8 Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 20th to 24th July

Next week on Emmerdale, disaster strikes as Cain goes camping with Kyle and Graham, Serena develops an interest in Home Farm, and a face from the past threatens Kev’s fresh start.

1) Serena turns her attention to Ross

Serena (Casey Al-Shaqsy) manages to talk her way back into Robert’s (Ryan Hawley) life next week, before turning her attention to Ross (Michael Parr) after developing a sudden interest in Home Farm.

Questions surrounding Robert’s distant cousin had been growing since her arrival, as she repeatedly steered conversations towards his murderous half-brother John (Oliver Farnworth) and asked those who’d known him what he’d really been like.

Although she claimed that she’d only known him vaguely through family connections, Aaron (Danny Miller) remained uneasy about her persistent interest in him.

Those suspicions gained weight last week when Kev (Chris Coghill) finally recognised Serena as a police officer he’d previously encountered. 

With Aaron and Robert concealing the truth about John’s death, the revelation raised fears that she might still be serving and had come to the village undercover to investigate the family.

Serena claimed that she’d left the force for personal reasons, before admitting that she’d actually been close to John and that he’d helped her family financially.

Her continued questioning then enabled her to work out that Victoria (Isabel Hodgins) had killed him, although she assured Aaron that she wouldn’t involve the police.

Viewers later saw Serena entering a police station. She subsequently explained that a friend she’d been meeting worked for the police, which may account for the visit, but its purpose remains unclear.

Still unconvinced, Chas (Lucy Pargeter) summoned Serena to the Woolpack back room and pocketed her phone. Once Serena had left, Chas unlocked it and discovered photos showing her with John in December, during his time on the run.

Aaron showed the pictures to Robert, exposing Serena’s claim that she hadn’t met John for years as another lie. Robert and Aaron refused to hear any further explanations and ordered her to leave Emmerdale Farm.

However, her banishment proves short-lived when trouble at Home Farm provides an unexpected way back in.

Next week, Kim (Claire King) discovers that someone has broken into the house and, with her shotgun at the ready, puts Ross in charge of finding the culprit. Already unimpressed that her Head of Operations wasn’t on it, she gives him several names to investigate.

Ross first confronts Moira (Natalie J Robb), who has no patience for his accusations. His enquiries then lead him to Robert, where Aaron objects to his approach and the dispute turns violent.

It’s at this point that Serena makes an unexpected appearance and intervenes before the confrontation can go any further. Once Ross has left, Serena asks Robert to hear her out, and she finally gives a full explanation of how well she knew John, and why she concealed their recent contact.

Whatever she reveals is enough to change his mind, and he allows her to stay—although Aaron remains deeply suspicious of her.

Meanwhile, Kim establishes that a USB stick was stolen during the break-in. Could a certain someone have been searching for the footage that Joe (Ned Porteous) previously had of Victoria killing John?

Despite his misgivings, Aaron later offers Serena work at Emmerdale Farm, whilst Robert continues recovering from last week’s accident with the runaway trailer.

Serena soon arranges another encounter with Ross. He mistakes her attention for romantic interest, and she encourages the misunderstanding as she continues keeping him close.

As the two enjoy a drink at The Hide, Ross is clueless that Serena is stringing him along.

What does she hope to learn from Ross—and could her latest scheme be connected to the missing USB stick?

2) Have Charity and Vanessa made a breakthrough?

Charity (Emma Atkins) suffers a devastating setback next week when the CPS decides there isn’t enough evidence to pursue a case against Dr Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker).

Charity initially withdrew her allegation after Todd threatened to expose the truth about Leyla’s parentage. She later told DS Reid (Angela Lonsdale) about the blackmail and has continued trying to hold Todd accountable for raping her.

Last week, Reid’s questions about Todd led Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick) to realise that something had happened to Charity. When Vanessa confronted her directly, Charity confirmed that Todd had assaulted her, although she stopped short of revealing that it followed weeks of blackmail.

Charity subsequently attended a support group, but walked out after hearing the other women describe being attacked by men. She later admitted to Vanessa that she’d felt like a fraud because her own attacker was a woman.

The news that the CPS won’t be taking the case any further now leaves Charity facing the prospect that Todd could escape justice altogether.

Mack (Lawrence Robb) and Vanessa refuse to accept the decision. Suspecting that Charity may not be the first person to make a complaint of that nature about Todd, they begin exploring whether concerns raised by other patients or hospital staff have previously been buried.

Vanessa takes their enquiries further with help from Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant), arranging a private meeting with hospital HR representative Carol (Melanie La Barrie).

Carol remains guarded throughout the conversation. Although she insists that professional boundaries prevent her from discussing confidential matters, her response leaves Vanessa and Jacob wondering whether she knows more than she’s prepared to reveal.

When Charity discovers that Vanessa is still at the hospital searching for answers, she heads there to confront her.

But she soon finds herself face to face with Helen (Nicole Evans)—another woman who has suffered at Todd’s hands.

Helen is reluctant to discuss what happened, but Charity quietly tells her that Todd assaulted her too. The admission visibly affects Helen, giving Charity hope that she may finally have found someone who understands exactly what she endured.

Will Helen agree to speak out—and could her evidence provide the breakthrough Charity needs to reopen the case against Todd?

3) Kev tries to make up for lost time

Kev’s efforts to build a bond with Lewis (Bradley Riches) begin causing fresh concern next week, as his determination to compensate for their years apart leaves his son feeling overwhelmed.

The pair finally made progress last week when Kev was given the opportunity to prove that he’d been framed for the café robbery. Ross and Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) had staged the break-in themselves before planting the stolen cash box in Kev’s trailer, hoping to destroy his fledgling bond with Lewis.

Kev persuaded Ross to clear his name, but unexpectedly protected both him and Nicola when the moment came. Rather than allowing Ross to confess, Kev claimed that Kylie (Pippa Fulton) had planted the cash box as one final act of revenge, and Ross backed up his story.

The lie allowed Kev to establish his innocence without exposing the real culprits and hurting Lewis further. Believing his dad had been wrongly accused, Lewis apologised and agreed to give him another chance.

Lewis later offered Kev a job at the café, but the arrangement quickly ran into trouble. After getting Mandy’s (Lisa Riley) large drinks order wrong, Kev blocked her path when she refused to pay and attempted to leave.

Vinny (Bradley Johnson) was alarmed by his behaviour and warned that Kev was dangerous, whilst Nicola readily agreed. Lewis remained willing to persevere, but Kev removed his apron and resigned, believing that his presence had only made matters worse for his son.

Next week, Claudette (Flo Wilson) urges Kev not to abandon the job at the first sign of trouble. Nicola is privately delighted to think that he’s gone and attempts to convince Lewis, Vinny and Mandy that the café will be better off without him.

Her relief doesn’t last long however, as Kev unexpectedly returns with Charles (Kevin Mathurin) for support and asks for his job back.

When Kev then discovers that Lewis’s birthday is approaching, he becomes determined to compensate for all the previous celebrations he missed. He later arrives at Dale View with a collection of presents, excited by the opportunity to do something special for his son.

Unfortunately, Kev’s enthusiasm places Lewis under more pressure. Although he’s trying to prove how much the relationship means to him, the scale and intensity of the gesture leave Lewis visibly uncomfortable.

Ross notices that his brother is struggling with the attention and begins to worry that Kev is attempting to force a bond which Lewis isn’t ready for.

Can Kev learn to give his son the time and space he needs—or will his efforts undermine their fragile relationship?

4) A face from Kev’s past threatens his fresh start

Kev’s determination to leave his criminal past behind is tested when an old friend named Steve (Jason Done) unexpectedly arrives in the village.

Since discovering that Lewis is his son, Kev has vowed to turn his life around and never return to prison. As part of that fresh start, he legally changed his surname from Townsend to Barton and even renamed his cake van ‘Barton’s Cake Tin’.

Kev explained to Lewis that his father abandoned the family when he was 15, leaving them homeless and pushing him towards theft to survive. With the Townsend name later becoming synonymous with his crimes, he adopted Lewis’s surname to prevent his past from burdening his son.

But with Kev now making tentative progress with Lewis, Steve’s sudden appearance is particularly unwelcome.

It remains unclear what history the pair share, but Kev is visibly uneasy when Steve arrives. Determined not to lose the new life he’s building, Kev warns him that he can’t be allowed to jeopardise everything.

Will Steve respect Kev’s wishes—or is Kev’s past about to catch up with him again?

5) Cain is desperate to save Monty

Cain (Jeff Hordley) struggles to accept that Monty is dying next week, becoming convinced that the treatment planned for his own cancer could also save the family’s beloved dog.

Monty’s illness was discovered after Cain rescued him from a burning shed outside Wishing Well. Tests subsequently revealed a tumour on his spleen which had already spread to his lungs, leaving Paddy (Dominic Brunt) with no choice but to warn the family that Monty’s cancer was terminal.

Cain initially agreed that Monty should receive palliative care for as long as he could still enjoy a good quality of life. The diagnosis also forced him to confront his own reluctance to undergo treatment, with Cain acknowledging that he should take every option available to him.

However, faced with the reality of losing Monty, Cain begins questioning whether more could be done. Reasoning that radiotherapy may help with his own cancer, he seeks a second veterinary opinion in the hope that the same treatment could offer Monty a lifeline.

His search for an alternative prognosis soon takes over, leaving little room for anything else. Cain withdraws from Moira and fails to recognise that Kyle (Huey Quinn) is also still struggling.

Kyle has been finding life at Demdyke Cadets difficult—as he works to deal with the issues which caused him to start lighting fires—but Cain’s dismissive attitude towards the group leaves him too hurt to ask his dad for support.

Moira attempts to make Cain see how much his behaviour is affecting the family, whilst also trying to prepare him for the possibility that Monty can’t be saved.

Cain refuses to engage with her concerns, only to be later confronted with the answer he had been dreading. The second opinion confirms that Monty’s tumours are inoperable, finally extinguishing Cain’s hope that another course of treatment could save him.

6) Cain, Kyle and Graham’s trip ends in disaster

Devastated over Monty’s prognosis, and unwilling to spend time alone with Moira, Cain makes a sudden decision to take Kyle camping.

But what he imagines will be a trip for the two of them changes when he discovers that Kyle has asked Graham (Andrew Scarborough) to join them.

Kyle has developed a close bond with Graham over recent weeks, confiding in him about the fires when he couldn’t bring himself to tell his family. He later admitted that he found Graham easier to talk to than Cain.

Although Cain briefly sought Graham’s help in reaching Kyle, he subsequently turned against him again. He’s therefore furious to discover that Kyle has invited Graham on their camping trip, but the three of them set off together regardless.

Rather than providing the distraction Cain wanted, the trip soon becomes another source of conflict. His frustration with Graham continues building until Cain finally loses his temper, prompting Kyle to call his dad out over his behaviour.

Unable to take the criticism, Cain storms away from the others alone.

As night closes in, he loses his footing and tumbles down a hillside, trapping his leg and leaving himself unable to get back to the campsite!

Cain remains stranded in the woods overnight and wakes in severe pain the following morning. With no sign that anybody is coming, he becomes convinced that he won’t be found any time soon.

Will Kyle and Graham realise that Cain is in danger before it’s too late?

7) Moira feels shut out

Whilst Cain and Kyle are away, Rhona (Zoe Henry) calls at Wishing Well to see how Monty is doing, but quickly realises that Moira needs somebody to talk to.

Moira confides that Cain’s fears surrounding his cancer have led him to withdraw from her. He’s avoiding any physical intimacy between them, but has also shut her out emotionally and refuses to discuss what he’s going through.

His fixation on saving Monty has only widened the distance between them, with Moira’s attempts to offer support repeatedly being rejected. Cain ultimately chose to take Kyle camping because it allowed him to avoid spending time alone with her.

As Moira admits how isolated she feels within her own marriage, can Rhona help her find a way to reach Cain?

8) Dawn struggles with Billy & Gabby’s romance

Also next week, Dawn (Olivia Bromley) is delighted when her wedding dress finally arrives, bringing her a welcome moment of excitement as she prepares to marry Joe.

However, she remains uncomfortable about her former husband Billy (Jay Kontzle) dating Gabby (Rosie Bentham).

Dawn previously asked the couple to delay telling the children about their romance, only for Clemmie (Mabel Addison) to spot them canoodling. Although Clemmie was thrilled with the news, Dawn found it far more difficult—and her unhappiness about Billy moving on with Gabby remains evident.

Meanwhile, Gabby’s anxieties around food start to intrude upon her new romance. After Billy prepares a meal for her, she distracts him to avoid having to eat it.

How long can Gabby conceal the extent of her difficulties from Billy?

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