Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) is taking the blame for the hit-and-run that Jamie Tate (Alexander Lincoln) caused on Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb) so Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) won't go to prison as Jamie is framing her.

In tonight's (Monday 09 November 2020) episode, viewers saw Nate being forced to miss out on an important scan of his unborn child because he had to attend court leaving Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh) to attend the appointment with Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) instead. 

After the scan, Tracy was uncomfortable back at Tug Ghyll so she left Nate & Lydia downstairs as she popped up for a long soak.  When Tracy was out of earshot, Nate revealed to Lydia that he is actually looking at 2 to 3 years inside, not six months as initially thought.

Nate was visibly gutted at the thought of missing out on the first 2 or 3 years of his first child's life. 


​Emmerdale continues tomorrow at 19:00 on ITV/STV. 

Since Lydia Hart (Karen Blick) came into The Dingle fold, she has been taking more of a matriarch-like role since the death of Lisa Dingle (Jane Cox).

Zak Dingle (Steve Halliwell) was devastated when Lisa passed away peacefully at home on Friday 24 May 2019.

​Now known as Lydia Dingle since marrying Sam Dingle (James Hooton) earlier in 2020.

In tonight's (Thursday 05 November 2020) episode, viewers saw Lydia stand up to Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) following a stunt he and Sam pulled on Jamie Tate (Alexander Lincoln) at Home Farm.

The Dingle Brothers wanted to teach Jamie a lesson for the way he treated Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and to try getting Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) off the hook as Nate is taking the blame for Jamie's accident so Belle doesn't go to prison because being incarcerated with Schizophrenia would likely cause Belle to commit suicide or be in severe danger to herself and other prisoners. 

The plan was to get Jamie drunk and make it look like he went for a drive but plans were thwarted when Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) interjected himself to Jamie's defence.

Today, Sam was seen wincing in pain and Lydia demanded to know what happened.

Of course, Cain tried to keep Sam quiet but Lydia managed to get the truth out of Sam who pretty much immediately explained everything about the attack on Jamie and what they had conspired against him.

Lydia was livid, to say the very least.

​Giving Sam (and Nate) their marching orders out of Wishing Well Cottage, Cain was left to face the wrath of Lydia who delivered the following words to him:

"I know I'm an outsider and I understand when you join this family you live by Dingle Code and I'm happy to do that... most of the time.  The point is, you're so wrapped up in pleasing yourself, you don't think about the consequenses for anybody else.  Have you got any idea how much Sam looks up to you?  He could've ended up in prison.  I know what kind of a person you are, Cain.  And I'm also aware that having someone like you in a family like this can be very useful... but don't drag Sam into it."

Firstly, huge commendation to Karen Blick on that monologue.  Incredibly performed and so, very powerful.  I think even Cain Dingle was impressed. 

The mannerisms, the tone of voice and the whole portrayal almost mirrored how Lisa would have handled the situation when she first got together with Zak all those years ago.

Has Lydia filled the massive irreplaceable hole Lisa left when she died?
It certainly seems that way.

The Dingle Family sorely needs a mother-figure to keep the boys in check.  With the performance Karen Blick delivered for the episode, Lydia would be a fantastic mother-figure. 

Viewers should keep in-mind, Lydia hasn't really had a proper family unit in her life.  She was estranged from her mother until very recently.  Lydia isn't even Lydia's birth name (it is Jennifer Finn and went by Jenny).  Agatha Finn (Judith Barker), Lydia's biologial mother was too ill to be a parent to Lydia so Agatha put Jenny/Lydia into Hotten Grange Children's Home where Lydia grew up. 

The reason Jennifer changed her name to Lydia Hart is because when she went to Scarborough, she found a place to stay belonging to a 'Lydia Hart'.  That Lydia died but Jenny found Lydia's birth certificate and subsequently changed her name to Lydia Hart.  It's all tangled up and a bit complicated but, legally, Jennifer "Jenny" Finn is called Lydia Dingle after marrying Sam.

Family has always been alien to Lydia.  She's never had one.  Her father is either dead or Agatha simply doesn't keep in-touch with him anymore.  Lydia's status in The Dingles means more to her than life itself because she's part of a unit Lydia has never been in.

​If Sam goes to prison, she's likely to be ostracised from The Dingle Family.  Lydia, herself, has said she knows she's "an outsider".  The last thing Lydia needs is for Sam to no longer be there.  Lydia enjoys the family life and is beginning to be a great mum to Samson Dingle (Sam Hall).  Samson is the son of Sam from Sam's marriage to Alice Edith Rose Dingle around 2006 from the time Samson was born.

It's imperative to Lydia that Sam is fit, well and out of prison because she doesn't want to be alone again. 

Will Sam remain by Lydia's side?  Keep watching and find out.  
​
Emmerdale continues at 20:00 this evening and every weekday at 19:00 on ITV/STV.

It's going to be a sad Winter for Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) & Jai Sharma (Christopher Bisson) in Emmerdale.

It will be learnt Laurel has got pregnant which completely rocks her and Jai as none of them were planning on this happening. 

This winter Emmerdale will portray a storyline regarding a couple making the very difficult decision to end their pregnancy after a prenatal diagnosis. 

In the near future, Laurel's pregnancy will be played out on screen.

At first the baby is a welcomed surprise because the couple look forward to cementing their blended family with new the new life. 

Gleefully attending the inaugural scan the pair will learn of a devastating truth.  Their baby is failing to develop as it should be and they are told it is a possibility the baby has a chromosomal defect.

ITV/STV viewers will see Laurel & Jai battle their consciences, unsure of what to do for the best.

​The challenging subject of Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) will be explored.

Once Laurel undergoes CVS, the results will come back explaining the baby has Down's Syndrome.

Then Laurel & Jai will make the decision which will devide the nation - they will terminate the pregnancy.  

An ITV insider told AndyGibsonTV.com: 
 
"Statistics show that annually around 40,000 women will be told there is a chance that their baby is not developing as expected.  Most expectant parents will eventually be reassured, but around 5,000 who find out that their baby has a genetic or physical condition make the painful decision to end the pregnancy every year.  The Emmerdale story team felt it was a story that needed to be told.  With the support and guidance of Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) we endeavour to ensure this story will be sensitively told whilst reflecting the reality many couples face."

Charlotte Bellamy, also, gave her view on her next storyline:

"Terminating a pregnancy is an emotive subject, but I think as a programme what Emmerdale does brilliantly is portray difficult stories that are important to tell.  The statistics tell us that a majority of people faced with similar news resulting from a diagnostic test, do take this decision.  So I hope Laurel and Jai's story will take the audience on the journey of them coming to this conclusion and having some understanding why they do.  There are some very powerfully written scenes that I hope will give a fair portrayal of their situation.  When I embarked on this storyline I was well aware of the responsibility of the subject matter, but the scripts have been so well written and I think the story is told fairly."

In conclusion, Laura Shaw (Series Producer - Emmerdale), said:

"Right from the moment the idea was first mooted for this storyline, we knew it was one that if we went ahead with, it had to be fully researched, which involved us speaking to medical professionals, charities and parents with lived experience.  Listening to women and men telling us their stories, hearing what brought them to make the difficult decision to terminate their pregnancies, cemented for us that this was a topic rarely shown on soap, but a really important one to highlight."

Laura, continued:

"Translating what we had learnt into Emmerdale scripts led to what was arguably the most challenging and difficult writing our writing team had ever been tasked with.  What we have produced and Charlotte and Chris have both brilliantly brought to life, is some of the most heartbreaking and emotional episodes of Emmerdale viewers will have ever seen."

Antenatal Results and Choices will be heavily involved with this new angle and Jane Fisher, their Director, commented:

"We have over 30 years’ experience of supporting women and their partners through the painful circumstances of ending a wanted pregnancy after a prenatal diagnosis.  Thousands of parents go through this every year, but it is rarely spoken about.  This can lead to bereaved parents feeling very isolated in their grief.  We are really pleased that such a popular drama as Emmerdale is tackling this story in such an empathetic and thoughtful way.  I have been particularly impressed by how they have valued input from us to help make sure it is as true as possible to the complex reality for couples.  It won't make for easy viewing but will do much to break the silence around this sensitive topic."


Emmerdale continues every weekday on ITV/STV.