Josh Crowther is a troublemaker who took Gabby Thomas's virginity.
Josh along with his friend Jamie Halstead, were customers of Café Main Street in March 2017. Josh tried to touch one of the cakes but owner Brenda Walker slapped his hand away so Josh lied that he had had brittle bones, and Jamie chipped in that he'd need to go to hospital. Josh even threatened to call the police until Olivia Flaherty told Brenda the pair were winding her up and they're idiots. Jamie hit back that at least they aren't in prison, unlike Liv's half-brother Aaron Dingle, and Josh stated only real scum ended up there. Noah Dingle stuck up for Liv by revealing his mum had been in prison and she's not scum but this didn't help as Josh suggested Liv's mother was aware Liv's father sexually abused Aaron. The boys left the café after telling Brenda that the place was garbage.
The boys returned a week later and Brenda agreed to give them another chance. Josh started chatting up Gabby whilst Jamie distracted disinterested Liv. Josh tried to kiss her but Gabby pulled away. The following day, Gabby and Liv skived off school to meet up with Josh and Jamie and they ends up at Gabby's house with a bottle of vodka. Josh kisses Gabby and wants to take things to the next level, but Gabby is unsure, so Josh throws the condom at Jamie and gets up to leave. Gabby stops him leaving and the pair head upstairs. Gabby's step-mother Laurel Thomas was furious to return home to find Gabby had been upstairs with a boy and ordered Josh out of the house.
A few months later, Josh and Jamie stole an erotic novel written by Tracy Metcalfe and torments Jacob by reading it out passages that detail Tracy and Jacob's surrogate father David's sex life. Josh and Jamie also steal from David's shop and terrorise Eric Pollard and Dan Spencer, who are in the shop at the time. In a later confrontation, Tracy hits Josh in self-defense and eventually turns herself in to the police for it, but is not charged.
After some time, Tracy and Jacob forgive Josh and let him hang out in David's shop as Tracy notices Josh's mother violently abuses Josh. Josh apologises to Eric. Josh and Jacob become good friends. David also softens toward Josh. Eric eventually also forgives Josh with some prodding from Faith Dingle, after Josh helps fix a car Eric and Faith were in.
Jamie makes fun of Josh for hanging out with Jacob, and puts a video online of Josh with Eric to embarrass Josh. Josh steals Eric's gun, thinking it is not loaded, to scare Jamie. Jacob finds out from Josh about the gun, and Jacob tries to get Josh to take it back to Eric's. However, Jamie and some mates confront them, and Josh fires the gun to scare Jamie. The gun turns out to be loaded, but no one is injured. Frank Clayton is nearby and calls the police to report the gunshot, although he doesn't recognize who fired the gun and who else was there, only noticing the hockey bag the gun was carried in. Jacob is linked to the gunshot by the hockey bag, which is Jacob's, but refuses to tell the police that Josh stole and fired the gun.
Josh is grateful to Jacob for not turning him in and tries to get Jacob to run away with him to a mate's in Birmingham so they don't go to prison. Jacob goes part of the way with Josh, but changes his mind when he sees a text from Leyla Harding asking him to come home. Jacob tries to get Josh to come back to Emmerdale with him. Josh refuses. Jacob tells Josh that Josh is a mate, but Jacob can't run away as it would hurt his family. Jacob gives Josh the small amount of cash he has on him. Josh leaves, planning to board a train to Birmingham.
Jacob returns to Emmerdale and eventually tells the truth about the gun incident to the police. Jacob isn't punished as the police found Josh still hanging around at the train station and Josh confessed everything, that stealing the gun was all Josh and Josh made Jacob go along with it. Jacob feels guilty that he is free and Josh will be punished when Josh could have let Jacob take the blame by not confessing.