Everything you need to know about Ash Palmisciano the first transgender actor shaking up Emmerdale as Matty Barton

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Emmerdale fans have been blown away with Ash Palmisciano's portrayal of Matty Barton since he made his soap debut in 2018.

The 30-year-old's much-praised portrayal of returning character Matty has left soap fans digging for more information.

So as Ash gears up to take one another dramatic storyline in the Dales, here is everything you need to know…

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Ashley Palmisciano joined Emmerdale in 2018, taking over from Grace Cassidy, who portrayed the character from 2009-2012.

When Matty returned to the village, the character was described as having transitioned in his years away from the Dales.

The 30-year-old is the first-ever transgender actor to appear on Emmerdale and his character Matty is also the first character written into the show to have transitioned.

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Ash was originally called to consult on the upcoming transgender storyline, however, caught the producer's eye when he said he was an actor and was asked to audition for an on-screen role instead.

He explained during an appearance on Lorraine: "I went along and the next thing is them asking me if I want to audition. I was like, 'Yeah, fantastic!' And here I am!"

The 30-year-old then joined the soap as a full-time member of the cast.

Speaking on This Morning, Ash explained: “I was an actor, I was doing bits and bobs in theatre. But you know what it’s like, I was collecting tickets, I was a full-time peasant at Warwick Castle, it was getting the point where my parents were like, ‘Maybe you should focus on getting something else’.”

He continued: “It’s been just over a year [on Emmerdale], I have to constantly remind myself I can’t believe how amazing it is.”

Emmerdale isn’t Ash Palmisciano’s first TV appearance, and the actor has previously played roles including a part in BBC's Boy Meets Girl.

Ash has also worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company and was the first transgender actor to appear on the RSC stage.

Besides acting, multitalented Ash is also a poet, writer, and narrator and makes use of his own YouTube channel to post short poetry videos.

He previously wrote and narrated a short film called The Lady That Dances, which was shown on Channel 4 in 2018 as part of their Random Acts programme.

In January 2020, he also presented a TED talk titled Why Your Truth Is Your Superpower about his experiences of being a transgender actor.

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