Christmas is always far from quiet in Emmerdale village, and this year is no exception as soap producer Laura Shaw reveals twelve festive storylines that are set to have us transfixed over Christmas and into 2024.
The plot twists will see tragedy, forbidden romance, dark secrets, new characters, familiar faces returning and a baby arriving in the village... and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Below is everything you need to know about what will be happening in Emmerdale this Christmas...
Chloe gets the ultimate revenge on Mackenzie
Mack's chopping and changing between Charity and Chloe reaches a chilling conclusion this Christmas with Chloe turning to her dad for help, and Laura promises this storyline will still be seeing repercussions long into 2024... "The Charity/Mackenzie/Chloe love triangle has been bubbling away for 18 months or so now, so at Christmas, we’ll see that reach a bit more of a crescendo where Mackenzie pushes Chloe to her absolute limit and what we’ll see is her reach out to her father for help.
"Obviously, we know from previous stories that Chloe’s dad is not someone to be messed about with. We know that he was quite controlling with Chloe and that people are afraid of him, so obviously when she reaches out to him what we will see is him helping Chloe in his own unique way.
"Is Mackenzie going to be able to talk his way out of this one? I’m not sure, we’ll have to wait and see but I think it’s pretty sure to say the repercussions of that are going to be long-lasting into the new year and beyond."
Rhona chooses baby Ivy over Marlon?
Rhona has had her life turned upside down recently after baby Ivy came into the world, only for Lucy to die shortly after the birth - kickstarting a ginormous storyline for Rhona...
"What we’ll see going forward is just Gus starting to struggle a little bit with his grief and with being a single parent to little Ivy and that’s going to hugely impact on Rhona and Marlon’s Christmas," teased Laura.
"How is Marlon going to cope if Rhona wants to reach out and help baby Ivy? Will Gus let Rhona help with baby Ivy? And what are the repercussions going to be on Leo and April? We’ll see all that over Christmas.
"In the new year, we’ll see Rhona pushed to breaking point and she’s forced to make a really risky decision that threatens to affect her whole family and possibly change the dynamics of their family. As she’s pushed to the extreme can she be talked around or is she going to lose everything in the quest to help baby Ivy?"
Tracy and Caleb caught on Christmas Day
Tracy and Caleb have embarked on a forbidden affair, but as always secrets never stay hidden for long in soapland and soon someone will find out about their fling...
"We’ve also started Tracy and Caleb’s dangerous affair. We’ll see a bit more of that in the run-up to Christmas and what we’ll see is the most awkward Christmas dinner ever where everyone is sat around the table at the Dingles’ together. Somebody on Christmas Day is going to find out their dark secret and threaten to blow that," reveals Laura.
Nicky's mum finally arrives
Fans' prayers have been answered because we are about to meet Ruby, Nicky's mysterious mum and Caleb's wife.
Laura teased: "We’ve heard mention of Nicky’s mum and Caleb’s wife and we’ve just heard little bits from Caleb where he’s kind of said it’s all over between them and nothing is going on - but is that really true?
"In the new year we will see Ruby bursting onto our screens. She’s going to be an absolute firecracker. She’s going to put a real spanner into the Dingles. Is her and Caleb’s relationship really as over as he’s made out? We’ll find out in the new year!"
Tragedy hits the village
Laura also revealed that something will happen at the end of the festive season that will completely ruin life as they know it for two families... "There’s going to be a tragedy in the village in January that’s going to affect two of our most loved families. It’s ultimately going to tear friendships apart and change the dynamics of one of those families forever."
Kim's killer secret is revealed
Another secret that refuses to stay buried is what happened to Craig... "Lydia is still struggling after her horrific ordeal at the hands of Craig and we’ll see that continue forward. Lydia and Sam will find out what happened that night that we saw in the big Dingles week with Kim, but how is Lydia going to cope with that news? How will Sam cope with that news?" questioned Laura.
"It’s going to test Lydia and Kim’s friendship which I know we all love. We’ll see in the new year if they can get their friendship back on track. Similarly for Sam and Lydia - are they ever going to get through this? Hopefully, the new year’s going to bring some new hope for them."
Huge plot twist for Chas
While she wasn't giving too much away about what is coming up for Chas, Laura did tease that whatever happens could be what brings her and her son Aaron back together again... "There’s a huge story coming up for Chas in the new year that’s going to be shocking for all her family and friends and villagers around her.
"We know that she and Aaron have got quite a strained relationship at the moment and Aaron’s pushing his mum away, so this could be the story that maybe brings those two back together and bonds mother and son again."
Moira's secret past revealed
Just when we thought we knew everything about Moira, that is all set to change when she reveals a dark secret from her past... "Moira’s going to make a big confession to one of our villagers," revealed Laura.
"It’s a secret from her past that she’s going to reveal. She does it in a way to try to help the person that she’s talking to, but how is that person going to react when they find out Moira’s deepest, darkest secret? If they blow it, it could threaten Moira’s whole life."
Aaron and Cain fight to the death?
The tension between Aaron and Cain is also set to reach boiling point. Laura told us: "Aaron and Cain are not getting on very well at all at the moment, I think it’s safe to say. We’ll see some tensions building there between those two leading to a really brutal physical fight between Cain and Aaron in the new year. Which one of those is going to come out on top? Who’s going to win the fight? We’ll have to wait and see if both of them come out still standing."
Belle and Tom's Valentine's wedding disaster?
Wedding bells are looming for Belle and Tom, but will they get their happy ever after? "I think we’ve already hinted a little bit that there may be more going on in their relationship, but what we will see is them building their relationship," says Laura.
"Wedding bells come in on Valentine’s Day, of course, because we’re a soap so we have to do weddings on Valentine’s Day. But is it going to be their happy ever after? We’ll have to see."
Bob and Cathy pushed to the extreme
A huge new storyline will also see a massive shift in Bob and Cathy’s relationship, teased Laura. "They are going to be tested to the max. We’re going to see something happen that’s going to push them to the extreme. They’re going to hit rock bottom when this happens. Is it going to tear them apart or will it pull them together? We’ll see how that plays out."
Familiar face returns
A familiar face is returning to the village - but who is it? "We’ve got a familiar face returning in the new year," revealed Laura.
"This person comes back to help one of our villagers who’s in a little bit of trouble. We’ll leave you to guess who the familiar face might be coming back in January."
Emmerdale continues tonight at 7:30pm on ITV1.
