5 Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 27th to 31st January

Next week on Emmerdale, Kerry is shocked to learn of Eric’s plan, Amy has a proposal for Matty, and will Laurel’s guilt cause more questions about Anthony?

1) Will Eric burn down the shop?

Eric (Chris Chittell) could resort to drastic measures next week as he desperately tries to raise funds to repay ex-partner Brenda (Lesley Dunlop).

Eric’s impulsive behaviour in recent months, the result of an issue with his Parkinson’s medication, saw him lose everything after investing money in a cryptocurrency scam.

Spurred on by the promises of his supposed advisor, Eric had wiped out all of Brenda’s life savings in order to invest further into the scheme, only to later realise it was all a con.

As a devastated Brenda struggled to come to terms with Eric’s actions, knowing that they weren’t entirely his fault, the realisation that his recent proposal had also been down to his medication was the straw the broke the camel’s back, as she reluctantly called time on their relationship.

Eric has vowed to pay back every last penny to Brenda, and is selling the shop in order to do so, but it’s taking a lot longer than he expected with the asking price he desperately needs.

Next week, Eric admits to Kerry (Laura Norton) that he feels he is failing Brenda, as he’s still not been able to give any of her money back.

Kerry is convinced that Brenda would much rather wait for her money if it meant Eric wouldn’t push himself to the edge and further jeopardise his health.

She repeatedly urges him to take a step back and prioritise his well-being, but remains unaware of just how much Eric is struggling beneath the surface.

“In Kerry’s worst moments Pollard always was the one that had a bit of a soft spot for her, even though he might have told her off, because there’s some sort of common ground there,” Laura Norton tells us.

“They’re both lovable rogues I guess, in very different ways. He means so much to Kerry and Amy, I think she’s always had a soft spot for him. He’s like her, he makes some terrible terrible decisions sometimes and she knows what that feels like. Deep down I think she knows he’s got a good heart and he’s very caring.”

“Kerry knows that he’s going through something, and she knows that he’s not very well,” Laura continues. “She sees that he’s sort of neglecting things. His house is a massive mess and there’s loads of different little signs that she she’s spotting.”

Later in the week, Kerry is horrified to find Eric in the shop with a bag full of matches and accelerants, realising immediately what Eric’s plan is.

Backed into a corner, Eric is forced to admit that he’s planning to burn down the shop in order to claim on the insurance.

Eric insists that it would be a victimless crime, but Kerry knows all too well how such a plan can horribly backfire, having caused the death of Frank Clayton (Michael Praed) back in 2019 as she and daughter Amy (Natalie Ann Jamieson) inadvertently started a fire in the sweet factory whilst robbing it.

“She sort of uses that common ground to try and make him see sense,” Laura explains. “She knows the mistake that she made previously has led her nowhere good and she doesn’t want him to do the same thing.”

Kerry is reluctant to reveal her reasons for trying to talk Eric out of it, but will she be forced to admit her dark secret if it means Eric doesn’t make a huge mistake?

Currently only Kerry, Amy, and Frank’s daughters Tracy (Amy Wyatt) and Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick) know the true circumstances that led to Frank’s death, but having another person in the village in on the secret means there’s more potential for it to cause issues…

“It does, and I think that’s why all four have never told anybody,” Laura says.

“But sometimes in certain circumstances you have to make these allowances if it’s going to stop from making the biggest mistake of their life.

“But then you obviously you run the risk of that causing huge problems if he were to tell anybody else, it’s tricky.”

2) Amy wants a baby!

Up at Butlers, there’s an unexpected development after Amy steps in to help Moira (Natalie J Robb) look after three-year-old granddaughter Frankie (Eden Ratcliffe-Knights).

As she plays with Frankie, Amy has the sudden realisation that she wishes to have a child with husband Matty (Ash Palmisciano)!

“I think this all happens very fast for Amy,” Natalie Ann Jamieson reveals. “I think it’s kind of like, it happens there and then she’s just like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is what I want and I want it with Matty.

“She obviously loves Kyle, Kyle is her everything, but she’s always regretted not being there when he was little.”

“I think if she could have that opportunity again to be there for somebody and do it properly, I think that would be amazing for Amy. I think it’s just that Frankie, ultimately, is just too cute—it just sets her ovaries off and she just wants it there and then.”

Moira’s surprised when Amy comes to admit that she’s feeling broody, and encourages her to talk to Matty about the possibility of adopting a child together.

But before she does so, Amy gets a little carried away…

“They’re supposed to be saving the money to buy a house, but she speaks to Kim about renting a house instead because she wants it now,” Natalie continues.

“She decides she probably does want a child, so she’s going to need a house so she can put her plan into action. One day she’s being a little bit broody, the next day she’s nesting. She just goes for it, hammer and tongue!”

When Amy brings a confused Matty to Dale View, he’s left speechless when she lays out her proposition.

“It’s a surprise to Matty, because as far as he knew, their long-term plan was to save up to buy a house and she’s gone ahead and she’s put this in place,” Natalie states.

“I don’t think she’s gone as far as signing on the dotted line, but she’s got a verbal agreement. She walks him into the house and goes ‘What do you think, I think it’s brilliant.. and by the way, shall we have a baby?’. It’s quite extra!”

The pair only married back in April, and with Matty being trans, the decision to have children isn’t one that they can take lightly with the various procedures to follow.

“That’s a whole other layer to it,” Natalie adds. “Have they previously had this conversation? Well, maybe briefly, but they haven’t fully discussed it, and if they were going to go down the child route, what kind of route they’re going to take. So yeah, there’s a lot to think about, but Amy has it in her head and she’s really, really pitching for it.”

Overwhelmed, Matty puts an end to the conversation leaving Amy feeling guilty, but she nervously hopes that Matty will come around to the idea…

3) Will Laurel go to the police?

Elsewhere, the disappearance of grandfather Anthony (Nicholas Day) is still causing frustration for Steph (Georgia Jay), who remains blissfully unaware of the shocking secrets that have been revealed in her family over the past week.

Anthony came to a sticky end this week after making numerous enemies when his abuse of daughter Ruby (Beth Cordingly) as a teen came to light.

It was Chas (Lucy Pargeter) who had finally put the pieces together, telling Caleb (Will Ash) that she believed Anthony had not only abused Ruby, but had fathered Steph.

A devastated Ruby confirmed that Chas was correct, and Caleb was immediately out for revenge on his father-in-law.

When Chas learned that Anthony had been tutoring Nicola’s (Nicola Wheeler) teenage daughter Angelica (Rebecca Bakes), she panicked and warned Nicola that Anthony was a danger to young girls.

Confronting Anthony back at her house, an altercation ensued which only ended when Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) came in and hit him over the head with a candlestick.

A wounded Anthony eventually came to and left the house, but his subsequent disappearance has left the pair panicking that Anthony could have dropped dead somewhere later on.

Little did they realise that Caleb had actually forced Anthony, at gunpoint, to come with him to a barn at Butlers, where he subjected him to a terrifying round of Russian Roulette as he confronted him.

In the end, despite the gun going off in a tussle between the two men, Anthony made a run for it unharmed.

Arriving at the depot, Anthony was eventually confronted by Aaron (Danny Miller), who had witnessed an argument between him and Ruby earlier in the day.

As a fellow victim of abuse from his own father, Aaron had recognised the fear in Ruby’s eyes, and wanted Anthony to pay for what he had done.

With Aaron never getting the justice he deserved after dad Gordon took his own life whilst in prison, Aaron took all his anger out on Anthony, brutally beating him.

When Anthony begged Aaron to finish the job, Aaron realised that this was exactly what Anthony wanted, not wishing to live out his final days in prison. Determined that Anthony needed to pay for his crimes, Aaron reluctantly walked away.

However, when he later returned to the depot with boyfriend John (Oliver Farnworth) to find Anthony dead, John took control and disposed of the body to protect Aaron.

The pair thought that all bases had been covered, until they overheard Steph in The Woolpack asking why Anthony’s car was still parked out the back if he’d gone off to visit friends as Ruby had claimed.

Aaron panicked, figuring they were done for, but after warning Aaron to keep his cool, John suggested they move the car and retrieve all of Anthony’s belongings, making it look as though he had returned and left without saying goodbye.

Next week, Steph is frustrated when she sees that Anthony’s car has disappeared, determined that Caleb and Ruby are still hiding something from her about Anthony’s absence.

As Ruby struggles to keep her composure, Caleb assures Steph that her grandad has always been unpredictable like this.

The following day, Chas has to awkwardly admit to Ruby that she had told Nicola about Anthony being a danger to children, leaving Ruby horrified that her secret could get out. She orders Chas to go and take back what she said in the hope of protecting Steph from the awful truth about her parentage.

Chas goes on to tell Laurel and Nicola that she had been mistaken about Anthony, and whilst they act grateful towards Chas for setting things straight, once Chas is out of sight they are both horrified.

Not only could the blow to his head have cost Anthony his life, but in their eyes he was innocent of the accusation all along.

Nicola tries to remain the voice of reason as Laurel tells her that she needs to go the police and admit what she’s done.

Will Nicola manage to convince her otherwise, or will Laurel’s confession open up a whole can of worms…

4) Bob faces his grief

Meanwhile, Bob (Tony Audenshaw) faces another difficult day as he received a call to confirm that late son Heath’s (Sebastian Dowling) headstone will be erected in the village cemetery tomorrow.

Manpreet (Rebecca Sarker) asks Bob how he’s feeling about it, and although he tries to put on a brave face, it’s all too clear that he is dreading it.

The following day, Heath’s twin-sister Cathy (Gabrielle Dowling) is keen to head over to the churchyard with her dad to see the headstone, but is frustrated when Bob keeps putting it off, claiming that he’s got various jobs to do.

Some time later, Eric comes across an emotional Bob outside, who admits that he can’t face going to see the headstone. It’s the second time Bob has had to bury one of his own children, and seeing the stone now in situ will make Heath’s passing all the more final.

Eric can only try to help with his own experiences with grief, but his words provide some comfort to Bob, who later heads back to the graveyard with Cathy to confront his grief.

As Bob finally lays eyes on their choice of headstone, he comments to Cathy that they’ve managed to do Heath proud.

The two settle down in some chairs beside the grave and dig out some of Heath’s favourite treats to mark the occasion. Cathy comments that Heath would love it if he was there, as Bob reminds her that Heath will always be with them.

5) Marlon takes a risk

Also next week, with still no further news on missing daughter April (Amelia Flanagan), Marlon (Mark Charnock) decides to increase the reward that he’s offering for information that could lead to her being found.

Rhona (Zoe Henry) and Mary (Louise Jameson) are concerned about the proposal, knowing that it could only bring out further trolls and timewasters, but Marlon is determined…