John Barton to bow out of Emmerdale in car crash

John Barton is set to bow out of 'Emmerdale' in a tragic car crash, which could be one of the biggest stunts of 2012.

John Barton is set to bow out of 'Emmerdale' in a tragic car crash.

The hunky farmer - portrayed by actor James Thornton - will be killed off the ITV1 soap in sensational scenes, which will see his car roll down a sheer cliff in the middle of the Yorkshire moors in the dead of night.

Despite 'Emmerdale' bosses said to be "desperate" to keep the details of the dramatic storyline a secret, the stunts are set to be some of the biggest seen throughout the whole of 2012.

An insider told the Daily Star newspaper: "Everyone's putting a lot of time and care into this. We want it to be a massive episode for us."

James - whose alter-ego has struggled raising drug-addict daughter Holly (Sophie Powles) and then discovered his wife Moira (Natalie J. Robb) cheated on him with bad boy Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) - has previously admitted the Barton family would go through more "heartbreak" in 2012.

He said: "The Bartons have been fantastic. After everything they went through with Holly it finally looked like they were making a success of things. Then in stepped Cain.

"The one thing that is crystal clear between Moira and John, whoever did what to whom, they absolutely adore each other.

"There's going to be some very moving, powerful, heartbreaking drama coming up in 2012 that's about the whole family, not just John and Moira."