6 Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 20th to 24th May

Next week on Emmerdale, as the show marks its 10,000th episode, someone gets revenge on Ethan, Minty the Lamb goes missing, Mackenzie and Charity are caught out, and what is Ella hiding?

1) Who gets revenge on Ethan?

The Dingle/Miligans are out for blood following the shocking events of last week, which saw local solicitor Ethan (Emile John) leave Nicky (Lewis Cope) critically injured at the side of the road following a car accident.

Nicky had received a panicked phone call from boyfriend Suni (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana), who was at a bar in Hotten and fearful after seeing some of the men who had previously attacked them.

Nicky had been drinking and was well over the limit, and was refusing to wait for a taxi as he worried about Suni’s safety. Ethan reluctantly said he’d drive Nicky himself, despite him also being over the limit.

When the car came off the road, Ethan panicked and dragged an unconscious Nicky from the passenger seat, before fleeing when Moira (Natalie J Robb) turned up.

After confessing to dad Charles (Kevin Mathurin), Ethan pointed out that if his part in the accident became public knowledge, his career would be ruined, particularly since he’s just scored a new job as a human rights lawyer.

However, Charles felt that his son had to take responsibility for his actions, and reluctantly reported him to the police himself.

“I think there’s always that battle between Charles the vicar, and Charles the man and father,” Kevin Mathurin tells EverySoap. “He wants to do the right thing by his son, obviously, but righteously the right thing is to own up and face the consequences.”

As Ethan was led away, Nicky’s mum Ruby (Beth Cordingly) saw him being put into the police car and realised that he was responsible for her son lying in an induced coma.

“You came to the hospital,” Ruby screamed as PC Swirling and Moira held her back. “You’re supposed to be his friend, you’re sick! I hope you rot in hell!”

Next week, the family are incensed that Ethan is walking around the village whilst Nicky still remains in a critical condition. Ruby is particularly distressed when the medical team explain that Nicky cannot be brought out of the coma just yet.

When Ruby, Caleb (Will Ash) and Cain (Jeff Hordley) come face to face with Ethan and Charles on Main Street, their fury is palpable.

As Charles leads his son away, all three are eager for vengeance.

In Episode 10,000 airing on Wednesday, Charles is wondering where Ethan is as the village fete celebrations begin.

Little does he realise that Ethan is lying bloodied on a road outside the village, having fallen victim to a deliberate hit and run. The unseen driver looks back before screeching away.

With the fete in full swing, the villagers are concerned when Ethan eventually manages to stagger down Main Street before collapsing in front of them.

As his alarmed family gather round him, Ethan claims he didn’t see who was behind the wheel of the car. Nearby, Cain, Caleb and Ruby watch on with interest… is one of them responsible?

“Caleb’s definitely less impulsive than Ruby,” Will Ash told us, comparing how the pair would go about revenge. “It could easily be Cain or Caleb as they’ve got form for stuff like that where they’re looking for retribution.

“In terms of motivation for Caleb, it’s all there in front of him. There’s no grey areas at all, Ethan’s done wrong.”

2) Minty goes missing!

There’s further drama at the fete when a much loved resident goes missing, Minty the lamb!

Young Isaac (Bobby Dunsmuir) recently took a shine to the lamb and insisted the family keep him as a pet, despite Moira telling him that it would be used for meat like any other.

The fact that Isaac has grown so attached to Minty continues to be a concern for Cain and Moira next week. It’s not how they’d expected the son of a sheep farmer to react.

When Minty goes missing during the fete, Isaac immediately points the finger towards his parents, convinced that they’re getting ready to turn the lamb into a burger.

As the villagers rally round to find the lamb, a photographer from the Hotten Courier (Laurence James-Davis) is also drafted in for the search party.

3) Charity and Mackenzie are caught out

Meanwhile, after all the worries of recent months, Charity (Emma Atkins) and Mackenzie (Lawrence Boyd) are itching to become intimate again, but are having trouble finding some alone time at home.

Finding solitude in one of the barns, the pair are savouring the moment when the doors burst open, and half the village waltz in along with the photographer in search of Minty!

4) Ella is hiding a secret

Also next week, it would appear that there’s more to Ella (Paula Lane) that meets the eye, as we learn that she’s been keeping a few secrets.

Ella arrived in the village in January and soon scored a job in the new surgery at Brook Cottage, with recent weeks seeing her score boss Dr Liam (Jonny Cavanagh) as a new love interest too.

But little is currently known about Ella’s life, with Paula Lane previously teasing that she has responsibilities away from the village.

When Liam suggests that they spend the night over at her place, Ella immediately panics and manages to deflect Liam from the idea. Her reason soon becomes clear when we later see her parking up in a secluded spot outside the village, getting ready to settle down for a night sleeping in her car.

Ella’s embarrassed when other boss Manpreet (Rebecca Sarker) stumbles across her the next morning whilst out for her run. Ella begs Manpreet not to tell Liam, but is fuming when Manpreet can’t help but awkwardly reveal all.

After talking things through, Liam suggests that Ella moves into the spare room at Tenants Cottage for now, which she hesitantly agrees to.

As Ella moves all her belongings into the cottage, Mandy spots an old photograph which she picks up. As Mandy asks about it, Ella snatches it out of her hand leaving Mandy very confused.

As they navigate this somewhat unexpected step in their relationship, the pair are enjoying the festivities of the fete when the Courier photographer tries to take her photo. Ella immediately refuses to be photographed and finds an excuse to make a hasty exit, much to Liam’s bemusement.

When a curious Liam later begins to ask questions, Ella is rattled and makes another quick exit. As Liam begins to wonder what’s going on, we see Ella visiting an elderly lady in a care home…

What is Ella hiding?

5) Emmerdale celebrates 10,000 episodes

As members of the cast gathered for a special photo to commemorate the 10,000 episode milestone, John Whiston, Managing Director for Continuing Drama & Head of ITV in the North said “Very few TV programmes in the world have made it to 10,000 eps. Even fewer dramas have managed to get that far. And for a drama to do it in such style is vanishingly rare.

“Emmerdale today feels full of excitement, full of mischief, full of fun and full of life. Long may it continue to prosper and thrive.“

To further mark the occasion, the production team have pledged to help with the maintenance of 10,000 trees in the local area, as part of the University of Leeds’ Gair Wood project.

“Our Studios and Village are a large part of the community, helping us beam the beautiful Yorkshire Dales to countries across the world,” explained Head of Producer Nader Mabadi. “All of us on the team are grateful to the Leeds and the wider Yorkshire communities for their continued support over the last 52 years of filming Emmerdale in the region.“

“With this in mind we thought a great way to celebrate our 10 000 milestone would be to pay that support forward, by making a sustainable contribution to the local environment in helping with the woodland project near to our village.”

6) Some former residents return

And whilst the 10,000th episode may be a relatively low-key affair on-screen, be sure to look out for some nods to residents past and present in the village fete’s scarecrow trail…