ACTRESS Paula Lane makes her debut in the eponymous village this week as a brand new character.
But as her story in Emmerdale begins, other residents face their personal turmoil. How will it play out?
1. Newcomer has unexpected connection
Former Kylie Platt star Paula Lane embarks on a new challenge as she joins the line-up of the ITV soap.
Her story begins in the midst of scandal as she bonds with Mandy Dingle (played by Lisa Riley).
Coming up, Mandy arrives at the vets’ social, dressed in an extravagant Liz Hurley inspired outfit.
When a loud-mouthed managing director, Jules, rudely teases her about her dress, her blood boils as her partner Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) panders to him.
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To top it all off, he refuses to introduce Mandy as his girlfriend.
Paddy opens up to Mandy about his insecurities around Jules and although she’s hurt, she agrees to support him.
Overhearing Jules lambasting his PA, Ella Forster, Mandy consoles her and this has devastating consequences.
When Jules makes some more rude comments about Mandy, Ella pours a drink over him.
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Returning to the group, Paddy mistakenly blames Mandy for the chaos.
Will Paddy and Mandy be able to fix things?
In other scenes, an encounter with village GP Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) in the Hide leaves Ella with a potential job opportunity as a receptionist at the new surgery – will she take it?
Much like every other resident of the famous village, Ella Forster could be set for a love triangle of her own as teased by actress Paula Lane ahead of her debut.
“There’s already been a relationship going on there at the minute in the surgery”, she said.
“So I don’t know. There might be some fireworks, there’s a little bit of competition, perhaps. Little love triangle going on.”
However, one theory emerged online about Ella potentially having an ulterior motive for settling down in Emmerdale.
A handful of viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and theorised that she may share a connection with heartthrob Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), who is no stranger to infidelity.
In December, 2023, Mack was often out of Emmerdale, causing his wife Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) to fear he could be straying again.
While he was trying to resolve his conflict with the mother of his son, Chloe Harris, soap watchers are almost fully convinced he may have met Ella off-screen before becoming closer to her.
One of them even suggested that fellow newcomer Ruby Fox-Miligan could embark on her own affair with Mack.
“So, who did Mack sleep with? Ella or Ruby?”, they wrote.
Another added: “We only have Mack’s word that he ended up sleeping on a park bench. Charity could well be right that he ended up sleeping with some random other woman. Maybe Ella or Ruby?”
Although he could be more likely to cheat on Charity Dingle once again, Mackenzie has recently been seen bonding with another villager and it could lead him to make a huge decision about his future.
2. Surprise exit for troublemaker
Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) was dragged back to Emmerdale in late 2023 by both of his uncles, Cain Dingle and Caleb Miligan.
While his mother Chas was initially happy to see him, the character has done nothing but cause trouble since his return.
In recent scenes of the Yorkshire-based program, Aaron even managed to drag Mackenzie into his schemes as the pair embarked on a car-stealing venture.
Unfortunately for Aaron, Mack is growing increasingly reluctant to follow him in his plans.
This week, Aaron goes above and beyond to convince Mackenzie to help him steal another car – and he eventually succeeds.
Many suspect Aaron and Mack could both betray a traumatised Charity Dingle as they begin their own affair.
But what if their endeavours backfire on Mack and he’s forced to leave Emmerdale altogether?
The hunk’s recent close calls with death could be a hint that his days in the village are numbered, particularly as viewers are still hoping for a reunion between Charity and former fiancée Vanessa Woodfield.
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3. Engagement is called off
Concerns have been raised elsewhere in the Dales as Belle Dingle prepares to tie the knot with Tom King.
Soap watchers have been convinced for several months that the hunk portrayed by James Chase may have ulterior, more sinister motives.
After dismissing his proposal due to the chaos caused by Craig Reed’s death, Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) decided to plan out her own grand gesture to ask for Tom’s hand.
While she was stunned by his eagerness, Belle didn’t think twice but things could be about to change.
This week, Tom’s keen nature takes over as he immediately begins to prepare the wedding ceremony without, once again, Belle’s input.
Belle is surprised to hear that Tom has already booked a wedding date, but will she spot the red flag ahead of time and call it off?
Fans have been desperately hoping for her to come to her senses and realise that Tom’s behaviour is nothing short of concerning.
Many theories are circulating online about the fate of Belle Dingle, with multiple viewers agreeing she’s set for a hard-hitting domestic violence storyline.
One of the main theories to surface on social media platforms such as Reddit even involves Belle leaving Emmerdale altogether after faking her death to get away from her abusive beau.
But in most recent weeks, AI has come up with its own theory, insisting that Belle will more than likely call off her engagement with Tom – but he wouldn’t go without a fight.
According to this theory, Tom’s behaviour could escalate as he becomes consumed by obsession and a desire to control Belle.
Much like rival ITV show Coronation Street did through Daisy Midgeley’s ordeal in early 2023, Emmerdale may tackle its own stalking storyline as Tom could try to win her back.
But how will it really play out?
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Will Belle go through with their wedding?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
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Laura Carreno-Muller
