Emmerdale actor Ned Porteous has said the upcoming wedding week could be a 'new era' for the ITV soap, with stunts and tragedy expected to affect the entire village.
The wedding of Joe Tate and Dawn Taylor, played by Olivia Bromley, is set to end in disaster. Dawn is planning to flee with her ex Billy Fletcher, played by Jay Kontzle, and Porteous told the Mirror that Billy may need to watch out.
Joe's motivations and potential revenge
Porteous said: 'I've always assumed that with a character like Joe, there's one thing that he holds closest to his heart. The one thing that you can't buy, and that's love and family.'
He added: 'It's the things that he holds really dear. As a man who is outwardly volatile and dangerous, and unable to regulate his emotions, if you were to take the final thing tethering him to a life of moral good, what could that man then be capable of?'
Porteous warned that Joe may have something up his sleeve as the wedding arrives. He said: 'Well, we don't know whether Joe already knows about Dawn and Billy. He could be formatting some serious revenge, or he could be completely oblivious, but we do know that Joe is capable of anything. So we'll see.'
Impact on the village and a new era
The consequences of the big week will be far-reaching. Porteous said: 'It's going to affect everyone in the village.' He also suggested a new era for the soap was on the way.
He commented: 'It's a higher quality version of Emmerdale. Emmerdale is already fantastic as a show, it's the best job I've ever had, but the amount of work that has been put into these episodes, and on this block and on this unit.'
He added: 'The episodes that we've all been part of, there is a feeling to it, not just in thematic vibe, but also the quality of the cameras that we've been using. It is going to look and sound and feel very different, and hopefully, this could be the start of a whole new era for Emmerdale.'
Joe's feud with Caleb Miligan
Porteous also addressed Joe's deadly feud with his uncle Caleb Miligan, which is a key part of the big week. Asked if things would get dangerous, he said: 'Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, he's taken his kidney, we'll see what else he manages to take!'
Asked who may come out on top, Porteous said: 'I wouldn't mess with either of them, to be honest. But, we'll see.' He added that he loves the rivalry between the Tates, saying: 'I have only ever enjoyed playing scenes with Will Ash where we're at each other's throats. The character that he plays, and this power dynamic between us, has been so much fun as an actor to play. So, I'm welcoming as much of that as possible, I'm really enjoying it.'
Emmerdale's big wedding week begins on Monday 24 August on ITV1 and ITVX.
