Latest / Emmerdale Unpacked / "Not sure they heard you in Demdyke!" - 19/10/2026 to 25/10/2026

Transcript

"Not sure they heard you in Demdyke!" - 19/10/2026 to 25/10/2026 · Emmerdale Unpacked

• Holly: So we're back for episode two. It's been an amazing week in the Dales. I think it's been packed with drama. We've also seen a bit of comedy this week, which is quite an unusual thing at the moment in amongst the darker elements that we've seen over the past few months. But thank you very much to everybody who listened to episode one. We've taken your feedback on board and yeah, we're... really excited to get started properly. So again, my name is Penny. Lauren: Hello, and I'm Lauren. And as a reminder, we're just two best friends who absolutely love Emadel and are really looking forward to unpacking Emadel this week by deep diving into what's happened in Current on ITB1 and having a brief look at what's happening in Classic in 2009 on ITB3. Holly: Yes, so just before we start, think, Lauren, to everybody who did listen to our first episode, yes, we may have come across as very nerdy in terms of our Emmerdale knowledge. But we think it's important to bring in those elements from the past and to talk about how the similarities can sort of pop up in storylines. So you will be seeing a bit more of that as well. Lauren: Absolutely. also, just the listener note, I am recovering from COVID. So if I sound a bit huskier this week, that's why. Holly: She was in full Kim Tank mode, actually. Lauren: Thall Kim Tate in nineteen ninety six mode. for anyone who's Holly: Yes. Lauren: that nerdy that they understand what that means. so where do we start this week? 'Cause we've had a lot. I mean we kicked off the beginning of the week from revealing who stole Robert's money. well, Joe's money that then became Robert's money, that then briefly became da-da-da. charities money. What Holly: going my priorities money. Lauren: did you think about it being revealed to be charity? Holly: So I was in two minds about this because I could see charity's motivation behind it. She wanted to do something that would kind of prop Sarah up in terms of her kind of stake in living with Robert and Aaron. And I think there was good intention behind it, but I think it was just very much sort of misconstrued. So from Sarah's part, she saw it that she was trying to bribe her by giving her this money. But I think charity has a habit of doing very impulsive things without Lauren: It felt Holly: really thinking through. Lauren: it felt very old school charity, just Holly: Yes, it did. Lauren: impetuous, grabbing the money and then answering questions later. which I quite liked. I think she used the phrase sugden glow up on Monday, which I don't think is a phrase that's Holly: Yes. Lauren: ever been used before. Holly: No. Lauren: And I quite liked the her going up to Eminar Farm and them all sitting around the dining table in the kitchen. Sort of the the new Sugdons, the new wave of Sugdons. Holly: Yeah, yeah, it definitely had a flavor of 1972, Lauren: Mm-hmm. Holly: and the Delpham. Because obviously, you don't really have a matriarch like you had Annie Sugden, but I feel like Robert is kind of fitting into that role quite nicely. Lauren: I wonder what Ryan Hawley would think about being compared to Sheila Mercia. Holly: I think it would be a privilege and an honor to be honest, because I do feel like he is the head of the family with Aaron, let's Lauren: Yeah, absolutely. Holly: be honest. But I feel like they've got kind of the kids in now with Jacob and Sarah and Layla and it's quite a nice family unit. And I believe Serena is also living there as well and a very Lauren: Yes. Holly: tiny farmhouse from what I recall of it in the early 2000s. Well, we'll put that aside. was a nice scene. think the thing that got me about that scene is that Charity tried to be honest and the Charity of old, she got so wrapped up in this kind of false narrative that she couldn't really unpack it in the way that she wanted to and blamed the window cleaner. Lauren: Yes, which was a sort of beginning, some other things that happened this week. Yes, but s for Bob, first of all, Holly: But for Sam, absolutely. Lauren: having his accident, which required Holly: Yeah. Lauren: going to see Liam. and then Sam Holly: Yeah. Lauren: being able to start a new business for Samson when he comes Holly: Yeah. Lauren: out of prison. Holly: Yes, I think that the scene between Charity and Sarah kind of established that Sarah is definitely not going to give in anytime soon. She's decided that that is her opinion of Charity and that's where she's sticking for now. But as we know with with Emmerdale, there will be a point where that has to be resolved. I'm wondering that there was something that she said that made me think Charity is going to be involved in an accident or Sarah's going to be potentially in a life threatening situation because she said I will defend Leila to the day I die. I thought, ooh, yes. So Lauren: that's a bit of a soap clanger, isn't it? Holly: yeah, it's a clanger that suggests that there may be something down the line for Sarah. And we know that she's got a kind of life limiting condition. Lauren: Mm. Holly: So yes, that was quite a kind of dark moment to end that conversation on. And I think Charity felt completely defeated by that. She realized that there was no way back, that she's not going to be able to see her daughter. And that there is no kind of solution to that. that trying to give Sarah this massive gift had just backfired horribly on her. Lauren: Yeah, absolutely. but Sarah and Charity are not the only ones who've had drama this week. we've got the looming return of Tom King Jr. to Holly: Yeah. Lauren: face, which I'm I'm not sure how I feel about them bringing him back. I think James Chase and Eden Taylor Draper did a fantastic job with that storyline. Holly: Yes, absolutely. Lauren: And it was very satisfying to see a storyline like that go to trial. And we had that fantastic trial episode which had numerous sort of kind of guest appearances from well known soap faces from other soaps. Denise Welsh. Holly: Yes, including me. Lauren: and so yeah, it was very and as opposed to other soaps where when they've had an abuse storyline, they've quite often ended up in a a murder. I'm thinking about Yasmin and Jeff in Cory and then obviously more recently you've got Todd and Theo in Cory as well. Holly: Yeah. Lauren: so it was very satisfying to see Belle get justice and then work her way through the the rami ramifications of his abuse. And so now to bring him back, I don't know. And I've seen a lot of chatter online about people saying that they think it's gonna end up being a whodunit. or that he might kill Cammie, which would be devastating because I think Cammy's one of the best new characters that has come out of Emadal in recent years. Holly: Yes, I think for me that the character of Cammie, he's so authentic It's so, it's just a joy to watch him on screen. He's very, very comfortable in, in his character in terms of the comedy element, but he can also do that the kind of the darker elements Lauren: Mm. Holly: as well. We saw this week when he was having that conversation with Belle and he said, I understand why this might be a lot for you. And I want you to know that I'm sticking by you and it's okay that you don't feel that you can say I love you back at this moment, but I want you to know that I love you. And it was just really lovely to see that kind of sentimental side of Cammie as well because he's normally playing the Joker or he's normally kind of... gazing out into the distance as he was this week when Kim took her car in for servicing and she's like, can he, you you know, I'm giving you this opportunity. And he was completely detached from it. And I think that shows how much love he has for Belle. He really wants to make it work. And he appreciates that she's been through a lot. I think what she said about Tom being, you know, sort of love bombing her is the only way I can kind of describe it Lauren: Yeah. Holly: from the very beginning that he was very affectionate that he just, you know, he wanted to rush through everything. He wanted to get married and she's very reluctant to kind of get sucked into that again. And I think that's a real consistency from what we saw when she was kind of dealing with the abuse as well. I think bringing Tom King Jr. back. I want there to be some kind of solution to it and Lauren: Mm. Holly: in the sense that I would prefer it not to be a whodunit because I think that takes away from the gravitas of the fact that Lauren: Yeah, totally. Holly: it was a new storyline. But I also think we need to kind of give Tom King the opportunity to kind of show whether he has changed. I don't think potentially he will have because I think he used the visit from Charles that we saw referenced last week to kind of build up that trust again with people in the village. And Nicola was a bit like, no, I'm not touching this. Even if he is Jimmy's nephew, I'm not getting involved in this. But then when Charles started to talk to her, you could see how that manipulation was working through Charles. Lauren: Yes. Holly: And I think that's a key element in this story that he was a master manipulator. So regardless of anything else, he's very good at kind of bringing people over to his side, but I would prefer them not to resolve it by doing a whodunit. I think it needs to be addressed that perhaps, yes, he does come up, you know, he sort of had a face off with Cammie. and Cammie's a bit like, mate, you you need to back off and, you know, do whatever you want, but just get out of, get the hell out of here. That's how I would see that interaction going. But I really, really hope that they don't kill Cammie because I think he's got a lot of potential for the future. You know, he could end up running the garage. I feel Lauren: Yeah. Holly: like that would be a good. option for him, know, take over from Kane because he's built up that trust with Kane. I think he came in as a very happy-go-lucky character that was a bit of, how can I put this, he had a sort of criminal element to him, but it was never villainous. It was always kind of light. Lauren: He yeah, he had the potential to be quite cliche when he first came in as sort of dare I say bad boy, a cheeky chappy kind of thing, and they've really worked Holly: Yes. Lauren: to have those elements, but there's also a as you've sort of touched on, there's a a softer side, there's a deeper side, and I think that massively came out. during Vinny's storyline facing his sexuality. Holly: Yes. Lauren: I thought that was really well handled by Cammie. and it was just really nicely portrayed, like these two lads being friends and Cammie sort of obviously, as everybody should do, accepting Vinny for being Vinny. so yeah, I really hope that Tom coming in doesn't sort of damage Belle and Cammie very much. because I think we're only starting to see Belle and Cammie properly on screen. because Holly: Yes. Lauren: unfortunately I think a lot of their love story has occurred off screen. which seems to be a bit of a trend in soaps now. I feel I think you see because I think you've just got so many characters, so many storylines going on that you can't often have these kind of smaller, more human. interactions be shown, which I think is a Holly: Yes. Lauren: shame. Holly: Yeah, I think so. I think it's also to do with the kind of introduction of intimacy coordinators and what actors are actually comfortable with because I think we saw quite a lot that went on in the sort of 90s and early 2000s that we don't really see on television today. And that's something that I feel when you've got long-term characters, And it's quite interesting. we're to come back to this later. But to see how that has also changed in terms of their portrayal as well. But in terms of Cammie, I've got to say he reminds me bit of Jamie Hope. Lauren: Yeah, yeah, I can see that. Holly: There's an element of that cheeky chappy, as you say, but also this wanting to make good. of everything that he does. Lauren: I loved Jamie Hope. I mean, this is gonna be the start of my campaign to bring Jamie Hope back. I think Bob needs Bob's got no children Holly: He needs a wingman. Lauren: on screen at the moment, has he? Holly: No. Lauren: No, s considering he's got so many dotted around the world, you absolutely could bring back Jamie. They could run the B and B together again, it would be lovely. so yeah, bring back Jamie Hope. Holly: Yeah, he could have the same type of scrapes and misunderstandings with women that he had back then. And I think it would be good to see a more mature Jamie Hope Lauren: Yeah. Holly: as well to see how much he's learnt, Lauren: Mm-hmm. Holly: which didn't seem to be a lot back then. Yeah, I think in terms of the kind of cammy and bell dynamic, I think, yes, we haven't really seen it on screen, but it's been bubbling away in the background. And it was nice to actually have that scene where she was, he said, I love you. And she was like, thanks. he could see that she didn't mean it in the way that it came out, but Lauren: No. Holly: there was obviously something that needed to be addressed there. And so yeah, and in that scene, I have to be honest with you that those sandwiches, I really loved the look of those sandwiches in the scene where Cammie and Belle came together and had that sort of very open conversation about why she was so reluctant to say, love you back. They looked amazing. I can't believe they actually came out of the Dingle kitchen. Lauren: Yeah. Holly: But also, Cued us to the person who very kindly sent in their amazing crochet work to the studios and had it featured on screen this week. So I don't know if you spotted it. I love when they introduce new props. I think it's brilliant. But there was an amazing sort of blanket that was draped across the sofa in a few episodes this week. And it said, the dingles and it was crocheted in the Lauren: How cute. Holly: style of the blankets and for me it was almost like Lydia had made that but we found out through social media that was actually a fan who'd sent it in and they decided to use it on the set so well done to that fan. Lauren: That's very sweet. no, I don't think I'm as observant as you, unfortunately, but that's why Holly: Yeah. Lauren: our dynamic works. Holly: at all. Lauren: so one storyline that I think had the quickest turnaround this week is Liam's. So I think at the beginning of the week on Monday, we started seeing him be a bit secretive, he was checking his phone a lot, he was telling Chaz he was going Holly: Yes. Lauren: somewhere, he was going to a conference about was it about flaky skin? Holly: It was skin complaints. Lauren: Yes. Holly: Yeah. if you want to listen to people going on about eczema and flaky skin, you know, it's a great thing to attend. Because I think Chaz was trying to get him to kind of invite her along to go to the hotel at the Guineas as a kind of date night. She was like, you know, Pally can have Eve. It will be fantastically romantic. And he was like, no. Lauren: Not so much. and yeah, so it was sort of hinting at is he having another affair? because he has had a wandering eye in the past. Holly: Hmm? Lauren: but all got revealed on tonight's episode, so Sunday night's episode, that he, Mamprey and Claudette have been at a murder mystery event, which I loved. It it had some of my favourite lines about the the weirdest Holly: You Lauren: thrupple in Yorkshire. and his his name was something love. Holly: Wolfgang Love or something like that. Lauren: Wolfgang love his character in the murder mystery. I thought it was brilliant. And it then led on to what I quite liked about it and I've I've loved Liam's fascination with murder mystery since the beginning and I know you have as well. Holly: Yes, definitely. Lauren: but the other thing I kind of liked about it was it as silly as it was, the storyline, it kind of led into some genuine relationship drama. So Chaz's insecurity about whether Liam thinks she's smart enough for him or interesting enough Holly: Yeah. Lauren: for him. And then it also brought in a whole other interaction between Mampre, Ruby, Sadie, Vanessa, and Lewis, where Mampre and Ruby fell out. and it was all kind of a nice domino effect just from this Holly: Thank you. Lauren: just from this murder mystery storyline. Holly: So from my perspective, I've really enjoyed seeing the girl gang being built up again. I think it's something that has been missing for a while. You need those interactions where people have friends in the village. And it's something that I feel like we saw a lot of that in the classic era where people got together and had sort of drinks together in the pub. But you don't really see that anymore. So to have a scene where they were all gathered around and Vanessa was there as well, which was really Lauren: Yeah. Holly: nice to see her included. I think from my perspective, it makes it a bit more naturalistic. It makes it a bit more like you would meet these people in a village and you would want to get involved with them. But I liked the interaction with the fruple reference. So I thought that was really funny because Claudette didn't understand was. And Manpreet's expressions were just brilliant in that scene. And she was like, he was like, Liam said, she's meant to be a femme fatale and I am this this hunky kind of guy you so you could see how that was that could be misinterpreted Rebecca Sarkis is brilliant. Her expressions are just so fantastic. But the fact that Sam fell off the ladder. because he thought that they were having an affair and then told Chas there was something rather French farce about it because it was Chinese whispers I love it when they go back to the origins of kind of the slapstick element that you might see in classic Emmerdale. And I do believe that Rodney had a moment in the early 2000s, I believe it was. David Metcalf and Delilah Dingle, who were caught by Rodney as he was cleaning their windows in a kind of carry on moment. So it's nice to see that sort of element back in and the Ruby and Sadie stuff. feel like we talked about it last week, but there's definitely a kind of friend, enemy type thing that's building. I can't work out whether it's meant to be more that Sadie sort of feeds on the interaction that she has with Ruby and genuinely just wants to cause trouble or whether she actually enjoys having someone to banter with to have that kind of friendship with but at the same time she's scheming because she needs the money from Joe. What's your take on it? Lauren: Yeah, I'm I'm really struggling with this and as much as I've how much my flip flopping 'cause last week I said I love Sadie Kim. I'm her number one defender but this week I really struggled because it's it's just so not plausible that people would accept her after what she did or attempted to do to Nicola and it just didn't ring true that Manpri and Lewis, especially Lewis, who is meant to be Nicola's one of her best friends, that they would be happily having a drink with her in the wool pack. And then Ruby trusting Sadie to the extent that she is, even Caleb, I just feel like a lot of characters seem to have had a bit of a lobotomy when it comes to Sadie. Holly: Thank Lauren: And and it's fine. To a point, because obviously it's for the story, it's for the plot, but I just don't feel like they would be trusting her as much as they are, and forgiving her as much as they are. So I'm intrigued to see where it's going. because obviously she's sort of telling Caleb that Ruby's got a bit of a drinking problem, and she's manipulating Ruby into drinking. so Holly: He's also provoking a kind of controlling aspect Lauren: Mm. Holly: in Caleb as well, which was really interesting, when he got into the pub and she's like, I'm just having fun. I'm drinking with my friends. What's the problem? And he was like, Ruby, home now. It was kind of like, you know, that's where he draws the line. And I don't think he's completely blind to what Sadie is doing. Spoilers next week suggest he is. But I'm firmly team Caleb on this one. do think he's aware of what she can do, but I think it will be potentially a drunken liaison. think she'll play on his vulnerability in that respect. Lauren: If those spoilers are true, I think is it that's quite devastating. I understand that couples can't be happy all the time and they can't, you Holly: Peace. Lauren: know, there's got to be drama. But I felt feel like Ruby and Caleb have been like such a solid couple for such a long time now. that it it yeah, it doesn't ring true. But hey, I could be wrong and it could work really well and it could be really good storytelling. And next week I could flip flop back to being Sadie King's number Holly: Thank Lauren: one fan. Holly: So we've also seen some other drama bubbling in the background this week in the pub. We've seen some sort of secret conversations that have been taking place in the most conspicuous place, I have to be honest, in the toilets. I am of course talking about Serena and Thea. So the dynamic between them kind of stepped up a gear this week because we saw... Thea having the conversation with Serena where she said, I've found this information that I've taken from Kim's phone. The first thing I would say about taking things from Kim's phone is that I cannot believe that a woman like Kim Tate would not have a lock on her phone and not have some kind of pin number. Lauren: In what world in what world does Kinte of all people first of all leave a police officer to just hang out in the kitchen on her own while she goes out to the stables? Crazy. and secondly, Everybody has a lock on their phone these days. And how quickly was that transfer done? But again, suspend disbelief. but I really liked the interactions between Thea and Serena, hence the episode name this week. I did have a couple of people Holly: Yes. Lauren: ask me why last week was called Chump Change, and I realised it's because we didn't reference it. Chump Change is what Joe Tate kept calling £100,000 in the poker game. Holly: Yes. Yes. Lauren: and then this week we called it Not Sure They Heard You in Dem Like, which comes Holly: them dyke, Lauren: from the conversation that Athea and Serena had in the loose, as you've said. What are we calling Athea Holly: Yes, sir. Lauren: and Serena? Is it Serena? Holly: arena. Yeah, I think so. I think a lot of people have picked up on the chemistry between the two of them. I'm interested to see how that dynamic plays out because at the moment I feel like there is a kind of a power struggle between the two of them. And I'm not entirely sure what to define that as because in some scenes, it seems more sibling like in other scenes that there is a kind of chemistry that would stray into a romantic territory. I think for now it's been classified that they are best friends. But it's, I think it's an interesting one because we've seen Thea interact with Serena in so many scenes and each one has had a different element of her personality. So this week we saw a stray into what I would call Psycho Kim territory. There was something very kind of reminiscent of 1997 in Thea's behavior and she was like, I need to find this information out. And she got the social worker to pay a call on Kim. Interestingly that they used the back of Holdgate farm when Kim came out of the double doors at the back. So if you've been on the Emmerdale village tour, you will actually see the pack of That building, it's normally used for Holdgate Farm. So it's now being used for Home Farm, which is very interesting. Lauren: Yes, I have to say that devastated me. because the grounds of Home Farm, the exterior of Home Farm, that is my childhood. and let's face it, my adulthood. it's such a beautiful part of what makes that house great, especially the terrace. And then to see like the kind of fake terrace, and I understand why they had to use it. It's difficult I think to use the exterior of home farm as much as they could in the nineties. but it still made me sad. Holly: Yes, I think it was meant to be on the other side of the house. I don't think that was meant to be Lauren: okay. Holly: the the terrace that we've come to know and love over the years. The the door that was closest to the kind of so when when Kim was sort of talking to the social worker, you could see a door behind that was meant to be the kitchen door. So this is meant the double doors are meant to be a bit further along from the kitchen, which would suggest that there is potentially a room that we've never seen on screen that could be a music room or something like that. let's face it, it's Home Farm. has multiple rooms. So yes, it was interesting to see that, but also to see Kim's interaction with the social worker because I counted around seven eye rolls in Kim's scenes this week. Lauren: Yeah. Holly: And some of them, were very reminiscent of classic Kim. So we're talking sort of 95, 96, 97. But also very much in the style of when she used to deal with Chris and a couple of them were directed in Joe's direction. So that's hardly surprising. But it was really interesting to see how Thea tried to manage the situation with the social worker by saying, you know, I've looked after you in the past and I need you to do this for me. And the social worker was very moral about it and said, well, my interest is in the child's interest. So that's what I'm focusing on. Whereas Thea, I felt was very much vigilante over the idea that this baby was definitely going to be sold and then by getting the messages that she got from Kim's phone. She talked with Serena about a delivery, not realizing that it was nappies and milk as reference later on in that episode. So I'm interested to see where they go with the Serena dynamic. Lauren: Mm. Holly: But I think what I loved about that scene is I haven't heard the word Demdike mentioned for a very long time. So it's nice to know that it still exists. Lauren: all this mention of Thea, I think, brings us nicely, I think, to the last big current story that we have to talk about. And spoilers for for anyone who hasn't seen Sunday's episode yet, Who has kidnapped baby taped? Holly: Wow, so this is really exciting. think the idea that this is taking place on Halloween, there were a couple of things in Sunday's episode that gave me a lot of joy as a long time viewer of Emmerdale that sort of referenced 1997 and particularly Kim's return in 1997. So, I don't know if you spotted it, but I saw two references to that iconic episode in 1997. Lauren: So particular shout out to that episode if anybody wants to refresh themselves, it's the 22nd of May 1997. It is so Holly: That's it. Lauren: much fun to watch. even as like a standalone episode, I think it still works really well. so the only reference I think I picked up on was the dinosaur. So the crocheted dinosaur, Holly: Yes. Lauren: Kim picks it up. She flings it back onto the sofa. She comes back into the living room and there's a dinosaur laid out on the carpet. which I thought was a lovely. Holly: Thank Lauren: I did squeal when I saw it. I loved that ref I thought that was great reference to Dear Departed Frank Tate. Holly: Yes, because Kim had that iconic line that was written by Jan McVeary. Shout out to Jan McVeary. She's an Lauren: Mm-hmm. Holly: absolutely brilliant writer, now writes for Corrie. She had the iconic line, you're a dinosaur, Frank. And you go, Lauren: You're a dinosaur, Frank, and we know what happened to them. Holly: what happened to them? So I thought that was a really nice way of bringing the past back in, but I wasn't sure whether it was intentional or not. So whether that was put in there as a kind of reference to us. potentially looking back to the era when Thea was potentially conceived in that kind of 1998, 1999 bracket, because everything that kind of led up to that point came from 1997. And Kim having that interaction with Frank and coming back from the dead, because it wouldn't have happened had she not come back. So I think that that's a really key point of this. The other reference that I picked up on was at the very end of the episode. So for anybody who had to turn the brightness up on their screen, the lighting was a little bit dark. I think that Lauren: It was moody. Holly: was the intention. Yes, it was meant to be gloomy. It was meant to be scary. It was meant to be a bit spooky. But what got me about the shot at the end, and unfortunately I can't remember the director's name, but it was absolutely brilliant. They had a shot where whoever was coming into the property was wearing a sort of dark outfit. They were coming in through the kitchen door. However, they were filming it from the perspective of the kitchen door that leads into the kitchen. and not the back door. So you had that lovely shot of the door with the handle on it. And that was almost frame for frame. The shot from Kim's return in 1997, where she comes in through the back door and locks the door and comes into the house with the gloves on. So I just Lauren: Mm. Holly: felt that that was a little nugget from that. you know, all of these things are, you know, speculative. We don't really know, but I just felt that that had been thrown in as a reference to, we're doing something that's evocative of this period. But Lauren: It would be nice to think that they've thought about these things like this, Holly: It would, but in terms of who... Lauren: but sometimes there's I I think there's not enough time. I think there's sometimes a worry about alienating newer viewers. So I think it's such a delicate balance. But if they have if they have done that for nerdy fans like us, I'm absolutely thrilled. Holly: Especially the fact that it was a dinosaur. the fact that it was a Lauren: Exactly. Holly: dinosaur just seemed so iconic. But for me, the kind of who kidnapped baby Tate story that was kind of stepping up a notch this week. I personally think that this goes back to a conversation that was had between Sarah and Thea a few weeks ago. Lauren: Okay. Holly: So we had the scene in David's shop where Thea came looking for Sarah and there was something kind of Graham-esque about the scene. She got very kind of dark and sort of leant down on the counter and said, I'm gonna ask you for a favor in the future and whatever I ask you to do, you will say yes. And I'm wondering whether this is Thea calling in the favor for Sarah because the thing I noticed about Sunday's episode and the size of that window is that it was very much, it fitted with Sarah climbing in through the window. Lauren: Yeah. I can see that. Yeah. Having re having gone back and seen the sort of size of the hooded figure and also the window. I it it's gonna have to be someone quite slight. I so therefore I don't think it's gonna be Steve Marchant, unfortunately. But again, he might not be wanting to get his hands dirty. He might have sent somebody in. I have seen a theory online. that it's actually gene type. Holly: Okay. I kind Lauren: Which would be great. Holly: of like that idea that there are potentially more tastes out there who could return. And I think from a kind of viewer perspective, it's always nice when you get a surprise, you get that kind of shock element Lauren: Mm. Holly: if it's somebody that you're not expecting to see. So yes, if they have cast Jean and they've got an actress who fits the role and is kind of waiting to kind of pick up the tape baton in that respect, I think that would be an amazing twist. The other reason I think it's Sarah is because we saw the Moses baskets on screen recently with with Layla laying in it. And I wonder whether that links to the deliveries that were happening and where Sarah said, you know, had a high chair delivered to charities or whatever. And that the the Moses basket that baby Tate is eventually found in because we know that from the spoilers is actually Layla's and it is Sarah that that's kind of looking after baby Tate. which would make for some very interesting drama because I don't think Sarah and Graham haven't really interacted. Bar his, reveal in 2018, just after Joe, sort of revealed himself to be Joe Tate. when, when Sarah went looking for Joe and had the interaction with Sarah. I think that's the only time that we've really seen Sarah and Graham interact. which is a bit odd considering how many years they've actually been in the show. no, from my perspective, I think Sarah is the most likely candidate. A lot of people are saying it's Joe. know, Lauren: No, he's on his way to Monaco. Holly: he is on his way to Monaco, but it would be very interesting if he'd worked out what Graham and Kim were up to, maybe saw a message or something and decided to call their bluff. and decides that, you know, he still wants baby adopted, but I can't see where that storyline would go from a plot perspective, if that was the case. And I Lauren: Mm, I agree. Holly: did also, I also liked the throwback to 1998 when Steve Marchant was skipping the country and Kim decided to give him some of the money and send him off to Venezuela. And that was very similar to Sunday's episode as well, where Kim said, I've booked you a holiday to Monaco. I hope you enjoy it. And they had that really awkward hug as well, which I loved it. Lauren: I liked that. I thought that was very funny and very true to both of their characters. Holly: Who's your theory? Lauren: my theory, well, I think I'm I'm swayed by your Sarah theory, to be honest. I'm hoping that there will be a slight mention from Kim that the kidnapping is slightly akin to James's kidnapping in nineteen ninety seven. Holly: Yes, Lauren: when he was kidnapped by Jan Grother. Holly: absolutely. Lauren: but I'm not sure whether they'll mention that. so that's been the week in current. but I think as Holly: Yes. Lauren: we've promised we were gonna talk a little bit about what's happening in Classic at the moment because I think there's some big storylines on the horizon. particularly Holly: Yes, absolutely. Lauren: Andy Sugden's kind of nervous breakdown. I think is on the cards, isn't it? Following the custody trial between him and Debbie Dingle for Sarah Sugden, who just got a big mention, in current. Holly: Yes, the one thing I really loved about that is that the actor who played the custody judge was actually Kim Tate's barrister or Kim Marchant's barrister back in 1999, Lauren: Yes. Holly: which shows that their legal career had progressed Lauren: Ha. Holly: significantly. Lauren: And the social worker was played by the actress who played Aaron's stepmum, Sandra, who is also Holly: Yes, Sandra. Lauren: Dominic Brandt's partner in real life. Holly: Yes, absolutely. So it all ties in together. I thought those scenes in the court were really interesting because Andy seemed so defeated in that scene. He just decided that he'd had enough of fighting. He wasn't prepared to try and to push the situation any further. I can't work out whether that was because he realized that Kane was never going to let it go or whether he just got sick of Debbie coming up to the farm. I she seemed to be on a revolving door over the Lauren: Ha ha. Holly: past few weeks on Classic. And I feel like they made the right decision to give custody over to Debbie to see how she coped with her newfound maturity of actually accepting that she had a daughter, that she wanted her. And also, as you mentioned, leading to Andy's breakdown, because there are elements that you see after he loses Joe, after the kind of abuse storyline that everything is kind of cracking with him, and he loses his temper with Victoria, he gets very aggressive with everybody, really. And eventually that is his kind of downfall. And we see that kind of cracking open a lot more as he descends into this kind of mental instability when he's dealing with everything on the farm. Lauren: Mm, well we've seen him farming in his pants. which is quite unnerving. But not unpleasant. Holly: Yes, yes, especially. No, and I think the one thing that happened in classic this week that I was a little bit uncomfortable with was the imprisonment of Clyde the dog. Lauren: I really felt like there should be some kind of warning about dogs in distress, or animals in distress Holly: Yes. Lauren: in general, 'cause it was quite brutal. Holly: it was brutal the way that he was dragged into that little pen I have to say I think that was the beginning of the humanization of Aaron as a character that he wasn't just this kind of bad boy. He had he had a heart and he wanted to do right by Clyde and he'd found this kind of friendship with this dog and Paddy kind of had. Yes. Lauren: a kindred spirit really, wasn't he? him and Clyde, 'cause he found Clyde at a farm. He'd been left to kind of fend for himself and that is probably how Holly: guess. Lauren: Aaron felt, having been left by Chaz Holly: Yes. Lauren: to deal with Gordon and obviously eventually, we don't know in two thousand and nine what Gordon Holly: next Lauren: how Gordon was treating Aaron. Holly: Yes. Lauren: so yeah, it it was quite a I know exactly what you mean, yeah, it does bring a a deeper level to Aaron, which I think is needed, absolutely. Holly: Yeah, his heartbreak when he saw that Paddy was trying to do everything he could to save Clyde after he was rescued. It was nice to see Victoria involved in that story as well, because as much as I didn't like rewatching the whole Aaron and Victoria dynamic, Lauren: Mm-hmm. Holly: I do think that there is an element in Victoria that that simply wanted to support Aaron regardless and she was quite angry with Andy about the way he treated the dog and that seemed Lauren: Mm. Holly: she she's quite principled as a character even now so you could see what she was growing into even then. Lauren: it is also worth mentioning, that it means that Aaron has slept with all three of the Sugden siblings apart Holly: Yeah, yeah. Lauren: so the only one he's live missing out on is Andy. Just food for thought there. and Serena Holly: and Serena. Lauren: now, yes, of course. well, she's not a sibling though, is she? Holly: So yeah, I'm, I've also really enjoyed this week seeing Eric being a little bit more vulnerable as he is in current Emmerdale. So we had the election in Classic this week for the local councillor. And you could tell that Eric wanted to kind of step back. Val was very pushy as she was normally. And my Lauren: She's a natural first lady though, so I can totally see why. Holly: God, yes. mean, I would personally, I would vote for Val as councillor. She'd be brilliant. But I always loved their partnership and the fact that she realized after the election just how seriously Eric was taking it. And it wasn't from the perspective that he was initially he was just trying to make money through his scheme with with Nathan Wilde. But then when Nathan turned on him, I think we saw a bit more of that vulnerability. then he kind of, we saw him bite back at Nathan and say, you've got no idea, you're just a boy, you don't know anything about business. And I thought it was a nice kind of character arc in a very short space of time to see that conflict with his... with this kind of inner turmoil of being unwell, but having to keep going and keep up appearances. And then David won the election, supported by Leila, who was wearing her big rosette. And that was really nice to see that they'd looked at Eric and thought, sure that he is the right fit and then gone for David. But I don't recall that really sort of continuing. I'm interested to rewatch this era because I don't recall whether David makes anything of being a counsellor. Lauren: have a vague memory that he is. He's quite an active counsellor. but no I agree it's not an era that I know like the back of my hand. So it's kind of like like watching it for the first time again. There's been some lovely new characters. we talked about the wilds last week, obviously at Home Farm. They have a really great dynamic. but Lizzie Lakely, I absolutely adore. I think Kitty McGeiver, Kitty McGeever, I'm definitely mispronouncing that. She was wonderful. and sadly, died a few years ago. but she was absolutely fantastic. She was the first blind actress to play. blind character in a soap. And I think, yeah, she's brilliant. She's really funny. She's really sharp. Disabled characters on soaps were often patronise. whereas Lizzie kind of just comes right out on the bat and like is she's funny, she's devious, she's a little bit of a dingle, but yeah. She's just brilliant. So she's my big shout out for this week in c in Classic. Holly: absolutely. I think she would really fit well into the Dingle mold. The fact that they put her in wishing well is just genius. The kind of camaraderie that she has with Eli and Sam is actually really sweet to see on screen. And the fact that, you know, she makes such a in every scene. And she doesn't really need to do a lot. She's Lauren: No. Holly: just... very quick and I think one of my favourite scenes of hers was when Eric took her along to the councillor's briefing, the kind of election event and she had her own idea about what she was going to do and she showed him up but also drank quite a lot and had most of the buffet scene. She just keeps eating in that scene. must have been brilliant to film. Lauren: And we also had, yeah, there was also an appearance from eventually Cory Starr. Shirilee Houston is in that scene with Lizzie at the sort of Holly: Yes! Lauren: council office and that's brilliant as well. Holly: Yes, is. It's fantastic. And it is nice to see that Cherilee is now in Corrie and has got the element that Kitty had as Lizzie back in the day. Lauren: I don't think we can finish talking about classic without talking about my big ick of classic. Jenny. Holly: I think I know what you're gonna say, Jenny and Bob. Lauren: Jenny and Bob. No thank you. I can't imagine I enjoyed Holly: No. Lauren: it in two thousand and nine. I definitely don't enjoy it in two thousand twenty-six. it's a shame they went down that Holly: No, I don't. Lauren: route. Holly: I feel like Jenny was introduced as a very lonely person, that she attached herself to anybody who showed her any kind of affection, any kind of warmth, because we get the sense from the very beginning that her relationship with her mom is quite strange, that Brenda has tried to keep her very kind of closeted from the world, that she's... being Molly Coddle, that she's been quite overbearing with Jenny and Jenny has a very distinctive style of her own. Jenny wants to be creative. very, you know, she just wants to be loved. And I feel that bringing her into a scenario like that did not in any way enhance her character and I felt that there was an element of what we now call daddy issues Lauren: Mm. Holly: where she attached herself to older characters or older men. And it just felt like she just wanted to be loved and therefore she would just take it from anybody who offered it. And I think that's our perspective on that and how that has that is received has changed significantly since 2009. So I think if we see it from a 2026 perspective, Bob was wrong in encouraging that kind of behaviour. And he should have kind of rejected her properly, rather than allowing her to develop this infatuation for him. And yes, it is gradual and you see her sort of looking at him and you see the interaction between her mom and Bob and you wonder if she's a bit jealous. Lauren: Yeah. Holly: And then when it eventually comes to fruition, immediately, I thought it was a big step in the wrong direction. Lauren: Absolutely. Absolutely. But that was then, and this is now. so before we sign off, what are your Holly: Yes. Lauren: predictions for the next couple of weeks? I mean, we've obviously Holly: Ooooo Lauren: got next week the big reveal of of hopefully we're gonna find out who Thea's dad is or potentially Holly: Yeah. Lauren: was, whether it was Holly: Yeah. Lauren: My hope is obviously that it's Steve Marchant. who are you hoping? Holly: I've got to be honest, I would love it to be Steve Marchant. I think if it's not the casting team, I've not necessarily missed a trick, but her features. Lauren: They're just accidentally done very well. Holly: Yes, absolutely, yes. She looks very similar to the actor who played Steve Marchant. And that was when I first saw her on screen, I immediately thought, Are you potentially Steve Marchant's daughter? That's truly that was my first thought. Lauren: Wow. You immediately called up. Holly: I, well, we'll see if that is the case. But the other sort of features that I kind of thought her other sort of features that resembled another character was, I know a lot of people thought that she might be Zoe Tate's daughter Jean. Lauren: Mm. Holly: And I could also see that as well. But when it was revealed that she was Kim's daughter, I immediately thought, I can't see any resemblance to Graham. So I would really love it to be Steve March and I would love it to be the kind of the gap around when she was born is kind of resolved and how that works because We don't actually know anything that happened after Kim left. We don't know whether, Steve could have escaped from prison. There could have been a kind of hookup, we don't actually know. Lauren: Exactly. Holly: But I, exactly. But in terms of what I'm hoping for in the next couple of weeks, I know from the spoilers that Kim potentially does find out that the theorist had daughter. I'm presuming that that is through what we see later on this week and I don't want to go into too much detail about that but I think it's going to be an explosive few days in the Dales because not only are we seeing this kind of this story with Kim and Thea and if it plays anything like 22nd May 1997 and Kim's return I think that would be amazing. But we're also going to see another element of the kind of Halloween event, which is through Liam's murder mystery event, which goes horribly wrong because he seems to think that this is an act, it's all a play and he's in the middle of a murder mystery. I'm not entirely sure how that's going to work. Lauren: Yeah, so the spoilers that I've seen, just for anybody who isn't quite sure, it's Liam gets sort of tied up by a an assailant who sort of is in their house in Tenant's Cottage and he thinks it's part of the murder mystery, but somehow from spoilers I think he's connected to Dylan. so Holly: I see. Lauren: It will be interesting to see how that works and how they're bringing back Dylan into the kind of fold, because obviously he was such a big part of of the last year. but things have gone a bit quiet for his character. So yes, that will be interesting to see, definitely. and the continuation of Sadie, Ruby, Caleb, Holly: the last thing I will say is, baby Tate get a name? Is this poor child going to be registered before Christmas? Because I have a feeling that Joe is going to accept little baby Tate on Christmas day and he's going to give him a Christmas name, whether that's Robin, Christopher, whether that's potentially Noel would be an interesting choice. Gabriel. Lauren: Yeah, Rudolph. Holly: Gabriel, know, all of these, all of these Christmassy names could apply. But also the thing that you mentioned earlier about Graham going potentially back to his suit and wearing his suit. And I actually really enjoyed that conversation that Lydia and Kim had. Is he wearing a suit? Is he changing nappies in his suit? I thought that was brilliant. So yes, I think it's going to be an interesting few weeks as we head into November. I feel that there's going to be fireworks. Lauren: yeah, absolutely. I think there will be a lot to unpack next week when we head into Halloween and all things spooky. Holly: Do less. Lauren: Absolutely. so yeah, thank you so much for listening again this week. please send us any comments. we're love the feedback. Holly: We love the feedback. We really do love the feedback. Lauren: We're finding our feet with this, but really enjoying doing it. So until next week. Holly: Until next week, we'll be coming back from a horrific Halloween. Thank you so much and we'll see you then. Lauren: Bye bye. Holly: Bye!