In Thursday night's episode of Emmerdale, Charity Dingle faked going into labour to distract Joe Tate from tracking down a missing bull. The Woolpack barmaid, played by Emma Atkins, pretended to be in pain on a country road, forcing Joe to abandon his search and allowing Belle Dingle to remove a tracker from the bull.
Charity, who is secretly pregnant after a one-night stand with ex Ross Barton, had offered to be a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah Sugden and Sarah's husband Jacob Gallagher. However, after the embryo transfer failed, she got drunk and slept with Ross, keeping the truth hidden from her family.
Joe had discovered that his cows on Butler's Farm had gone missing, orchestrated by Cain Dingle, who planned to sell them and split the proceeds. As Joe tracked the bull using its tracker, Charity intercepted him and feigned labour, even joking about crowning. Ross arrived and insisted on taking over, but after Joe drove off, Charity revealed the deception, furious that Ross had ruined her plan.
Meanwhile, Chas Dingle plied Kim Tate with alcohol to keep her distracted. When Kim realised she had been outsmarted, she declared war on the Dingles, but Chas and Charity remained unphased, with Chas even mocking Kim with a cow impression. Fans praised the episode for its comedic tone, with one Reddit user calling it 'brilliant' and another saying they 'can't wait for the baby bombshell to drop'.
