January 2016 to 5th May 2016 |
| Dale View | 5th May 2016 to 11th May 2017 |
| Tug Ghyll | 11th May 2017 to 18th August 2017 |
| Dale View | 18th August 2017 to 20th August 2018 |
| Smithy Cottage | 20th August 2018 to 25th February 2019 |
| Apartment Two, Emmerdale Mill | 25th February 2019 to 12th March 2019 |
| Smithy Cottage | 12th March 2019 to 18th July 2019 |
| Butlers Farm | 18th July 2019 to 9th October 2019 |
| The Grange | 9th October 2019 to 3rd December 2019 |
| Wylies Farm | 3rd December 2019 to 10th February 2020 |
| Liverpool | 10th February 2020 to present |
Additional information[]
- A young Pete was portrayed by an unknown child actor in home videos broadcast in Episode 6898 (26th June 2014).
Quotes[]
"Two minutes you said, but I can't do everything! Who are you?" (first line)
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"Thanks, I'll see you later, yeah?" (last line)
See also[]
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