7 Huge Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 23rd to 27th February

Next week on Emmerdale, Graham’s loyalty is tested, Laurel is hospitalised as Arthur lashes out, and a disaster at Butlers brings Vinny and Lewis together.

1) Kim and Joe question Graham’s loyalties

After Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Sarah (Katie Hill) made off with Joe’s newly acquired DeLorean this week—something he was certain they’d done but couldn’t prove—retaliation is very much on Joe’s mind.

He wastes little time in setting the wheels in motion next week, tasking Graham (Andrew Scarborough) with getting even on his behalf. Kim is already uneasy about Graham’s attempts to repair his relationship with Joe, but his reaction will only serve to deepen her suspicion that Graham’s loyalties may not lie with Home Farm.

Up at Butlers, Cain is under pressure from all sides. Finances are stretched, the Tates now own two thirds of the farm, Moira (Natalie J Robb) remains behind bars, and he’s still keeping his cancer diagnosis a secret from all but Sarah and Liam (Jonny McPherson).

Sarah, buoyed by their recent success with the DeLorean, is keen to carry on with the car thefts in order to secure some extra cash—but Cain is reluctant to push their luck.

Graham soon makes his move. Slipping into the farmhouse to retrieve the DeLorean’s keys, he comes across a letter for Cain from the oncology department. When Cain subsequently catches him red-handed, the confrontation is short-lived—an exhausted Cain is easily overpowered by Graham.

Later, Graham returns the car to Joe, covering for Cain and Sarah by claiming joyriders were responsible. Joe appears satisfied, but Kim remains unconvinced. When Graham subsequently seeks Cain out in the Woolpack, he reveals that he knows about the cancer, advising Cain to prioritise his health and be honest with Moira, rather than continuing to lock horns with the Tates.

The exchange ends in an unexpected handshake, signalling a tentative understanding between them. But having just entered the pub and spotting Graham and Cain together, Kim reaches her own conclusion about the pair’s new alignment.

The following day, Kim suggests that Joe should test Graham’s loyalty by asking him to hit Cain where it hurts, taking out some of the farm machinery from under his nose.

But knowing what Cain is going through, will Graham go through with Joe’s request, or inadvertently reveal his newfound sympathy for their long-term foe?

Later in the week, Sarah is still riding the high of their recent escapade and realises that Cain may be lining up one final job. She’s determined to be involved but Cain draws a firm line, making it clear she won’t be joining him this time.

Will Cain be able to contain Sarah’s true Dingle spirit from emerging?

2) Disaster at Butlers!

Amidst all the other drama, a further crisis hits the farm when a fallen tree causes a barn to partially collapse, trapping several sheep inside.

With the sheep becoming more distressed by the minute, Cain is forced to put everything else to one side and coordinate a rescue, managing to rally Mackenzie (Lawrence Robb), Ross (Michael Parr), Lewis (Bradley Riches) and Vinny (Bradley Johnson) to assist.

As everyone works to remove the branches, Cain’s annoyed to see Graham approaching in the middle of the chaos. But what does he have to say?

The relief is palpable when the sheep are finally rescued, and for a brief moment Cain allows himself to feel buoyed by the success.

But the lift in his spirits doesn’t last long. When he visits Moira in prison, he’s confronted with the sight of another black eye she’s sustained in a fight.

Moira, however, remains defiant, insisting she can handle herself and reminds Cain that she’s a fighter. Though Cain leaves still burdened by everything they’re facing, it’s clear the visit has at least given Moira some renewed hope.

3) Vinny and Lewis finally get it together

There’s another unexpected bonus from the farm emergency, as Vinny and Lewis get caught up in the moment.

The pair have been trying to ignore the spark between them for some time, particularly with Vinny having only just come to terms with the shift in his sexuality. Kammy (Shebz Miah) and Lewis’s half-brother Ross, however, believe that it’s about time the two got their acts together.

After Ross’s belief that he has a genius plan to get the two together earlier in the week, Vinny and Lewis end up forging their own path when, in celebration after the sheep are freed, they share a spontaneous kiss!

Vinny and Lewis quickly decide to head home together, where they head upstairs for an early night…

However, the next morning, Lewis cannot get out of the front door quick enough, leaving Vinny to fear that things are over before they’ve even begun…

It appears that his fears are short-lived however, with Mandy (Lisa Riley) later delighted when Vinny and Lewis finally announce that they are in a relationship.

4) Bear opens up to Aaron

Elsewhere in the village, with the fallout from Ray’s (Joe Absolom) death still weighing heavily on him as he awaits sentencing for manslaughter, Bear (Joshua Richards) finds another ally in Aaron (Danny Miller).

After finding Bear and bringing him home, Aaron carefully steers the conversation towards his own history, talking about the abuse he endured from dad Gordon, and the lasting impact it has had on him.

The admission prompts Bear to speak openly, but when Aaron suggests that Bear shouldn’t carry the full weight of the blame, Bear remains resolute—insisting that Aaron shouldn’t reach any conclusion about him until he knows every detail of what led to Ray’s death.

5) Laurel and Bear seek closure

Meanwhile, there are mixed feelings around the village as the news comes that Ray’s burial will be later that week.

For Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy), who had been in a short-lived relationship with Ray, it’s a particularly troubling time as she realises that no-one will be attending.

She initially asks vicar Charles (Kevin Mathurin) to attend the chapel of rest on her behalf, but when he gently suggests she could join him, she begins to consider it.

“Oh yes, she does have lingering feelings,” Charlotte Bellamy recently told EverySoap and other press. “Even though she realised that he is a monster, she fell in love with a different man. And so that is what is so conflicting.”

“I think she has to kind of see it through. She wants to say goodbye to the Ray that she knew—I think it’s an important thing for her faith.”

Laurel ultimately decides she will attend with Charles and Claudette (Flo Wilson).

Elsewhere, Paddy (Dominic Brunt), Mandy and Dylan (Fred Kettle) are adamant that a fragile Bear must be kept in the dark, worried that any involvement could undo the progress he has made.

Their plan collapses when Claudette spots Bear across the road, as they are about to leave, and inadvertently reveals where they are heading. Once Bear realises they are going to see Ray, he insists on coming along, brushing aside Laurel’s initial protests.

“They’re both kind of conflicted with pain,” Charlotte tells us. “She loved Ray and Bear kind of loved Ray in a weird kind of way. I think she recognises that in him. So I think she feels that he needs closure as well.”

When Paddy realises Bear is heading to the chapel of rest, he immediately fears the worst, convinced that seeing Ray could undo everything. At the chapel, confronted with Ray’s coffin, how will Laurel and Bear react?

When Bear later returns following the visit, Paddy’s panic turns to anger as he rounds on Laurel for allowing Bear to go. Bear’s furious reaction only deepens Paddy’s distress, leaving him pained to see how fragile his father still is.

The following day, with Bear also withdrawing from the painkillers Ray had been supplying him with, his behaviour grows increasingly erratic. When he goes to Brook Cottage Surgery seeking stronger relief, Manpreet (Rebecca Sarker) explains that she cannot prescribe what he’s asking for, aware of his recent dependence.

Later, Laurel finds Bear drinking alone and attempts to coax him into talking, reassuring him that she won’t abandon him.

By Friday, distressed, nursing a freshly injured hand and desperate for sleeping tablets, Bear heads to Hotten General in search of help—but will he receive the support he needs?

6) Laurel rushed to hospital after Arthur lashes out!

Laurel’s decision to attend the chapel of rest doesn’t go down well at home, fracturing her relationship with son Arthur (Alfie Clarke) even further.

Arthur struggles to understand why she would want to say goodbye to a man whose crimes have caused so much damage. His anger, already simmering in recent weeks, resurfaces as he questions her judgement.

“Well, again, it’s just that he can’t understand why she would want to go and say goodbye to a monster, basically,” Charlotte explains. “And it’s almost too complex for her to do so, where do you begin? So yeah, he’s just angry.”

“She feels terrible that she let this sort of man into her house so quickly and willingly, but didn’t realise how dangerous he was.”

The strain between mother and son erupts into another big argument. In the heat of the moment, Arthur pushes Laurel away from him, only for her to fall and hit her head on the bottom of the stairs. With Laurel lying on the floor unconscious, Arthur is horrified to realise what he’s done!

Laurel is rushed to hospital where she’s assessed by Dr Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker), as a panicked Arthur maintains his claim that he doesn’t know how his mum fell.

When Laurel comes to, the question remains on whether she will speak up about the incident, if she even remembers it.

“I think the story is also about how much a mother or a parent protects their child,” Charlotte continues. “She doesn’t want people to think the worst of him—how do you explain to somebody, ‘Oh, yeah, my son got angry and he threw me over’. Everyone would go, ‘Oh, isn’t he awful?’”

7) Jacob faces Dr Todd’s wrath

Meanwhile, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) is struggling during his shift at the hospital, leading to a telling off from Dr Todd.

Last seen nearly a year ago, when Jacob was in the early days of his placement at Hotten General, the show recently teased Dr Todd’s return as part of a workplace bullying storyline for Jacob.

“The storyline will delve into Jacob’s struggle to manage his work-life balance under the immense pressure of his overbearing boss,” a show spokesperson stated. “The stakes are raised further when Doctor Todd installs herself in the village, blurring the lines between Jacob’s professional and private life.”

“I’m delighted to be back at Emmerdale for a longer stint playing Doctor Todd,” Caroline Harker added. “She’s a complex character and from what I’ve been told so far, quite a tricky one for Jacob to navigate.

“Workplace bullying is commonplace, and it will be interesting to see it brought to our screens in a serial drama such as Emmerdale.“