Christopher Chittell

Christopher Chittell is an English actor, best known as Eric Pollard on Emmerdale, the ITV soap opera he has appeared in since 1986 and where he is the longest-serving cast member. Born in Aldershot, Hampshire, he began acting in 1964 at the Chichester Festival Theatre, appearing with the National Theatre in the Peter Shaffer play The Royal Hunt of the Sun. His early screen roles included Potter in To Sir, with Love (1967) and a part in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), followed by a starring role in the children's action serial Freewheelers from 1968 to 1973. He spent two seasons on the 1970s science fiction series The Tomorrow People. Later films included The Last Valley, The Beast in the Cellar, The Raging Moon and The Weekend Murders. On stage, he appeared at the Old Vic in Macbeth alongside Peter O'Toole. In 2019 he received the British Empire Medal for services to drama and charity.