Adam Thomas tricked James Hooton into thinking he’s returning to ‘Emmerdale’.
The 31-year-old actor – who played Adam Barton on the ITV show for nine years until his exit in 2018 – teased his former co-star and social media followers when he responded to Danny Miller’s tweet saying he had a big announcement to make.
He replied: "I’m coming back to emmerdale !!! Wahoooo!!! (sic)"
Although some fans quickly realised he was just joking, James – who plays Sam Dingle on the soap – seemed to fall for it.
He tweeted a number of party hat emojis and wrote: "Amazing news! @adamthomas coming home! #emmerdale #adambarton (sic)"
However, James soon realised he’d been duped, and admitted he was completely fooled by the joke.
He added: "I thought it was true… honest (sic)"
Danny – who plays Aaron Dingle – later announced he was taking on a 40-mile charity walk for his Once Upon A Smile organisation.
Adam was last seen on the soap as his character was rebuilding his life in Budapest, Hungary after protecting Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb) by taking the blame for Emma Barton’s (Gillian Kearney) murder.
Although he was about to head to prison, Aaron and Cain (Jeff Hordley) broke him out of the prison van on the day of his sentencing.
They sent him to the docks with money and a passport, meaning the door hasn’t been closed on a comeback for Adam.
The actor – who has been working in property in between roles – previously admitted he’d be interested in a return in the future.
He explained: "Of course, but not just yet, it’s only been a year and I feel like I’ve got so much more to learn and do."