Emmerdale Christmas storyline teased as 'lives irrevocably changed forever'

23 August 2023 , 23:01

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Emmerdale Christmas storyline teased as 'lives irrevocably changed forever'

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw has teased an upcoming Christmas storyline involving Sam and Lydia Dingle. In upcoming scenes, the ITV soap is set to tackle a hard-hitting rape storyline as Lydia is attacked by her recently re-accquainted childhood friend, Craig.

Soap fans will recall Lydia was recently left floored to bump into Craig at the Hide recruitment fair. Viewers will remember Lydia was born as Jenny Finn but was placed into Hotten Grange children's home aged just five by her mum, who claimed at the time she was too ill to look after her. When she was just 15, Lydia gave birth to a stillborn boy with Craig in 1990, who she later called Toby, and she buried him in the woodland. Jenny later went missing and changed her name to Lydia.

In upcoming scenes, viewers will see Lydia bonding with Craig as they reflect on their past relationship together. The duo reunite and discuss their lost child. However, in a devastating twist, Craig’s behaviour soon turns sinister and he forces himself upon Lydia.

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw has teased an upcoming Christmas storyline involving Sam and Lydia Dingle

In a state of shock after the attack, Lydia has to make the decision whether or not to report the rape to the police. In the following episodes, Lydia will struggle to come to terms with what has happened and will internalise the attack. Unaware and oblivious of her ordeal, her family and friends soon grow increasingly worried about her behaviour.

Emmerdale producer, Laura Shaw, has revealed that the hard-hitting storyline will be involved in a Christmas storyline. Laura said: "Emmerdale have never shied away from telling difficult but important stories and with Lydia's rape we do just that. With five out of six women who are raped not reporting it to the police, we really wanted to raise awareness of this issue and hopefully encourage any women who have been in a similar position to Lydia to speak out.

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"We've been working really closely with Rape Crisis, who have held our hand every step of the way and given us invaluable support to be able to tell the story as authentically and responsibly as possible. We’re also mindful of when Emmerdale airs on ITV, so the drama will be implicit rather than explicit."

Emmerdale is set to tackle a hard-hitting rape storyline as Lydia is attacked by her recently re-accquainted childhood friend, Craig

Laura continued: "Karen Blick's harrowing, but courageous and brave performance, is truly outstanding as this story rips through the whole Dingle family and into the wider village community. As we head towards Christmas, we will see Sam and Lydia's marriage really tested as secrets are exposed and lives irrevocably changed forever."

The episodes have been produced with the support of Rape Crisis England and Wales, who have worked closely with Emmerdale to ensure the story is portrayed accurately and sensitively. Statistics show one in two rapes against women are carried out by their partner or an ex partner.

*If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.

Olivia Wheeler