8 Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 16th to 20th December

Next week on Emmerdale, Tom is rushed to hospital, leaving Belle doubting whether she should testify against him. Elsewhere, Amelia decides to leave, Will’s plan begins to come undone, and Aaron and John profess their love.

1) Tom is rushed to hospital

As Tom King’s (James Chase) court date finally approaches, it’s clear that he will stop at nothing to try and derail the case brought against him by ex-wife Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper), leading him to take drastic action.

Tom is now clutching at straws after his only family in the village, his uncle Jimmy (Nick Miles) and aunt Nicola (Nicola Wheeler), turned their backs on him after his true colours were exposed. This week has seen him attempting to manipulate cousin Angelica (Rebecca Bakes) into talking her parents around, but even though Jimmy agreed to visit him in prison, he told Tom he wouldn’t support him unless he changed his plea to guilty.

Tom refused to back down, and so Jimmy walked out further infuriated.

Next week, there’s pandemonium in the prison as the guards rush to Tom’s cell where a ‘code red’ has been declared. News eventually filters back to the village that Tom has apparently attempted to take his own life and has been rushed to hospital, leaving Belle reeling.

Thoughts soon turn to whether the court case will even go ahead, with suspicions that may all be another part of Tom’s game. Belle’s family try their best to keep her positive, but even though she’s since realised his previous overdose claims were all an act, she can’t help but wonder whether she would be responsible if Tom were to die.

As Belle begins to question whether she can go ahead with testifying against Tom, she seeks advice from Paddy (Dominic Brunt). Paddy’s own experiences will at least help Belle understand what must have been going through Tom’s head, if his intentions were indeed genuine, but will Paddy be able to give her the reassurance she needs or just confuse her further?

2) Charity pays Tom a visit

Meanwhile, Charity (Emma Atkins) is in no doubt of Tom’s motives, and uses her skills as a Dingle to sneak into Tom’s guarded hospital room and confront him. Tom’s alarmed by his unexpected visitor, as Charity makes it clear that she knows he’s faked his suicide attempt in a bid to garner sympathy and derail the trial.

However, seeing how rattled Charity is gives Tom a sudden moment of clarity, realising that the only reason she’s visiting is because Belle must be spiralling—his plan is working!

Charity immediately regrets interfering, but has she inadvertently given Tom the final push he needs to come out on top?

Later, when solicitor Ollie (Alistair Toovey) visits Tom in hospital, Tom explains that he doesn’t think Belle will be testifying. There’s fears he could be right when Belle slips out of Wishing Well Cottage early the next morning, the day of the trial, leaving a note for her family.

3) Will Belle get justice?

Satisfied that his plan to get to Belle has worked, Tom is particularly smug as he prepares himself for court, ready for the performance of his life.

Meanwhile, the race is on for the Dingles to track down Belle, but when they later arrive at the court and there’s still no sign, there’s concern when the prosecutor warns them that without Belle’s testimony, there’s every possibility that Tom will walk free.

Tom can’t believe his luck when Ollie tells him that Belle appears to be a no-show, and as members of the jury gather (including special guest stars Denise Welch, Jack Ellis, and Charles Dale), a triumphant Tom takes to the stand…

The special hour-long episode, airing on Thursday, will also showcase the stories of real-life domestic abuse victims.

“When we first embarked on this journey we knew we wanted to show domestic abuse, coercive control and manipulation in all its guise,” producer Laura Shaw explains. “The privilege we have on a drama such as Emmerdale is being able to show the reality of a situation like Belle’s over a longer period of time to authentically reflect what so many people go through in real life on a daily basis.”

“We knew from the outset that Belle would need some sort of closure on Tom and we know our Emmerdale audience always look forward to our villains getting their comeuppance. We don’t want to spoil the outcome of this story and reveal what will happen to Tom, but needless to say, Belle’s going to be in a much better place by this Christmas.”

“When Emmerdale explained they hoped to include the real life testimonies of domestic abuse victims and survivors within these scenes we knew it would be the truest way for them to authentically close this storyline,” added Lindsay Oliver, CEO of New Beginnings Peer Support.

“We have been on board with this story since 2023 when Emmerdale first approached us about depicting a cohesive and controlling relationship on the series. We are pleased Emmerdale have highlighted and are continuing to showcase this issue right to the end. And we hope these final episodes will continue to raise awareness about domestic abuse, controlling relationships and the fact there is help out there.”

4) Amelia leaves Emmerdale

As the village deals with the fallout of Tom’s trial, Tom’s ex-girlfriend Amelia (Daisy Campbell) makes the shock announcement that she is moving away with baby Esther.

After a rollercoaster 18 months, which saw Amelia’s dad Dan (Liam Fox) imprisoned for manslaughter, Esther’s dad Samson (Sam Hall) imprisoned for assault, and finding herself torn between the Dingles and boyfriend Tom, it’s perhaps understandable that Amelia has decided to start afresh elsewhere.

“It feels really sad, it’s mixed emotions really,” Daisy Campbell told EverySoap and other media during a press event last month. “It’s been such a tough year and I’ve had to deal with so much, but I was so at peace when leaving. I’m not only grieving for myself, it’s a character that I’ve always played since I was seven. So it felt really sad, but then it was nice to just close the door and be at peace after allowing it to play out.”

And as Amelia reveals the news to her loved ones, there’s a surprise reappearance in the village.

“Amelia ends up going to live with Daz in Leicester, which is nice,” Daisy explains. “We had a scene where I had to say ‘I’m off to move to Leicester with Esther’ and I couldn’t say it,” she laughs.

Though Amelia had grown up believing Daz (Mark Jordan) to be her uncle, she discovered when she was 11 that he was in fact her biological father. Daz was last seen departing the village back in 2019, with Amelia all set to leave with him before eventually deciding to stay with Dan and mother figure Kerry (Laura Norton).

“Mark Jordan came back for one episode and it was lovely to see him again,” Daisy tells us. “That first block of filming was really emotional. And whenever I work with Laura, she’s so good at doing emotions, so when she cries I cry. But whilst I was dreading my last block, as I hate crying in front of people, I just felt fine in the second week. I was quite proud of myself!”

With the news coming as a surprise, Amy works quickly to gather people for a last-minute farewell party, but Amelia’s upset when Kerry doesn’t turn up.

There will no doubt also be mixed feelings for Sam (James Hooton) and Lydia (Karen Blick), who will be forced to say goodbye to granddaughter Esther.

“I think they take it quite well, especially Lydia, because she’s always been such a support system for Amelia,” Daisy continues. “At first they’re a bit upset because they’ve always wanted to be part of Esther’s life and she’s always been a bit guarded, especially when she was with Noah. But I think they’re more relieved and happy that Amelia’s moving on and she’s actually doing something for herself. Obviously it’s a bit of a shock, but everyone’s quite understanding.”

As the time comes for Amelia to leave, everyone is emotional as she says her farewells, but will Kerry turn up in time?

“I’ve built this amazing relationship with Kerry on and off screen,” Daisy adds. “Obviously they butt heads a lot, but I think it’s just because the characters are really similar, and she’s so protective over Amelia. I think it would put her and Kerry at peace if they did have that nice ending.”

5) Will’s plan begins to come undone

Up at Home Farm, Will’s (Dean Andrews) scheme to take down wife Kim (Claire King) seems to be escalating beyond his control.

When Kim finally agreed to take Will back, it was later revealed that he had cooked up a scheme with Kim’s financial advisor Peter to take her for all she had. This past week has seen Peter inform Will that there is now a third party involved, and this mystery man is now the one who’s calling the shots.

Will later acted on Peter’s instructions by asking Kim if she’d like to renew their wedding vows on Christmas Day. Kim accepted in a rare show of emotion, leaving Will’s conscience pricked knowing what he’s planning to put her through.

Next week, Kim begins to hesitate when Will makes it clear that he doesn’t intend on inviting any of the family to what he hopes will be a nice and intimate vow renewal. But when Kim goes ahead and invites stepdaughter Dawn (Olivia Bromley) anyway, she’s thrilled when Dawn heartily accepts.

Striking whilst the iron’s hot, Kim then goes on to suggest that Dawn, Billy and the kids could now move back to Home Farm.

There’s good news for Dawn and Billy when they learn that baby Evan’s treatment is working as well as hoped, and there’s a chance he’ll be home for Christmas. But when Dawn relays Kim’s offer to Billy, he flat out refuses to move back up to the big house, leaving Dawn torn…

The situation is made all the more complicated when landlord Jai (Chris Bisson) suddenly decides that he wants them to move out of Holdgate, within the next week. Knowing that they will struggle to find anywhere for their family of five, particularly on their budget, Dawn is frustrated that Billy is still insistent that they’re not moving back to Home Farm.

Will begins to panic when Kim tells him that Dawn and the kids are not only coming to the vow renewal, but they’ll also be moving back in with them. Whatever Will has planned for Kim, it’s likely that he won’t want his daughter there to witness it!

When Dawn later shows up at the house with the first of her belongings, Will’s torn as finds himself doing his best to dissuade her from moving in.

Will Will’s plans be thrown into disarray?

6) Aaron and John profess their love

Elsewhere in the village, nature is calling John (Oliver Farnworth) as he treats Aaron (Danny Miller) to a surprise camping trip. The pair have been one of the year’s unlikely romances since John’s unexpected arrival in the village four months ago, where it was revealed that he was the long-lost half-brother of Aaron’s ex-husband Robert (Ryan Hawley).

After an initial hookup after agreeing to meet on a dating app, John and Aaron were soon at odds before giving in to temptation.

Although Aaron clearly isn’t keen on camping, the trip ends up strengthening their relationship as John finally begins to open up about his past. Their emotional connection at an all-time high, John and Aaron go on to confess that they’re in love with each other.

7) What are Kerry and Eric up to?

Brenda (Lesley Dunlop) may need a brandy this week, when she gets the idea that now ex-fiance Eric (Chris Chittel) is having a steamy hook-up with Kerry!

A devastated Brenda reluctantly ended her relationship with Eric after his impulsive behaviour, caused by his Parkinson’s medication, had seen him take Brenda’s life savings and invest them in a cryptocurrency scam.

Whilst Brenda came close to ending things then and there, it was ultimately Eric’s admission that his spontaneous proposal may have also been a result of the medication that saw Brenda call time on things.

Next week, Kerry can see that Eric is struggling to keep his house in order after Brenda moved out. But when Brenda later drops by and hears Kerry and Eric making some dubious noises upstairs, she’s horrified as she quickly jumps to the wrong conclusion!

8) April begins to rebel

Also next week, it’s clear that April (Amelia Flanagan) is struggling following her kidnap ordeal, quickly followed by the revelation that mum Donna (Verity Rushworth) had actually chosen to end her own life all those years ago, and that she hadn’t been killed in the line of duty as she was led to believe.

Marlon was furious with Donna’s ex Ross (Michael Parr) for inadvertently putting April in danger before dropping that bombshell, and Marlon begins to despair when April starts rebelling.

With April’s friend Cathy (Gabrielle Dowling) and her dad Bob (Tony Audenshaw) also dragged into things—as they sit in Marlon’s living room with numerous boxes of vapes on the coffee table in front of them—will Marlon be able to get through to his daughter before she does something she regrets?