Emmerdale finally confirmed the identity of the arsonist on Friday night's episode, but fans are divided over the reveal, with many claiming it was predictable due to a potential production blunder.
The Arsonist Revealed
For weeks, viewers of the long-running ITV soap have been guessing after a mysterious hooded figure was seen pouring petrol on Robert Sugden's farm and setting it alight. Names such as Kammy Hadiq and Graham Foster were thrown around as potential suspects. In the final episode of the week, the truth came to light just before the credits rolled.
Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), Robert, and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) spent the day trying to identify the culprit, along with Graham. At the end of the day, Aaron explained: "Graham reckons he nearly caught someone today - the arsonist. Well, not nearly caught them, actually. He's been keeping an eye on the place since Joe thought it was me and Robert starting the fires. Just someone in a dark hoodie, which is pretty much everyone we know."
The final scene showed teenager Kyle Winchester (Huey Quinn) walking up to the scene of the crime with a can of petrol and starting the fire.
Fan Reactions
Fans were quick to react on social media. One wrote: "Kyle Dingle needs some serious psychological help first murder then arsonist, what's next serial killer?!" Another said: "Surely Kyle needs some punishment now. Him offending and the Dingles covering for him is not going to end well."
On X, one viewer exclaimed: "OMG IT WAS KYLE ALL ALONG," while another added: "Omg it's Kyle," accompanied by a shocked-face emoji. However, others claimed the twist was "predictable," especially given a potential mishap in the credits.
The Production Blunder
As with fellow ITV soap Coronation Street, the credits roll with the cast listed in order of appearance. Kyle Winchester was noted at the top, suggesting he was the person in the opening scene when the mystery was first teased. That opening scene featured the hooded fire starter, leading many to deduce it was Kyle weeks ago.
One fan commented: "#Emmerdale it was so obvious it was Kyle. It was as obvious as living in No1 Obvious St, Obvious Crescent in Obvious Town in the country of Fucking Obvious OB3 1OS." Another said: "Oh really... would never have guessed him to be the fire starter."
A third wrote: "So not only is Kyle a killer for murdering Al - he's now an arsonist. As much as I'm loving another big story for Kyle and Huey Quinn is brilliant - this almost felt too predictable especially with the early spoiler last week in the end credits. #Emmerdale"
A fourth added: "I really wasn't expecting Kyle to be the fire starter, it was so unexpected even when a lot of viewers called it weeks ago and #Emmerdale were so excited to tell us they totally didn't credit Kyle in an episode where we only saw his figure."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
