13 spoilers for Emmerdale's 50th anniversary episodes (2024)

Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale's 50th anniversary is getting closer and the excitement has been building in recent weeks, with a collection of spoilers and teasers released to whet our appetites ahead of the big episodes.

From exciting returns to epic stunt scenes, the announcements over what to expect have come thick and fast – so it may have been easy to miss a spoiler or two.

Never fear, though, as we have a recap of everything we know about the 50th anniversary so far.

1. A month of celebration

Soap anniversary events are usually a week-long affair, so after months of speculation and anticipation, it can sometimes feel like the big episodes are over and done with in a flash.

Emmerdale has chosen to take a different approach with its 50th anniversary, as the celebrations will be playing out in various stages across the month of October.

Producer Kate Brooks recently told Digital Spy: "There's always an element of pressure to make sure that people enjoy what you're doing and make sure they enjoy the show to the full capacity.

"But this is very much a different kettle of fish, in that it's the 50th and it's a month of celebration. It's not just about the stunt, even though the stunt will be amazing and incredible and people will hopefully love watching it.

"There's a whole array of different stories, which will really showcase Emmerdale in all its glory."

2. An hour-long special

Emmerdale's birthday falls on Sunday, October 16. While the ITV soap doesn't usually air on the weekend, it'll be making an exception for this special occasion.

Show bosses have confirmed that an hour-long special will air on the Sunday anniversary date. The timeslot will be confirmed at a later date.

Alongside the announcement of the hour special, Emmerdale chiefs released a new official cast photo.

This was taken earlier this year outside The Woolpack on the show's purpose-built village set.

3. Faith's final scenes

Faith's terminal illness has led to heartbreaking scenes for the Dingle family recently and we can expect this storyline to take centre stage at the start of October.

During a recent press event to mark Emmerdale's 50th anniversary, the show's bosses hinted heavily that Faith's final scenes will air around this time.

Executive producer Jane Hudson explained: "As we start our birthday month, we'll be focusing on our Faith storyline, which is a huge storyline for us at the moment.

"Then we will work our way into our storm week.

"The Faith story is such an emotional and heartbreaking story. It's going to be huge across our 50th.

"I think everybody involved in that story is pulling out some of the most amazing performances I've seen in soap for a long time. So that's got a huge part to play."

4. The storm

A major soap anniversary isn't complete without a spectacular stunt, and Emmerdale's latest will see a deadly storm hit the village.

The lives of much-loved characters will hang in the balance as the terrible weather causes chaos.

Jane Hudson explained: "It's safe to say that the village will never be the same after this. The impact this storm has on people's lives is just massive. That is our big set-piece stunt.

"In terms of filming, it's quite unprecedented, the scale of what we are doing. There are elements of the big storm week that I've not seen on a soap drama before and it's very exciting and nerve-wracking to be part of that. Hopefully it'll all be brilliant."

A first-look spoiler image has been released showing the village in a state of chaos after the storm.

Asked recently about inevitable comparisons to other storms from Emmerdale's past, Hudson replied: "It's fair to say that every story has been done in soaps and we always come at it from a place where we think: 'How do we make it feel like this story has never been done? How do make it feel different? How do we make it look different?'

"One of the things we were very keen to do, firstly, was make sure that our storm was in the daytime so you can actually see what is happening and what's going on. The whole storm takes place in one day and across three or four episodes.

"It's all in daytime, it's very much a wind storm, not a rain storm. We have some amazing wind machines that are being tested at the minute, which are epic."

5. Aaron and Liv's story revisited

Danny Miller is reprising his role as Aaron Dingle on a temporary basis for the 50th anniversary episodes.

This will inevitably include a reunion for Aaron and his sister Liv, who parted on terrible terms last year.

When Aaron left the village, he'd lost all faith in Liv as she stood accused of murdering his boyfriend Ben Tucker. The villagers later discovered that Meena Jutla was the killer, so it's fair to say that Aaron probably now has an apology to make…

Producer Kate Brooks recently told Digital Spy: "Aaron comes back to the show ostensibly to see Faith, but obviously there's a lot of loose ends to tie up with Liv.

"They left things on quite bad terms, so there's lots to explore between that brother and sister dynamic."

6. Aaron vs Terry

When Sandra returned to the village at the start of the summer, she started cruelly manipulating Liv. The tables have finally turned, as Liv managed to catch out Sandra and get her arrested this week.

The fallout continues in upcoming episodes, as Sandra's sidekick Terry breaks into Mill Cottage and tries to force Liv to retract her statement to the police.

When Terry turns violent and Liv is left in peril, Aaron returns at just the right time and punches the villain.

Danny Miller, who plays Aaron, recently revealed: "It absolutely happens at the wrong time. He walks in, sees a stranger in his house, he could be anybody but given the state of the panic, Aaron just deals with it by punching as always.

"Just as that happens, Harriet walks in so she has no choice but to arrest him. There's not really much choice for him, it's just bad timing."

7. Chas, Al and Aaron

It seems like Aaron will be packing an awful lot into his short return, as he has also been tipped to play a role in the ongoing Chas and Al affair storyline.

Hudson explained: "Aaron's back and how is he going to respond when he finds out that his mum is cheating on Paddy, who he sees as a father?"

8. Tracy returns with a shock for Nate

Amy Walsh is also making a return as Tracy Metcalfe on a temporary basis for the 50th anniversary. Tracy was last seen on screen at the start of the year, when she was written out due to Amy's real-life maternity leave.

Tracy has been tipped to return with some unexpected news for Nate, who was heartbroken when she left with their baby daughter Frankie last year.

It has also been confirmed that Nate's feelings for Tracy will be reawakened as the story continues.

Jane Hudson teased: "Tracy is coming back with a bit of news of her own. How is Nate going to respond to that?"

Kate Brooks added: "Diane, Aaron and Tracy will all be making a reappearance, albeit on a temporary basis.

"But they'll come back and be at the heart of some really big stories that'll impact their lives, and not just their lives but the lives of the characters they leave behind. It's all really exciting and brilliant."

9. Diane returns

Completing the trio of 50th anniversary returns, Elizabeth Estensen will be reprising her role as Diane Sugden for a handful of episodes.

Diane, who has links to several of the villagers, is expected to provide some much-needed moral support to her loved ones amid the chaos of the big episodes.

In an exclusive chat with Digital Spy, Hudson explained: "We always wanted to try and bring back some of our loved characters during the 50th.

"Diane's a Sugden and she was in the show for so many years. We absolutely adore the character and we adore the actress, Liz.

"It just felt fitting to bring her back – that old soul, the person who knows the village the best, who can be a support to many different characters on many different levels.

"She'll bring a calm to the storm!"

Elizabeth Estensen recently added: "I was really pleased to be asked to come back to Emmerdale to celebrate its 50th. It's sort of the same but not the same.

"There's a lot of people that I still know that I was really pleased to see again. I can't say I have enjoyed having to rush for a train again though!

"Diane has a great time catching up with people in the village but she has come back especially to see Faith whom she was great friends with.

"Who knows she may return again one day!"

10. Amelia trapped

Way back in January this year, Emmerdale had teased the arrival of a baby in the 50th anniversary month.

With Amelia's pregnancy later revealed on screen, it didn't take a genius to figure out who may have been chosen for some high-stakes October labour scenes.

Discussing this theory recently, Hudson would only say: "You are right with your dates. Amelia is due soon. Whether she has the baby in the 50th celebration month, I'm not going to tell you.

"But Amelia does play a very big part in the storm when she needs to be found because she is stuck on her own."

11. Kim vs Harriet

While Emmerdale has started airing a new romance between Harriet Finch and Dan Spencer, it already seems doomed to fail as Harriet still has feelings for her ex-partner Will Taylor.

Will's wedding to Kim Tate will be a focal point of the 50th anniversary month, but there are sure to be fireworks when Harriet decides it's a good idea to confess her feelings.

Katherine Dow Blyton, who plays Harriet, recently told Digital Spy and other media: "I'm involved [in the anniversary] because Harriet has once again got herself mixed up with men problems.

"So she's involved because she's getting wrapped up in Will's life, a little too much than she should be. That has an impact on his upcoming nuptials.

"I'm really playing with fire there. But it's last chance saloon, she's got to make her feelings known before he walks down the aisle and that's it.

"Harriet is no Kim Tate but they are both feisty women and able to look after themselves so there will be more fireworks. They will have their moments."

Jane Hudson added: "Kim will overhear Harriet declare undying love for Will, so obviously that will inspire a lot of fireworks."

12. Jail threat for one villager

Towards the end of October, one resident of the village will be facing a bleak future as they deal with the terrifying prospect of life imprisonment.

Given the notorious incompetence of soap police, could a wrongly-accused villager find themselves in big trouble? Or could the local cops catch an actual criminal for once?

Jane Hudson added: "When we get to the end of October, it might be the end of our celebrations, but we will be ending that month with a storyline which kicks off another big story, which potentially sees one of our characters spending the rest of their life in jail.

"I am not going to tell you anything else. We are making sure that when our celebration month ends, it's really just the beginning of a whole new chapter, particularly for one of our families."

13. Nate, Sam and Belle

Although few details have been revealed over what's in store, the characters of Nate Robinson, Sam Dingle and Belle Dingle have all been tipped for a big 50th anniversary storyline.

Intriguingly, the show's bosses hinted that the plot is one that couldn't be undertaken by the other soaps.

Jane Hudson said: "Then there is a story that involves Nate, Sam and Belle, which is the one only Emmerdale can do and that's going to dominate quite a lot of the 50th as well."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.

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