Ian Bleasdale (born 1952 in Upholland, Lancashire) played Fred Mansell in Emmerdale Farm in 1980. Ian has appeared in other TV shows such as Inspector Morse, Andy Capp, and Coronation Street, but he is best known for his role of Josh Griffiths in the BBC medical drama Casualty, a role he played for 18 years between 1989 and 2007, making him one of the show's longest-serving characters.