Last updated 11:40, Thursday, 19 June 2008

HE WAS last seen kidnapping Tom and Patsy Kensit and holding them hostage for a £2 million ransom.

Now Emmerdale bad boy Cain Dingle, or rather the actor who plays him, Jeff Hordley, is coming to Carlisle.

Hordley is playing a DJ set at Spirit on Crosby Street this Saturday for the venue’s monthly LemonFactory night. He is well known for his DJ work in and around Manchester and has a weekly show on 96.2 The Revolution, a radio station in his home town of Oldham.

“I’ve been DJing since my college days,” Hordley tells Nightlife. “I’m really looking forward to Saturday night. It’s primarily an indie set with a few old dance anthems in there as well. I’m by no means house music; that’s not me. There’ll be guitars, funk, soul, reggae and some current tunes. DJing is kind of my resting job.”

Since leaving Emmerdale in 2006 after six years Hordley has done a fair bit of resting, although that was always the plan. He quit the soap to spend more time with his wife Zoe and their young daughter. And now two-month-old son Stan is also demanding attention.

“I’ve been doing mostly theatre since leaving Emmerdale,” says Hordley. “I’ve done all kinds of roles, although nothing like Cain. The only TV I’ve done is an episode of Heartbeat. DJing is similar to theatre in that you get an instantaneous reaction.”

For millions of people Jeff Hordley’s association with Cain Dingle remains strong: “The amount of times when I bump into people in the street and they ask me when I’m going back. I think the door is open and I wouldn’t rule out going back. I miss a lot of the people. And I have got a real fondness for the character. He’s been a large part of my life.

“Even if I was to go on and do other things on TV I’d always be known as Cain Dingle. He’s a loveable rogue, and he’s nothing like me at all. I’m a happily married man with two kids who likes gardening and cooking.”

Doors open on Saturday at 9pm. Advance tickets are available from Spirit or Thyme and Place restaurant at £7 until 9pm on Saturday. Call 01228 599188. Admission on the door is £10. Resident DJs include Jamie Henry, The Steve Poon Experience and Paolo Di Liberto.