Heartache as much-loved Emmerdale resident Minty the Lamb dies

Emmerdale has tonight aired the shock death of a much-loved village resident.

It was 6-year-old Isaac Dingle (Bobby Dunsmuir) who made the grim discovery, inside the barn at Butlers Farm.

Rushing back into the house to mum Moira (Natalie J Robb) and dad Cain (Jeff Hordley), Isaac tearfully told them that beloved pet lamb Minty was dead.

As Isaac waited outside with Cain, a grim-faced Moira emerged from the barn to confirm that Isaac’s bestest ovine pal had indeed passed away.

“But I don’t want him to be dead,” Isaac sobbed.

“I know you don’t, sweetheart,” Moira replied, herself beginning to choke up, before reminding him that Minty had lived much longer than many other orphaned lambs.

Cain told his son that he should be proud of himself.

“What for?” Isaac asked.

“For making Minty’s short life the happiest it possibly could have been,” Cain explained.

Although Minty’s time was short, he had an eventful life in Emmerdale. He was first seen back in May when Isaac visited neighbour Bernard’s farm with Moira to drop off some silage.

Local vet Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick) was doing her rounds at the time, and showed Isaac a newborn lamb that had been orphaned. Although attempts had been made to have him adopted by another ewe, who had lost her own lamb, the plan hadn’t worked.

Vanessa told Isaac that Bernard would now have to hand-rear the lamb until he was big enough for market.

Isaac asked what would happen next, and when Moira explained that the lamb would be sold for meat, much like the cattle on their own farm, Isaac didn’t think it was fair. Moira had to remind him that that was the reality of farming.

Isaac pleaded with Moira to buy the lamb so they could keep him themselves, but Moira wasn’t having any of it. Cain turned out to be more of a pushover however, and when Moira discovered that Cain hadn’t dropped Isaac off at school the next day as planned, she was disappointed to come home and find a new resident in one of the sheds.

“We’re gonna call it Minty!” Isaac exclaimed, displaying his keen sense of irony having saved the lamb from the butcher’s block.

Moira tried to explain that the cute little lamb was going to grow up to just be another daft sheep, but Cain thought that Minty would be good for Isaac, who was already managing to bottle feed him.

Moira warned them that there was every chance the orphan lamb wouldn’t make it through the next few days, as is often the way, but reluctantly agreed to welcome Minty to the family.

Minty was a fighter though, and surpassed their expectations. Within a few weeks Minty had tripled in size and was hanging out in the living room when Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) came calling, asking if Moira could double the burger order for the village fete.

Moira explained it was too short notice but Nicola pointed out that she had a field full of lambs, plus one in the house as she eyed up Minty.

“You’re not eating MY lamb,” a defiant Isaac told her.

“What else is he good for?” Nicola bluntly replied.

Cain subsequently dropped a clanger when he mentioned Moira was serving up Shepherds Pie that evening, with Isaac annoyed that she had cooked Minty’s friends.

Moira wondered how she was meant to run a farm when Isaac had a meltdown anytime she served up meat, and whilst she again tried to explain to Isaac how the food chain works in farming, Cain assured Isaac that no-one would hurt Minty.

Concerned how attached Isaac was getting, Moira told Cain that Minty would have to go.

Such was his popularity, the show revolved their special 10,000th episode around Minty (well, that and a hit and run). Having taken Minty down to the village fete on a lead the next morning, Isaac was distraught when he returned to where he’d tied Minty up to find him gone.

Isaac immediately pointed the finger at Moira, knowing that she wanted to get rid of him, and worried he was about to be served up at the burger van.

The Dingles mounted a search around the village, and when Kim (Claire King) learned of Isaac’s plight, she rallied up even more troops.

When several villagers, and a photographer from the Hotten Courier, checked in one of the barns, they were stunned to find a post-coital Charity (Emma Atkins) and Mackenzie (Lawrence Robb) lying amongst the haystacks.

A bleating sound from a dark corner of the barn soon gave away a likely traumatised Minty’s hiding place. and it was Kim who carried Minty back over the fields to a delighted Isaac.

The newspaper photographer captured the moment for posterity, little Minty having done the impossible by bringing sworn enemies the Dingles and the Tates together for a special moment they shall all treasure.

Now, only a short six weeks later, Minty is frolicking amongst the fields of paradise. We are sure his legacy shall live on in the village however—word has it Moira is branching out with a tagine recipe.

Emmerdale continues on Wednesday, with the usual double episode on Thursday, and an episode at the later time of 8:30pm on Friday.