Introduction Bear is first mentioned when
Mandy Dingle (
Lisa Riley) tells Paddy's best friend
Marlon Dingle (
Mark Charnock) that the reason that she has returned to the Emmerdale village is because she found a letter revealing that Paddy's mother had an affair with "famed" wrestler Bear Wolf, who may be Paddy's biological father. Up until this revelation, Paddy had believed that another man was his biological father. Marlon and Chas are unsure about whether to tell Paddy the news, especially when Paddy says that his happiest memories of his childhood were when he and his mother followed Bear around on tour across the country to see him fight. Brunt added that the thought of Paddy's mother cheating on the man Paddy thought was his father has shocked him. However, Marlon tries to persuade Paddy to go to the wrestling convention and meet Bear as he thinks that is what is best for Paddy, with Brunt explaining, "Paddy doesn't have any blood relatives and Marlon thinks it's important that he knows either way if Bear Wolf is his father". however, when they arrive there, it is slightly "anticlimactic" and disappointing for Paddy, who becomes speechless, with Brunt revealing, "They turn up at this workingmen's club and the wrestlers are at the tale-end of their careers, it's like a sad 'legends' thing. It harks back to the days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks - these guys are still going even though their backs have gone!" Brunt hoped that Richards would be able to stay on the soap as Richards was "loving" his time there. The DNA test eventually reveals that Bear is Paddy's biological father.
Reconnecting in Northern Ireland The continuation of the plot occurs in special episodes that take place in
Northern Ireland. In order to find out the truth "once and for all", Paddy gatecrashes the honeymoon of Marlon and
Jessie Grant (Sandra Marvin) and goes to the wrestling convention in
Belfast so he can get answers from Bear, who is on a wrestling tour in Ireland, on what happened between him and his mother. Brunt had previously teased that he and Charnock would go to Belfast for a 2019 storyline. When Paddy finds out, he bonds with Bear and offers to teach him how to read, particularly the love letters that his mother had been sending to Bear. Bear asks Paddy to read the letters that his mother had written to him, which leads to Paddy finding out that his mother had told Bear that she did not love Bear as she thought and that she loved her husband instead. Bear is then frantic and horrified when he finds Paddy's
suicide note and he desperately tries to find his son before it is too late;
Emmerdale worked with the mental health charities
Andy's Man Club and the
Samaritans for this mental health storyline. Paddy survives and he and Bear become "proud members" of the local Man Club, where men in the Emmerdale village meet up to do activities and talk about things on their mind. Bear and Paddy go fishing one day and Paddy tells his father that he likes hearing him talk as it keeps his mind off other things and also tells Bear how much he appreciates his support with his recovery following the suicide attempt, and Bear reflects on how Paddy has progressed since then. Bear then misunderstands a conversation with Paddy and believes that his son has given his permission to pursue Mandy, so he invites her out for lunch and tries to kiss her when he misreads the situation, leaving Mandy stunned and Bear embarrassed. Richards had previously teased at the 2023
Inside Soap Awards that he wanted Bear to have some "love" and "companionship". Bear finds out when he overhears Mandy's call to her client through the karaoke speakers when he is at her salon for his beard trim. Bear, believing that Mandy is cheating on Paddy, is "rattled" by Mandy's "betrayal" and struggles to compose himself, leaving Mandy uneasy when he makes some "barbed" comments; he is also unsure about whether to tell Paddy. Mandy begs Bear to listen to her reasons for why she is doing this but he threatens to tell Paddy. This was part of Bear's attempt to trap and expose Mandy, as he did not believe that she was being honest when she promised to stop. Paddy is stunned and reveals that he is unsure about whether he will now marry Mandy.
Going missing In May 2025,
Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw teased that there would be a "big storyline" for Bear later in the year, with Shaw explaining, "He's going to go off screen for a little while, he's going to go missing. And when he comes back, what you'll see is a very different Bear in a really different situation. We're all going to be watching and going, 'What the hell has happened here?' That's going to be really exciting." It was revealed that Bear would go "missing" as part of the mysterious plot. Ahead of the big storyline, Bear gets a "nasty shock" due to his "unique living situation". When Bear comes home and finds out that Paddy and Mandy have boxed up his belongings, he is horrified and panics that they are trying to rid of him. In reality, they are just moving Bear's belongings into Liam's old room, but an unaware Bear lashes out at his son and daughter-in-law for the second day in a row and flees the house. Paddy and Chas then find Bear looking "downcast" and explain the truth to him, leaving him embarrassed and apologetic. He also tells Paddy that he was worried that he would lose his new-found family. ==Storylines==