It’s fair to say a lot has been going in ‘Emmerdale’ in recent months, but fear not, as the cast and crew have no plans to slow things down as the summer gets underway.
Iain MacLeod has settled into his role as executive producer, after taking over from Kate Oates, and has now revealed what viewers can expect in the upcoming months.
The Huffington Post UK were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the what fans will be seeing in the coming episodes, and Iain was also there to reveal which characters fans should be keeping an eye on.
Here are the storylines to watch out for this summer…
1. Lachlan’s Shotgun Drama
Anyone hoping Lachlan would clean up his act is about to get let down massively, as the youngster turns a gun on his own grandfather, Lawrence White.
When Lawrence’s big secret is out, he, in Iain’s words, “loses his grip a little bit, and that impacts on Lachlan more than anyone else”.
“He ends up in a murderous rage at his granddad. The situation escalates shall we say,” he said. “That’s the centrepiece for one of our big stories over the summer, it’s a massive crisis at Home Farm.
“It’s a question of loyalties for Chrissie, it’s a question of whether or not she can stand by and continue to believe that deep down Lachlan is a good kid.
“It’s a really interesting family story with big secrets at the heart of it all.”
2. But That’s Not All Chrissie Has To Deal With
Lachlan won’t be the only one left fuming in the White household, and while his mum doesn’t actually turn a gun on anyone, we will see her undergo a transformation.
“Andy is going to break her heart in a spectacular fashion,” Iain teased. “What we’re going to do with her after that point is transition her into a different chapter of her life.
“Something in Chrissie snaps – we’re going to see a sharper, funnier, bitchier, harder, much more classic ‘Queen Bee’, soap bitch character evolving over the summer.
“The first power play Chrissie makes will be to seek revenge on Andy, for breaking her heart. She sets about ruining his life, but at the same time, standing by him and going to bed with every night, pretending to be his staunch supporter.”
Quite frankly – we’re ready for it.
3. Charity WILL Nab Cain Dingle – But Can It Last?
Iain offered: “We’ve had Charity circling the Cain and Moira camp and trying to split them up, and we can reveal now that Charity will eventually get her man.”
However, bosses are keeping schtum on whether she can bag him for good.
“She comes in and deals what she thinks is the killer blow to that relationship, but where will Cain’s heart take him - to Charity or Moira?” the executive producer added. “That’s all business that will come at the end of the year.”
4. Unexpected Romance For Marlon And Carly
Teasing the duo’s coupling up, Iain said: ”One of our big relationship stories for the summer is Marlon and Carly, and what happens when you sleep with your best mate. How does he deal with it when he develops feeling for Carly? And what do his friends make of that?”
5. Paddy’s Back!
After leaving the Dales in the wake of his own marriage drama, Paddy will return to the village, ready to be the good guy we all know and love once again. Sadly, he’s in for a few shocks, namely that…
6. Rhona And Pierce Will Still Be A Thing
“Not only does he return at the end of August to find that Marlon has kind of hooked up with Carly, but also comes back to discover that Rhona, the woman he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with, has taken up with Pierce, the widower of his dead mistress” Iain said. “The whole landscape has changed.
7. David Takes Things To The Next Level With Tracey (Well, Tries To)
In what Iain describes as “a moment of insanity”, David will pop the question to his girlfriend, who quickly reminds him that they’ve been together all of five minutes.
However, the storyline that develops will take a comical twist, as he vows to propose every day until she says yes.
“We’ve had planes sky-writing, we’ve had Marlon spelling out ‘marry me’ in balsamic vinegar, we’ve had people in the radio halfway through scenes, where David says “ssh!” and there’s a proposal for Tracey,” Iain laughed. “We’ve just tried to have as much fun with it as we can.”
8. Holly’s Addiction Battle Continues
This time around, we’ll see Holly plead with her mum for help, and at her request, Moira attempts to support her as she goes cold turkey.
“The story we wanted to tell with Holly is about a high-functioning drug addict that’s not the classic drug spiral story, and somebody that’s trying to take hold of their own destiny and get a stranglehold on their addiction,” Iain said.
However, while the storyline sees mother and daughter coming together, it will put pressure on Moira’s relationship with Cain, as he struggles to accept his wife’s choice of method in helping Holly.
These ‘Emmerdale’ scenes will air from July onwards, Catch up on all the latest soap news and spoilers here.
