John Barton is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played by James Thornton. The actor was asked to audition for the part and he called it the "most frightening audition" he had ever done. Thornton won the role of John, who was introduced to Emmerdale along with his family as part of an overhaul of the show by the series producer Gavin Blyth. The Barton family took over the running of Butler's Farm and they were described as being "sexy, modern and contemporary". Thornton made his debut screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 July 2009. The following year, he signed a one-year extension to his contract. In November 2011, Thornton revealed that he was to leave Emmerdale after three years and he departed on 16 February 2012.

Shortly before he arrived on-screen, Blyth described John as being "a very charismatic and modern farmer." He was a family man, who was honest and hard-working. Kate Woodward of Inside Soap called him "ruggedly handsome" and said he had a heart of gold. Thornton called his character a "proper bloke", who was quite moral. John and his family moved to the village to make Butler's Farm a success. John was good at business and employed a modern approach to farming. He and his wife, Moira (Natalie J. Robb), were childhood sweethearts and their marriage was initially solid. However, John shared a kiss with Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw) and two years later Moira had an affair with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley). John struggled to forgive Moira for her infidelity, but eventually realised that he could not be without her.

Creation and casting On 22 May 2009, it was announced a new farming family called the Bartons would be introduced to Emmerdale in July. Kris Green of Digital Spy reported the show's series producer, Gavin Blyth was introducing the new family as part of an ongoing reinvention of the soap. The family, which consisted of five members – a mother, father, two daughters and a son – took over the running of Butler's Farm. Of the family, Blyth said "I don't want to make Emmerdale a show about teenagers and young people, it's about family values. The Bartons are sexy, modern and contemporary. They're almost happy – and in soapland that's quite strange!" Natalie J. Robb was cast in the role of Moira Barton and Adam Thomas, Sophie Powles and Grace Cassidy were cast as teenagers Adam, Holly and Hannah respectively.

Former HolbyBlue actor James Thornton was cast in the role of Moira's husband, John. Thornton was asked to audition for Emmerdale when the role came through to his agent. He auditioned alongside Robb and they read scenes together. Thornton said "I thought I was just coming up for a chat so when we went on set it was mental. It's the most frightening audition I've ever done, but it must have gone well!" The actor said he had grown up with the show and was brought up twenty minutes from where it is filmed. He said his character appealed to him as he believed he would be fun to play, and there would be opportunities for him to film comedy and drama storylines. In September 2010, it was announced Thornton had signed a one-year extension to his contract.

Development

Characterisation

Upon announcement of his casting, John was described as being a principled, ambitious farmer, who is trying to run a business and keep an eye on his family at the same time. Blyth quipped that John was "a very charismatic and modern farmer who's actually a success." The series producer said the character would be seen taking farming forward in Emmerdale. Thornton told a Yorkshire Post reporter that while John was a "laid-back family man", viewers could expect fireworks and feuds from him. He said "There are definitely going to be confrontations with the Dingles. John will enjoy that battle and give as good as he gets." John and his family also sparked a volatile relationship with the Wylde family. A writer for What's on TV said John was a successful, honest and hard-working farmer, who stood up for his himself and his family. While Kate Woodward of Inside Soap branded him "ruggedly handsome" and said he wanted to create a happy home for his family. Woodward added that John had a heart of gold and wanted to have fun, though he was not a push over.

Thornton told Amanda Killelea of the Daily Mirror that his character was a "proper bloke", who was quite moral. John and his family moved to the village to make a go of Butlers Farm, which John had big plans for. Thornton stated that John was good at business and he had a modern approach to farming. He was hands on and knew how to make money. When asked to describe John's approach to his work and family, Thornton said "Even though he's a business guy, he's not just about the money. He likes working hard and obviously cares about his family first and foremost. He's a genuine, grounded bloke and at the moment things are going really well for him." The actor revealed he did have some personal experience of farming as he used to help out on a farm near to where he grew up. For the role of John, Thornton had to take tractor lessons.

Marriage to Moira Barton In their fictional backstory, John and Moira were childhood sweethearts, with the spark between them "instantaneous". It was love at first sight for the both of them and Robb commented that the couple had a "great chemistry" together. Following several dates, John and Moira married and had their three children. Robb stated that John and Moira had a lot of affection for each other, while a writer for ITV branded them a "striking yet down-to-earth couple". During an interview with Kris Green of Digital Spy, Thornton said John and Moira had a lot of fun in their youth and there had often been hints about their party lifestyle on screen. When asked if they were enough for each other, Thornton quipped "Yeah, definitely. What I love about their relationship is that she's a strong woman – she doesn't take any prisoners. She's the boss of the house and he respects that. She calls the shots!" He added that while no one knows much about the Barton's backstory, they were aware that John and Moira had a solid marriage. The actor thought John and Moira must have had their children when they were around eighteen as their family unit was quite young. During a feature of soap opera's longest marriages in 2010, Kate Woodward and Sarah Ellis stated that John and Moira had been married for twenty years. The writers added that as a couple, John and Moira had been solid and showed an easy attitude to keeping their family on an even keel.

When asked what kind of man it would take for Moira to cheat on John, Robb opined the man would have similar values to John and she thought Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) would be a safe bet as he is loyal and trustworthy. Thornton said he was worried the writers were going to break John and Moira up and Robb said if the characters were to split, they would find it hard to live without each other. In late 2011, John and Moira's marriage goes through a rough patch because of problems at the farm. Thornton opined that John is not giving Moira any attention because he is overworked. Moira becomes fed up of John not listening to her and the lack of communication and the distance between the couple becomes worse. Moira then begins an affair with Cain Dingle. Of why Moira puts her marriage in jeopardy, Robb revealed "She still loves John, but she feels isolated and neglected because he's stopped including her in the finances of the new business. He's changed the dynamic of their relationship." Cain later tells John what has been going on between him and Moira by dropping hints about their affair. John initially believes Cain is winding him up, but paranoia set in and he confronts his wife in a bid to get the truth. Speaking to Anne Richardson of Inside Soap, Thornton said John is shocked and heartbroken when Moira confirms she did have an affair. The situation is made worse because Moira cheated with Cain, a man hated by most residents.

John struggles to forgive Moira for her infidelity and Thornton said he makes the decision that their marriage is over and she has to go. He then asks his wife to leave their home. Allison Jones, writing for Inside Soap said John does not allow Moira to wallow in self-pity and he reminds her she was the one who threw their marriage away. The couple keep their children in the dark and Moira goes quietly. When Adam, Hannah and Holly do find out what has happened, Holly is firmly on John's side. John later has a fight with Cain in The Woolpack. On 17 November 2011, it was announced a major storyline would see Cain attacked by a mystery person and left for dead. John was named as one of six official suspects, along with Moira. Of John's motive Inside Soap's Kate White said "John's family is in ruins thank to Cain's affair with his wife, Moira. Violence erupts as the men have a vicious fight this fortnight – and when John is discovered fleeing from the crime scene with blood on his hands, it looks like an open-and-shut case!" Digital Spy conducted a poll asking viewers to select which suspect they thought had carried out the attack and John received 26.3% of the vote, placing him first in the poll.

Eve Jenson In May 2010, John kissed Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw). Prior to the kiss, John had spent weeks trying to fend off Eve's advances. In an interview with What's on TV, Shaw said Eve developed a big crush on John and because they had a few things in common, it made her hopeful that he was interested in her. Both Moira and Adam noticed Eve flirting with John in The Woolpack, but they just teased him about it. Shaw revealed the attention from Eve was just a bit of fun for John, as he had some problems at home and used it as a way of escaping. Thornton told Inside Soap's Katy Moon that John was so secure in his relationship with Moira that he felt Eve was not a threat, so he did not put up any barriers. He thought Eve was "a nice girl" with nothing malicious about her, which left him open to her charms. Eve was given a job at Butler's Farm and she used that as an opportunity to flirt with John. Moira noticed and eventually warned her off when she thought Eve was getting too familiar with John. Thornton stated "I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Moira! Her fiery nature begins to show, but John assures her that Eve is just a tease and nothing more. John and Moira have quite an open relationship anyway, and they're both aware of their flirtatious natures in any case."

Moon quipped that John crossed a line when he confided in Eve about Holly's drug problem. Thornton agreed and said it was a stupid thing that men tend to do, he cannot keep his mouth shut despite the problem being a family secret. Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) later winds John up about working with Eve on the farm and does not fix his land rover properly as a joke. John refused to pay the garage bill and Thornton said despite John being warned about getting on the wrong side of Cain, he did not care. John and Eve share a kiss and Thornton explained that John gave in to Eve because he was flattered by her interest in him. John told Eve that their kiss was a mistake and she insisted that it be kept between the two of them. However, Cain saw everything and he blackmailed John into paying the outstanding garage bill. Cain later told Moira that he saw John and Eve kissing. Robb deemed John Moira's soulmate and said even though she knew he looked at other woman, she did not think he would ever act upon it. The actress added that Moira had sensed something before it happened, which made the situation worse.

Departure