Graham Connolly, known to his many victims as Mike, will surely go down as one of the most vile, hateful villains to ever step foot in Emmerdale.

He’s a manipulative conman who preys on people who are confused about their sexuality, wheedling his way into their lives, recording their deepest and darkest thoughts, before using the recordings as leverage to extort money.

Apparently, though, Macaulay Cooper who plays him is actually a pretty nice guy!

Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, adoptive mother of Vinny Dingle who Mike targeted, took to Instagram to compliment Macaulay on his performance as the grim extortionist.

The Emmerdale cast love Macaulay

‘So so so lovely working with the brilliant @macaulaycooper he played the part of mean, nasty, horrible, manipulative Mike in @emmerdale but trust me when I say-he’s a real softy, and a beautiful person. Welcome in PAMPAMANDA anytime’ Lisa captioned a sweet post, featuring herself and Macaulay in her salon set.

‘Such a legend! It was absolute honour and pleasure working alongside you! Thank you for being so welcoming and making me feel at ease during our scenes! Wishing you all the best!’ Macaulay replied.

Lisa wasn’t the only cast member who has taken to social media to heap praise on Macaulay. Bradley Johnson, who plays Vinny, previously posted about how much he’d enjoyed working with him.

‘Massive shoutout to @macaulaycooper for his outstanding performance! He’s an absolute top bloke off-screen, and his portrayal of Mike is👌🏻. Last night’s episode was a hard watch, but this story is crucial and has to be talked about. And it’s just the start for Vinny. This photo was taken after a long, challenging 10-scene day, which aired last night. Hats off to @marcusleetv for directing those tough scenes! #emmerdale #itv #soap #tv #behindthescenes’ Bradley captioned a picture of himself, Macaulay and director Marcus Lee.

Macaulay replied: ‘Legend mate! It’s been a pleasure working with you on screen and an even bigger pleasure getting to know you off screen! Phenomenal performance mate, keep smashing it brother.’

Shebz Miah, who plays Vinny’s best friend, Kammy Hadiq, who’s supported Vinny through his ordeal, and even confronted Mike himself, added: ‘Top bloke mate you smashed it!!’

Ash Palmisciano, who plays Matty Barton added: ‘Amazing scenes’, while Kevin Mathurin, who plays Charles Anderson replied: ‘blinding episode last night, mate. Well done to you all.’

Mike’s reign of terror

Fans were perplexed when Vinny, a character who’d previously identified as straight, tried to kiss his best friend Kammy. Though Kammy kindly rejected him, it sent Vinny into an utter tailspin.

Though it seemed he’d be able to open up to Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), who’d also initially struggled with his sexuality, Vinny kept his internal battle to himself.

Turning to an LGBTQ+ forum, Vinny sought someone to talk to about what he was going through and found Mike, who appeared to be in a very similar position.

They met up a couple of times, with Vinny eventually feeling free to bare his soul, finally opening up about his confusion regarding his growing feelings for Kammy and his love for his fiancée, Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham).

When Mike text Vinny and asked to come over, under the guise of his girlfriend having discovered their messages, Vinny welcomed his new friend in. Things rapidly turned dark, though, as Mike’s true motives became clear. He beat Vinny to a pulp, extorted him for £10,000 and stole his and Gabby’s wedding rings.

When the police arrested Mike (revealing his true identity as Graham Connolly) for the extortion of other victims, they visited Vinny due to the large cash transfer, though he denied any knowledge, desperate to keep the wider community in the dark about what truly happened.

When Gabby became aware that Vinny was injured, he blamed Kammy for the beating. Though Kammy initially (and understandably) denounced Vinny as his best friend, he softened when he learned the truth behind the beating and attempted to vanquish Mike himself.

Suffice to say, it epically flopped. Kammy made a profile on the forum Mike used to search for victims, arranged a meeting with him and tried to steal his phone. Mike was too slick for that, though, remining Kammy that he had the recordings of Vinny backed up and demanding more cash.

Vinny, having had enough of Mike’s torture, bravely reported him to the police before his wedding to Gabby. When Mike became aware, he threatened Vinny with revealing the truth to his new wife if he didn’t ‘compensate’ him. Vinny, thinking on his feet, promised to sabotage the case in Mike’s favour to bring an end to the ordeal.

With some encouragement from Kammy, Vinny stood up to Mike in court and told his truth, despite Gabby attending the proceedings. Vinny’s told all about Mike’s evil ways, with the jury finding him guilty and sentencing him to prison, bringing his reign of terror to an end.

Macaulay says goodbye to the Dales

Taking to Instagram, Macaulay shared a carousel of images documenting his time on Emmerdale (including a clipping of an article by this humble reporter).

Bradley Johnson commented: ‘Legend!!! Been an absolute pleasure mate. Hope we get to work together again soon’, while Shebz Miah added: ‘Well done bruddaaaaa smashed it’