Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw has teased major upcoming storylines, including the fate of Robron's wedding, a mysterious new Tate arrival, and a dark, gothic autumn. She shared these hints with the Mirror.
Robron wedding on the horizon
When asked if Robert Sugden and Aaron Dingle will finally marry for a third time, Shaw said: "Robron's wedding! I mean, it's on the horizon, it's somewhere. We've not storylined anything just yet, but I mean, obviously, it's Robron, of course we're going to want to get them married at some point."
She also emphasized the importance of bringing back Emmerdale Farm, now run by Robert and Aaron. Shaw explained: "I really wanted to bring it back to its roots, you know, and that farming element. You know, it was such a unique, that's our kind of USP from the other soaps, I think, you know, we've got this amazing countryside, beautiful backdrop."
She added: "So, to kind of have more of those farming elements, to kind of build that Dingle farm up at the Dingles', bring back Emmerdale Farm, you know, you've got the Tates over here, it's got that real kind of Yellowstone vibe to it."
New Tate character
Shaw hinted that the mystery Tate is a new character, not yet seen. She said: "Definitely keep your eyes peeled. I think the new Tate will probably appear before you realise it's a Tate."
Gothic autumn and comedy
Looking ahead to autumn, Shaw revealed: "Oh God, we've got some quite dark, gothic storylines coming up. There's some comedy as well, I think it's a whole mix. That's what soap is about in the end, isn't it? Drama, gothic stuff, maybe up at Home Farm, which feels like the right kind of precinct for those sort of stories."
She also mentioned: "We've got some brilliant comedy, you know, we've got Kev, we've got Lewis. There's going to be a whole mix, really."
Characters to watch
Shaw highlighted specific characters for upcoming drama: "Absolutely Joe and Dawn, obviously. They've got a massive storyline coming up. The Dingles, there's going to be a lot going on there within that family. The Milligans, they're going to be getting involved, a few fingers in a few pies for those guys. Trying to kind of build their empire maybe a little bit. Jimmy and Nicola as well, a little bit of that, which is nice. We don't see as much of those of them on screen as I think we'd like."
Wedding tragedy for Dawn and Joe
With Dawn and Joe's wedding looming, Shaw hinted it won't end well. She said: "The wedding week itself is going to be dramatic, let's face it. It's really exciting. What I can tell you is that it's going to be one of the biggest weeks of the year for Emmerdale. It's a week of episodes, it's going to be full of heartbreak. I mean it's typical Emmerdale. Think stunts, heartbreak, tragedy, twists, turns. It's gonna have it all, it's gonna be amazing."
Sadie King's return
On Sadie King's comeback, Shaw said: "It's important to remember this is Sadie King 20 years later. She's been away from the village, there's a lot that's gone on. So, what you'll kind of see is that when she initially comes back, she presents herself as the same Sadie King that she always was. But as the kind of story develops, you'll see a slightly different Sadie. We'll see how the last 20 years has changed her a little bit. Maybe we'll see a little bit more of a vulnerable side that we didn't see when she was last in the show."
She continued: "I'm not sure that everyone is going to welcome Sadie back with open arms. In fact, I think it's probably quite the opposite. What you'll see is that there's quite a few of our residents who don't know Sadie of old. There's maybe one or two new surprising friendships for Sadie. Whether those people are right to trust Sadie or not is a different matter, and we'll have to see what happens there. I mean, it's Sadie King, of course she's got an agenda, you know? I think what I can say is the reason that Sadie comes back and the secret that she comes back with is going to be absolutely shocking. Whether all is quite as it seems, we shall see as the story progresses, but it's going to be pretty big and pretty shocking."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
