10 Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 21st to 25th July

Next week on Emmerdale, Cain and Tracy are stunned when the police declare that Nate’s killer has been revealed, Charity and Mack’s marriage is at risk after Eric drops a bombshell, and Kim faces a setback in her land deal.

Note: Emmerdale will not be airing on Wednesday 23rd July. Schedules may be further changed due to football coverage.

1) Owen’s body is discovered

A week after Nate’s (Jurell Carter) funeral, police finally believe that they’ve tracked down the culprit responsible for his death. But little do they realise they’ve been led down the garden path by the real perpetrator, John (Oliver Farnworth).

As Tracy (Amy Walsh) and the Dingles came together to farewell Nate, and under the watchful eye of DS Walsh (Amanda Ryan), John came close to confessing to his crime after being asked to deliver the eulogy.

A solution later presented itself to John whilst working at the surgery, when he heard that Owen Michaels (Simon Haines) was down on the list of Liam’s (Jonny McPherson) home visit patients.

Owen had spiked John’s half-brother Robert (Ryan Hawley) a few weeks back, but was warned off by John before he could take things any further.

When Owen presented himself at the surgery early last week, he initially failed to recognise John. But it didn’t take John long to remind him of their previous encounter, and he threw Owen out.

Later in the week, Liam explained that he had Owen down on his list of house visits, who was a particular concern as he struggled with drink and drugs. Liam explained that he rarely answered the door when he did call, but that it was often left open.

John made an early visit to Owen’s place over in Demdyke, only to find that he had already passed away from a suspected overdose.

Seizing the opportunity, and narrowly avoiding being discovered by Liam, John typed a letter on Owen’s laptop, making out he was confessing to Nate’s death.

Next week, Liam returns to Owen’s house but begins to become concerned when he again doesn’t answer the door. 

He contacts the police, and they’re soon on the scene—confirming that Owen has died. As officers begin to secure the area, DS Walsh shows Liam something they’ve found on Owen’s laptop, the typed confession to Nate’s murder.

It’s enough to convince the officers that they’ve got their culprit, and for now, it looks like John’s plan has fallen neatly into place.

2) Cain and Tracy process the news

Back in the village, DS Walsh arrives to deliver the update to Nate’s dad Cain (Jeff Hordley) and ex-wife Tracy—the man responsible for Nate’s death has been identified. The news leaves them both reeling, struggling to get their heads around what they’ve just heard.

Back at the surgery, John manages to act suitably stunned as Liam brings him up to speed on Owen’s death and the confession. Later, Liam and John share the news more widely in The Woolpack.

Robert is shaken by the coincidence, and while no one else seems to question it, something about the situation causes his suspicions about John to quietly resurface.

3) Has Robert cracked the case?

The following day, DC Cole (Philip Hill-Pearson) turns up at the surgery, asking questions about Owen’s medical history. Robert spots the detective on his way out and quickly grows curious, sensing something’s afoot.

Later, a conversation with Claudette (Flo Wilson) proves revealing—she inadvertently mentions that John had visited Owen’s flat not long before his death. The detail immediately grabs Robert’s attention, and he begins to dig further.

It isn’t long before he tracks down Owen’s brother, Steve, and what he learns leaves him stunned—Owen had a watertight alibi for the night Nate was killed. Armed with this new information, Robert wastes no time. He heads straight to the police station, ready to blow the case wide open.

Is John about to be rumbled?

4) John’s unnerved as Cain continues to spiral

John at least hopes that Owen’s apparent confession will help Cain start to pull himself together, only to be find that he is still deeply unsettled. Cain bombards Liam with questions about Owen, but when Liam stands firm on patient confidentiality, Cain snaps, letting his frustration spill over.

Later, Liam fills John in on the confrontation, using his own experience to explain the devastating impact losing a child will have had on Cain.

Overwhelmed by guilt, John struggles with the fact that Owen’s so-called confession has in fact stolen Cain’s chance at getting any real ‘justice’ for Nate’s death.

Haunted by his conscience, John reaches out to the helpline again, and falls into conversation with the volunteer he knows well. When they suggest moving their chat from messages to a call, John hesitates—torn between wanting help whilst fearing his identity being discovered.

Meanwhile, following his own mental health struggles, Paddy (Dominic Brunt) tells Marlon (Mark Charnock) that he’s recently begun volunteering on a crisis helpline… could it be coincidence, or could Paddy be the one getting close to uncovering John’s secret troubles…?

5) Eric drops a bombshell on Mack

Elsewhere in the village, Charity (Emma Atkins) still hasn’t revealed to her family that she has offered to be a surrogate for granddaughter Sarah (Katie Hill), but the decision is soon taken out of her hands.

Eric (Chris Chittell) had been against grandson Jacob’s (Joe-Warren Plant) plan to be Sarah’s sperm donor as she sought IVF treatment, but when Sarah sadly had to undergo an emergency hysterectomy, it seemed the idea was off the cards altogether.

That was until Cain, seeing how much pain Sarah was going through, offered up the idea of surrogacy. Sarah’s eggs had already been harvested, and Jacob had already made his donation, so all she needed was a carrier.

However, Sarah’s life-limiting Fanconi anaemia meant that none of the surrogacy agencies were willing to take her on, and so Charity made the offer to her granddaughter. 

“I think there’s always potential for regret where Charity is concerned,” Emma Atkins recently told EverySoap and other press. “However, I also think that once she’s set a decision in place, she doesn’t really back out of stuff.”

“She commits, and goes full pelt without thinking of any of the consequences. There’s a lot of pride there and there’s a lot of loyalty and protection towards her granddaughter. So I don’t think she’s willing to allow anything to get in the way of this and, on this occasion, she won’t be regretting it.”

Having heard the latest developments, Eric can’t keep it to himself and lets slip to Mackenzie (Lawrence Robb) that Charity has offered to be Sarah’s surrogate. Mack’s floored, and wastes no time confronting his wife. Things quickly escalate into a heated row, with Charity standing firm on her decision.

Meanwhile, Jacob’s stunned that Eric has gone behind his back, but Eric refuses to back down—insisting Jacob’s about to make a huge mistake.

As tensions run high, Sarah jumps in, accusing Eric of having it in for her gran. But Eric cuts through the noise, admitting his real concern lies with Sarah’s future—and how limited it might be.

Back at Jacobs Fold, Mack’s left reeling. He can’t wrap his head around Charity’s willingness to carry a baby for Sarah when she wouldn’t do the same for him. With neither budging, the couple are left at odds.

“I think there’s so many complexities there with what they’ve been through on their own journey with pregnancy, and the ectopic pregnancy,” Emma continues.

“There’s a lot of emotional scarring and wounds there for them both that they probably have pushed under a carpet, and that they’re not really discussing, because Charity made the decision that she didn’t want to have another baby.”

“So when he finds out that she’s willing to maybe do it for Sarah, of course, he’s going to be feeling extremely defensive and riled by that. And worried for her health as well. That will create a lot of tension and resentment.”

6) Mack issues an ultimatum

A short while later, Charity shares an update—she’s passed all the medical checks, and the clinic’s ready to move forward with insemination.

Sarah’s optimistic, but can’t help worrying about the strain it’s putting on Charity’s relationship with Mack. Charity brushes it off, confident she can get him back onside.

But when she brings it up again, Mack’s had enough. Frustrated and unable to see a way forward, he lays it on the line—it’s the surrogacy or their marriage.

The following day, Charity and Mack break the news to Noah. He’s blindsided and struggles to take it all in.

Later, Mack offers an olive branch and apologises. Charity does the same—but makes it clear that she won’t be changing her mind. With neither willing to bend, the tension lingers.

Not wanting to be the cause of the rift, Sarah makes a difficult call. She tells Charity she’ll find another way to become a mum—determined that her future plans won’t come at the cost of theirs.

Will Sarah be forced back to the drawing board?

7) Jacob pops the question!

Sarah and Jacob later enjoy a quiet picnic together, and she opens up about how much his support has meant to her. When he leans in for a kiss, Sarah hesitates—pulling back at the last moment before making a swift exit.

When Jacob catches up with Sarah, he offers an apology. She admits she feels the same way, but worries he’ll get cold feet like before. Reassured, they share a kiss—and then Jacob stuns Sarah by proposing! Sarah’s overjoyed and says yes without hesitation.

As news spreads, the family rally round and Charity raises a toast to the happy couple.

But not everyone’s smiling—Eric makes it known he’s not on board. 

“Pollard’s never been able to fully trust Charity, and feels it’s just such a strange thing to get Jacob to get himself entwined in,” Emma tells us. “He just is protecting his grandson, isn’t he?”

Can they win him over?

8) Kim faces a setback over her land deal

Up at Home Farm, Kim’s ambitions to rebuild the Tate empire hit a snag when Robert pulls out of their secret deal for her to acquire Annie’s field.

She recently confided in Joe (Ned Porteous) about her grand vision—buying up all the surrounding land to create the largest farm in North Yorkshire. With whispers that the area could be approved for commercial use down the line, Kim wants to be first in line to cash in.

But the only thing currently standing in her way is Annie’s field. Robert has now got his hands on it after duping Moira (Natalie J Robb) into selling, claiming he wanted to honour the Sugden family legacy. But with Kim banking on him signing it over, it’s proving trickier than she anticipated.

Next week, Robert prepares to meet with Kim , making sure Moira’s kept firmly in the dark about the deal. Before he arrives, Kim reminds Joe that their plans need to stay strictly under wraps—no one can know what they’re really up to.

But sensing Kim’s urgency to buy the field, Robert starts to suspect there’s more to her offer. Rather than sign the land over, he digs in his heels, leaving Kim frustrated. 

Later, as he stands looking out over Annie’s field, Robert starts to wonder—what is it about this bit of land that’s got Kim so rattled?

9) Moira receives bad news

Meanwhile, Moira finally hears from the water company, following her appeal against the fine she has been handed following the slurry leak.

Mac believes he was the one responsible for the oversight which saw the slurry contaminate the village’s water supply, unaware that he had been set up by John.

The resulting fine has put the entire farm under financial risk, and so it’s with much apprehension that Moira finds water company rep Noel on her doorstep.

Moira’s devastated when he informs her that her appeal has been rejected.

With options running out, she’s left fearing that Butler’s might be gone for good.

Meanwhile, Kim jets off to Dubai, handing the reins of her grand scheme to Joe.

When he gets wind of Moira’s latest setback, he seizes the moment and reminds her that Kim’s offer to buy the farm still stands.

Moira’s left facing an impossible choice—but whatever she decides, Cain assures her he will stand by her.

10) Marlon worries for April’s future

Also next week, April (Amelia Flanagan) is living her best life after starting work at Take a Vow, but dad Marlon (Mark Charnock) is concerned about her long term plans.

Sitting down with April at Smithy Cottage, Marlon explains to her that he’d like her to return to college.

April has a particularly bad time in her final months at school, following her time on the streets and her subsequent stillbirth which saw her face ridicule from the other students, so heading back into education is no doubt the last thing on April’s mind.

But as she makes known her own plans to Marlon and Rhona (Zoe Henry), will they support her wishes?

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