Emmerdale returns next week as actor Chris Coghill reprises his role as Kev Townsend after his son Lewis goes missing. Charity Dingle breaks down as everything gets too much, and a new arrival raises some eyebrows.
Over the last few weeks, viewers of the ITV soap have watched Dr Caitlin Todd's reign of terror over Charity, with the latter struggling to keep all of her secrets just that. Meanwhile, Caleb Miligan was scammed by Archie Sharma, who used an AI copy of Steph Miligan's voice to gain £5,000 from Caleb. It was also when Ruby confirmed to Chas that she doesn't think Steph will be returning to the village. As Gabby Thomas recovered from Ross Barton's rejection, her focus on healthy eating and body image has started to lead to a downward spiral as she becomes obsessed with her self-image.
Kev Returns...
Ross receives a concerning message about Lewis being abducted, stating Lewis is at risk unless his father returns ‘Penny’ to the kidnapper. Ross, warning Liam against calling the police, initially insists they must find Lewis's adoptive dad, Jeffrey, but they find no leads. Liam finally confesses that Lewis’ biological father is Kev and Ross immediately decides they must find him.
Kylie approaches Ross, and reveals she is holding Lewis captive and he will only be released when Kev returns ‘Penny,’ which she deems the ‘most precious thing in the world’. Stressing it's a matter of life and death, Liam convinces Claudette to give him Kev’s whereabouts.
Liam finds Kev selling cakes from his van, but Ross is annoyed by Kev’s attitude, leading to a scuffle. Kev claims Penny is a diamond he sold to a pawn shop, and Ross demands he buy it back. However, once alone, Kev looks at a diamond around his neck, making it clear he didn’t sell it after all. Ross and Liam are panicking over Lewis’s abduction. Ross receives a threatening text from Kylie featuring scalpels.
Kylie video calls Kev, demanding he return 'Penny' by the end of the day, emphasising her seriousness by mentioning her eight years in Holloway. Kev initially tells Liam and Ross that the pawn shop sold Penny, but later claims he located it and bought it back. Suspicious of Kev, Ross knocks him unconscious, telling Liam he plans to use Kev as an insurance policy for their trade. Ross meets with Kylie to try and get Lewis back.
Charity Breaks Down...
Charity and Cain bond over their shared struggles, acknowledging that their lashing out stems from internal pain. Charity encourages Cain to talk to Moira and Liam, but she refuses to open up about her own pain despite his urging. Later, Mack confesses to Chas that he feels clueless and inadequate in supporting Charity.
Chas feels guilty for concealing Charity's secrets. Later, Mack's attempts to talk to Charity are rejected. Overwhelmed and unable to be near him, a tearful Charity speeds off in her car. Charity, broken and on the verge of a breakdown, stands alone at the edge of a lake, ignoring a call from Mack. Meanwhile, Charity’s family regroup after failing to find her on their searches. Beside himself with worry, Mack takes the executive decision to call the police.
Back at the lake, as vacant Charity stares into the distance, she hears a rustling behind her. When a stranger appears, she notices Charity's obvious distress and attempts to help her. When the stranger goes to touch Charity, encouraging her to open up, she instantly decks her. Shaken, Charity apologises profusely for hitting her, but the stranger suggests the reaction was due to being touched without permission.
Assured she can be trusted, Charity prepares to open up to the stranger. Meanwhile, Mackenzie talks to the police about Charity's disappearance. When Mack asks Chas if she knows anything he doesn’t, will she continue to lie to him?
Kerry Fights Back...
Caleb begins to wonder whether Archie may be behind the Steph scam and pretends to offer Archie paid work using AI at the depot. Caleb uses the opportunity to check his laptop and finds a folder named ‘Steph’ confirming Archie is responsible for the scam.
Caleb confronts Archie, but, panicking, Archie claims the scam was Kerry's idea. When Caleb confronts Kerry she buckles and attempts to explain, but Caleb threatens to call the police. Kerry tries to stop Caleb and insists Archie was the brains behind the scam, but Caleb tells her Archie blamed her. When Caleb threatens her with jail time, Kerry makes a counter-threat...
Elsewhere in the Village...
A terrified Lewis is being held by Kylie. When Lewis asks if she is going to kill him, Kylie responds enigmatically which only worsens Lewis' panic. Jai’s suspicious to see Caleb and Billy in cahoots, but Caleb’s consumed with his theories about Jai and Kerry. Sarah is shocked to come face-to-face with a relative.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am.
