9 Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 18th to 22nd August

Next week on Emmerdale, Mack’s in danger as he discovers a damning clue, Robert and Aaron give in to temptation, Moira considers selling up, and will John and Aaron leave the village?

1) Charity and Mack fall apart

The surrogacy drama takes another turn next week, as Mackenzie (Lawrence Robb) is forced to admit that he does still have an issue with Charity (Emma Atkins) offering to carry a baby for granddaughter Sarah and her fiancé Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant).

His admission doesn’t come at a great time, with Charity having learned this week that she is in fact pregnant. However, in a twist that no-one saw coming, it transpired that there’s a chance that Charity’s baby could in fact be Ross’s (Michael Parr)!

Charity was at a low ebb a couple of weeks ago, having believed she’d lost the implanted embryo following a fall.

Realising that Mack thought losing the baby was probably for the best, Charity sought support from ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick).

We saw the two share a kiss, but it wasn’t until last night’s episode that it was revealed that after Vanessa had rejected Charity’s advances, a drunken Charity moved on to sleep with Ross.

Charity was stunned when a visit to the doctor yesterday revealed that she was pregnant, with Sarah and Jacob over the moon. But after Sarah announced the news in the pub, Ross was quick to approach Charity and ask if the baby was his.

Charity insisted that it was impossible, but as Michael Parr tells us, Ross doesn’t believe her claim.

“He knows Charity too well and he saw her face in the pub when everyone was excited and celebrating,” Michael explains. “Her expression said it all and he clocked it. He knows she either knows or she’s in doubt and he’s going to keep going until he gets the truth.”

“He’s desperate to find out the answer because it comes with such responsibility, ” he continues. “It’s a lot of pressure on him because he’s not doing so well with work right now and his living situation isn’t ideal as he’s always swapping and changing. Plus he’s just met his brother Lewis. There’s a lot going on for him in his head, so he just needs to get to the bottom of this.”

Mackenze’s issue with the surrogacy stems from the baby that he lost with Charity following an ectopic pregnancy three years ago, where she told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t going to put herself through that again.

“I was like, ‘Really? That’s rough’,” Lawrence Robb tells us of hearing about the surrogacy plot. “I can totally, for one of the first times, side with Mack on this. I think he was right on the money with his reaction. As while it is a lovely thing that Charity is doing for Sarah, I do think that he is right to be concerned and right to be worried given their past history.”

“It was Mack’s dream to have a child with Charity,” Emma Atkins adds. “But Charity told him way back when that it wasn’t going to happen. How she wasn’t going to go down that route again. But now she has but for someone else. He’s rightfully hurt by this although wanting to support her.”

“Charity had thought she had closed the door on having another child and that prospect killed Mackenzie in many ways – she was aware of that so Charity now holds all that guilt.”

Next week, Mack is particularly keen to spend some quality time with Charity, but she’s otherwise distracted and has to work. Clearly disappointed, Mack later joins Charity at The Woolpack. Ross cannot help but quiz, and slightly taunt, Mack on the surrogacy news, putting Charity on edge.

Mack soon reveals to Ross that today is the third anniversary of the day when he and Charity lost their baby, and points out that Charity hasn’t even remembered.

“I think he is pretty upset and heartbroken that she hasn’t remembered,” Lawrence states. “Alongside the fact she’s undergoing all this for Sarah, I think Mack is pretty sad she hasn’t recognised this is also an important time for them as a couple.”

Some time later, now worse for wear after a few drinks, Mack finally points out the significance of the day to Charity. Charity is furious as Mack then goes on to admit that he is struggling to support the surrogacy.

“It all comes tumbling out,” Lawrence reveals. “I think Charity goes into fight or flight and although she probably can hear his reasoning she immediately puts her guard up and starts firing back. Which is understandable, but ultimately, Mack said he was okay with the whole thing, but he’s really not.”

Charity kicks Mack out of the house, and as the week progresses, Mack is hurt when Charity fails to get in touch with him.

Could their marriage be over?

2) Robert and Aaron give in to temptation

Meanwhile, Robert (Ryan Hawley) finds himself in a dark place after the incident with 5-year-old nephew Harry. Asked to spend some time with him by Victoria (Isabel Hodgins), Robert was frustrated by Harry’s incessant banging on a drum despite asking him to stop.

Unbeknownst to Robert, John (Oliver Farnworth) had secretly told Harry that Robert would love the drumming, knowing that it would push him over the edge as he struggles with PTSD.

John let himself into the house just as Robert raised his voice at Harry, and was quick to play the caring uncle as he took Harry into his arms, insisting that the poor boy was terrified of Robert’s supposed outburst.

Robert was confused by the reaction, knowing that he hadn’t overreacted, but a manipulative John eventually managed to gaslight Robert into believing Harry could have been in danger from his actions.

Next week, John wastes no time in exploiting the situation further. By exaggerating what happened, he manages to turn Victoria against Robert, driving a wedge between them.

Not content with that, he later pays Robert a visit, cruelly reminding him that he’s now lost both Victoria and Aaron (Danny Miller). The taunting only deepens Robert’s despair, leaving him consumed by guilt and self-loathing.

Not long after, a loud commotion from Keepers Cottage catches Aaron’s attention. He bursts in and heads upstairs to find Robert in the middle of trashing his room, his anger and frustration spilling out uncontrollably.

Aaron steps in, stopping him and offering some comfort, but is taken aback by how completely shattered Robert has become. 

“He just breaks down in Aaron’s arms,” Ryan Hawley recently told EverySoap and other press. “And then we cut to the scene downstairs when they’re talking and Robert says it’s time for him to go, he needs to move on and shouldn’t have come back.  Aaron convinces him not to and to stay.”

Robert resigns himself to having nothing left, but Aaron finally admits that his own unresolved feelings have been the reason he’s been holding Robert at arm’s length.

The tension between them finally boils over, and they give in to temptation.

Afterwards, they lie together in bed, unaware that outside, John and Victoria are making their way towards the house to check on Robert… but will they be discovered?

3) The investigation into Nate’s death is reopened

Meanwhile, Cain (Jeff Hordley) is rattled when DC Cole (Philip Hill-Pearson) turns up to announce that there’s been an unexpected development with the investigation into Nate’s (Jurell Carter) death.

Real culprit John has been able to pin Nate’s death on deceased patient Owen (Simon Haines), after he discovered him at his home and used his laptop to type out a fake confession. Though baffled by the development, Cain and Nate’s ex-wife Tracy (Amy Walsh) thought they could finally start to move on.

So when Cain later announces to John that the police have found some new evidence in the case, his blood runs cold.

Further details come to light at the surgery, when police inform Liam (Johnny McPherson) that the case is being reopened after an inconsistency was discovered in Owen’s supposed suicide note.

The news sends John into a fresh panic, and seeing Tracy grief-stricken as the investigation resumes only deepens his guilt. Both Cain and Tracy are struggling as the police begin asking new questions.

With fears that the investigation could implicate him, John makes a curious phone call…

4) Will Aaron and John leave the village?

Meanwhile, Aaron is wrestling with guilt, convincing himself that what happened with Robert was a one-off mistake. Robert, however, is convinced Aaron has chosen him over John, and his certainty leaves Aaron conflicted. Mack isn’t impressed when Aaron admits to kissing Robert on the wedding day—and then confesses what happened the previous day.

Wanting to put some distance between himself and Robert, Aaron floats the idea to John that they should leave the village for a fresh start.

The suggestion takes John by surprise, but with the pressure mounting over the Nate investigation, the thought of getting away sounds perfect to him.

Chas (Lucy Pargeter) is clearly upset when she hears of their plans, and with Liam giving the go-ahead for John to take some holiday leave from the surgery, it seems as though their departure is imminent.

5) Mack makes a shocking discovery about John

The purpose of John’s phone call soon becomes clear, when the mysterious removal man (Jacob Anderton), who came to collect Nate’s belongings following his disappearance, suddenly makes a reappearance in the village. 

The man had of course been enlisted by John to further the narrative that Nate had gone ahead with his move to Shetland as planned. But an inability for the police to track him down, despite Amy’s insistence that he had been at the house, cast early doubts on her innocence when questioned by police.

Tracy is quick to show Nate’s photo to the removal guy, who confirms that he doesn’t recognise him. When the police finally catch up with him, and show him Owen’s photo, he confirms that Owen is the man who hired him.

With that apparent confirmation, it seems the case is finally closed for good, and John is relieved when Cain later delivers him the news.

But there’s still a further twist to come, when John later offers Mack a lift in his van. Mack hadn’t trusted John from the moment of his arrival, and made it clear that he could see right through him as they struck up a rivalry.

“Well, he hated him when he first arrived and all the way through,” Lawrence Robb reminds us. “He also hated him when he was with Aaron and hated him when John set him up with the slurry accident. But then John twisted it and used the slurry problem to help Mack get through it all, because Mack was really, really struggling.”

“So ultimately, that incident brought them a little bit closer and Mack is now at the point of view of thinking maybe you’re not as bad as I first made out; you’re still a bit weird, but you are with my best mate, so I can kind of get on board.”

But after hopping into John’s van, Mack discovers a damning clue…

“Yes, that changes the entire outlook entirely,” Lawrence confirms. “It’s quite a critical moment for Mack. It is a mic drop moment. Suddenly Mack is like, ‘Oh! You are actually…. I was right about you the whole time!’“.

“There’s no two ways about it, this evidence puts him in a dangerous position. There’s certainly a chance Mack has the capability to bring John down. If he does – well that remains to be seen. But there’s potentially a very bleak outcome on the horizon.“

The fact that Mack is wearing the clothes that he was seen wearing in the New Year’s Eve flashforward, where he was seen running through the woods, gives us a clue of what to expect.

And with tabloid leaks confirming that Mack will soon be dying at John’s hands, it seems that moment is set to come sooner rather than later!

“I’m guessing you’ve joined up the dots,” John ominously tells Mack in a trailer released yesterday, which again shows Mack racing frantically through the woods.

The trailer ends with Mack sitting against a log looking up at John, pleading with him, before John apparently brings a rock down onto Mack’s head.

Later in the week, Charity explains to Chas that she’s upset over how she left things with Mack, but hasn’t yet managed to speak to him.

Will she ever get to see her husband again?

6) Dylan gives in to Ray’s persuasion

Elsewhere in the village, after April (Amelia Flanagan) was coerced into completing a job for drug dealer Ray (Joe Absolom), Dylan (Fred Kettle) has made it clear that neither of them will be doing any more runs for him.

Ray had taken Dylan under his wing after meeting him in a hostel Dylan was staying in following his exit from rehab, but Dylan hasn’t realised that Ray is manipulating him.

Next week, Dylan’s frustrated as his search for a more legitimate job turns up fruitless, and he puts on a brave face in front of April following another knockback.

As soon as April leaves, Dylan’s left conflicted as he sees his phone buzzing with a call from Ray, no doubt with the promise of easy money.

Later, April’s left disappointed and twiddling her thumbs when her apprenticeship at Take A Vow is delayed. Her spirits lift slightly, however, when Dylan reacts positively to her plan to return to school and get her GCSEs.

It’s not long before Ray lures Dylan into another questionable job, and Dylan buries the guilt as he keeps it a secret from April…

7) Will Vinny come clean?

Over at Dale View, Vinnie (Bradley Johnson) is struggling to keep up appearances following the horrific attack inflicted on him.

Having met up with ‘Mike’ (Macaulay Cooper) a couple of times, who he’d begun chatting to as he sought answers about his sexuality in an online support group, Mike’s true colours were finally revealed when he came to the house claiming his partner had thrown him out.

Mike suddenly turned, threatening to destroy Vinny’s life if he didn’t meet his demands, revealing that he had recorded all of their conversations.

After subjecting Vinny to a brutal beating—which caused Vinny to have flashbacks to the abuse he suffered at the hands of his dad Paul (Reese Dinsdale)—Mike demanded Vinny transfer £10,000 into his bank account, before stealing his and Gabby’s (Rosie Bentham) wedding rings.

When Vinny’s mate Kammy (Shebz Miah) later made an offhand comment about Vinny needing to grow a pair, unaware of the ordeal Vinny had just been through, Vinny saw red and began pushing Kammy.

Gabby turned up just as Kammy began to defend himself, with Vinny then able to use Kammy as a scapegoat to cover the reason for his injuries.

Next week, after seeing the severity of his bruises, Gabby pushes Vinny to report Kammy to the police, leaving him wracked with guilt over putting his friend in the frame. When Gabby noticed that the newly resized rings were not the ones she chose, Vinny is forced to confess that he lost the originals, only adding to his inner turmoil.

Later in the week, Vinny is caught off guard when the police show up at the scrapyard asking about a Graham, also known as ‘Mike’.

Despite believing paying for his silence would bring an end to it, Vinny now faces awkward questions when the police reveal that they’re investigating Mike for extortion.

Torn between covering his own secret and being honest with Gabby, he struggles to know what to do next.

Gabby can’t help but notice his unusual behaviour, but will Vinny be able to bring himself to tell her the truth?

8) Will a devastated Moira sell the farm?

Up at Butlers Farm, Moira (Natalie J Robb) is beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel after joining forces with neighbouring farmer Celia (Jaye Griffiths) to take on a new hotel contract.

The money will be a huge help for Moira, as she faces financial ruin following the fine dished out to her over the slurry spill.

Joe (Ned Porteous) has been determined to snap up the farm from Moira on Kim’s (Claire King) behalf, as they seek to expand the Tate empire. But Moira refused to sell when she discovered that Joe had paid off the water company rep to reject her appeal against the fine.

Joining forces with the formidable Celia certainly wasn’t on Moira’s list of priorities, but the offer presented to her seemed to be a lifeline that she would be silly to refuse.

Next week, Moira is confident that she’s made the right decision as Celia takes care of their big new contract.

But she’s blindsided when Celia later returns and reveals the contract has fallen through, leaving them severely out of pocket. The hotel is only going to offer half of what they’re owed, pushing Moira close to breaking point—she fears it might signal the end of Butlers.

After Celia confirms she’s done with farming, she advises Moira to sell her land for the best price and move on. Left to process this, Moira weighs her options before finally making a firm decision and plotting her next steps.

Is Moira finally ready to sell up, or is there set to be another twist in the tale? 

9) Belle gives Kammy another shot

Also next week, Kammy’s over the moon when Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) suggests that they could go on a lunch date.

Kammy was disappointed when he responded to Belle’s swipe right on his dating profile, only to find that it had instead been an over-enthusiastic Nicola’s (Nicola Wheeler) attempts to play Cupid.

When Cain got wind, he was sure to warn Kammy off his granddaughter, but when Belle insisted to him there was nothing going on, it appeared that she was trying a bit too hard to convince Cain.

Belle eventually gave in and went to The Hide for a spot of lunch with Kammy. But things quickly went downhill as Kammy, unaware of Belle’s past issues, observed her choice of brown sauce with pizza. After he made a jokey comment about her being ‘mental’, Belle made a hasty exit.

It’s therefore a bit awkward when Cain sends Kammy off to go and fix Belle’s car next week, until Belle suggests they could maybe try again.

Is this the beginning of a new relationship for the pair?