Emmerdale viewers expressed frustration on Wednesday night over a glaring plot hole in the ongoing John Sugden storyline, as characters failed to recognise each other's voices during phone calls.
Earlier this week, John Sugden phoned a helpline and was connected to Paddy Kirk, who has been volunteering for the charity since July. Despite having spoken before, neither identified the other. Fans took to social media to vent, with one writing: 'So neither John nor Paddy recognise each other's voices?' Another added: 'Sorry but it's annoying me that Paddy and John don't recognise each other's voices, I know it's a soap blah blah blah but come on!'
The blunder occurred amid dramatic scenes where Mackenzie Boyd escaped captivity after being shot with a bow and arrow and hit with a rock by John. Meanwhile, John had been drugging his husband Aaron Dingle, leading to a seizure in the woods. As Mack fled, he flagged down a car that turned out to be John wielding an axe.
Later in the episode, John called the helpline again, ranting about his 'bad person' brother and referencing Robert Sugden's wedding crash. Paddy, looking at a photo of Aaron and John, finally connected the dots, exclaiming: 'John, is that you?!' However, fans criticised his lack of urgency, given John is married to his stepson.
Paddy raised his concerns with colleagues, who advised him not to act on a hunch. Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
