Who is Samson Dingle in Emmerdale and why is he in prison?

Sam’s son…get it? (Picture: ITV/Mark Bruce/Joseph Scanlon) Samson Dingle (Sam Hall) made a sad exit from Emmerdale two years ago, after an 18-year tenure on the show. Samson was born on January 12, 2006, to parents Sam and Alice Dingle (James Hooton and Ursula Holden-Gill). He was given his moniker due to Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) mistaking the phrase ‘Sam’s son’ for his actual name. Due to Alice’s worsening non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Samson was delivered early via an emergency caesarean section, so she could begin treatment for her cancer. In a heart breaking twist, Alice’s chemotherapy didn’t work, and after stopping treatment, she asked Sam to help her end her pain, which he did with an overdose of morphine. Sam Hall took over the role of Samson in 2009 permanently after a series of child actors played the character, and began to be featured in much meatier storylines of his own. Who was Samson Dingle in Emmerdale? Sam was a quiet kid, but got darker as time went on (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock) Samson first displayed a more chaotic streak when he began hanging out with his much more troublesome cousin, Noah Dingle (Jack Downham), and after spending a night with Amelia Spencer (Daisy Campbell), she fell pregnant, and Samson faced the life-changing reality that he was set to become a dad. Despite dad Sam and step mum Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) supporting him, Samson showed a cold streak that nobody realised he possessed and, terrified of becoming trapped in the village, he worked to have his daughter, Esther, placed into social care. When Noah stepped up to support baby Esther and got into a relationship with Amelia, Samson weaponised his status as the child’s biological father to extort thousands of pounds from Noah’s trust fund in order for him to stay away from their fledgling family. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. His humanity won out in the end, though, when Amelia discovered a lump in her breast, and as he came to terms with the fact that he’d never truly come to terms with his own mum’s death, he worked hard to make amends with Amelia and attempted to support her through the cancer scare. Why is Samson Dingle in prison? Samson ended up with a four year stretch in the slammer (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock) Samson’s burgeoning friendship with vicious teenager Josh Cope (Osian Morgan), who initially seemed like a good influence on Samson, soon led him down an incredibly dark path, when Josh’s true colours emerged with his vile treatment of Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson), and his transphobic terrorising of Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano). During an altercation at the Hide, Josh shoved Samson into Matty, who was holding a kitchen knife, resulting in Samson’s stabbing and, coerced by Josh, Samson reported Matty for purposefully attacking him. With Matty in an increasingly dangerous situation in prison, desperately trying to protect his identity as a transgender man and living in sheer terror, Samson kept his mouth shut for months, before, once again, his humanity won out, and he confessed all to his family and the police. As a result, Samson was arrested and charged with perverting the course of justice, being sentenced to four years in prison, and bringing his time on the show to a tragic end. Is Samson Dingle returning to Emmerdale? Matty tells Moira that she needs to forgive Samson (Picture: Mark Bruce/ITV) Upcoming scenes show that Belle learns that Samson is due to be released and return home to the village, though she initially decides to keep that information to herself. It’s a particularly awkward situation due to Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) inviting Matty to move into the Dingle’s cottage. Things come to a head when Moira goes head to head with Sam and Lydia over the spare room that she’s offered to Matty, intending Samson to move into it upon his release, leaving Moira furious that the Dingles are all so willing to forgive what he did to her son. Deals of the Day Kurt Geiger's new Notting Hill collection is a love letter to London's chaotic weather I’ve found the Hoover gadget that could make cleaning your floors so much easier I tried L'Oréal Paris's new PDRN serum and my skin looked glossier after one use This new Cricut gadget turns your favourite photos into stickers in minutes From kitchen hatches to burgundy walls – the biggest home trends for 2027 In an interesting twist, it’s Matty himself who tries to convince Moira to forgive Samson. Arrow MORE: All the Emmerdale cast returns, exits and new arrivals in 2026 The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.