6 Emmerdale Spoilers for Next Week – 16th to 20th March

Next week on Emmerdale, Paddy and Dylan make a huge sacrifice in the wake of Bear’s shock announcement, Cain is determined to start again as Robert and Aaron take on Butlers, and Eric discovers the truth about Kerry and Jai.

1) Bear makes a shock announcement

After a fragile Bear (Joshua Richards) broke his bail conditions whilst awaiting sentencing for the manslaughter of Ray (Joe Absolom), Paddy (Dominic Brunt) had hoped to prevent his dad being placed on remand by having him admitted to a secure mental health unit.

The plan worked, with Bear getting the help he desperately needed following a traumatic few months, but Paddy wasn’t expecting Bear to improve so dramatically that he’d be ready to be discharged little over a week later.

Bear’s improvement was plain to see, with a newfound clarity over the way Ray and Celia (Jaye Griffiths) had treated him. Whilst Paddy had initially hoped that Bear would keep up a pretence that he was worse than he truly was, Bear was determined to see things through with honesty.

But Bear had barely had time to freshen up on his return home when the dreaded knock came on the front door—DS Walsh (Amanda Ryan), asking Bear to accompany her down to the station where he’d be charged with breaking his bail conditions.

As Bear was led away, Paddy feared that his dad might inadvertently stray from the story they had agreed on.

“I think he’s worried about that, but he’s more worried about what it’s doing to his dad,” Dominic Brunt tells us. “He knows he was already suffering with depression, and that’s what led him to leave the house. I think he’s worried that the pressure of this is too much, and that he’s going to say something that he’s not supposed to say in the rehearsed line.”

Next week, Bear faces a further interrogation from DS Walsh, who begins to question whether the former wrestler genuinely lost control during his altercation with Ray. Suggesting that Bear’s years in the ring mean he must have known exactly what he was doing, Walsh’s line of questioning proves too much for Bear.

As Paddy’s actions come under further scrutiny, Bear finally snaps under the pressure. Desperate to divert attention away from his son, Bear changes his story and claims that he deliberately killed Ray!

With Bear’s story of self-defence now abandoned, Paddy is devastated when he realises his dad’s attempt to protect him could leave Bear facing a life sentence.

“He thinks ‘That’s it, the game’s up, we’re all going to prison now,’” Dominic reveals. “That’s the end of the line after everything they’ve done.”

2) Paddy and Dylan sacrifice themselves

As Paddy mulls over everything his dad has been through, he admits he can’t stand by and allow his dad to shoulder the blame alone.

Deciding that the only way forward is to come clean about what really happened after Ray’s death, Paddy resolves to tell the police everything—even if it means implicating himself.

Dylan (Fred Kettle) refuses to let Paddy face the consequences on his own, insisting he will stand alongside him when they return to the police station.

“Paddy’s become a parental figure to Dylan and taken him off the streets, giving him somewhere safe to be,” Dominic continues. “They’re very selfless with him, and so Paddy thinks if Dylan goes to prison, what chance does he have for the rest of his life? ‘I went to prison for murder and hiding a body’… it’s not the best start in life, is it!”

Mandy (Lisa Riley) is left heartbroken at the massive sacrifice Paddy and Dylan are about to make, saying an emotional goodbye before the pair approach the front desk at Hotten police station.

Of course, their decision quickly places them in the firing line, when they’re informed that they will both be charged with perverting the course of justice.

The development sends shockwaves through the family, with solicitor Zara (Frog Stone) uncertain whether Paddy and Dylan will even be granted bail.

Attention soon turns to whether anyone might be able to confirm Ray’s intentions on the day he died—if it can be proved that he was setting out to hurt Dylan, then it would back up Bear’s original claim of self-defence.

With Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) the last person known to have seen Ray alive, will she be able to help…?

“Ray spilled all the beans to Laurel, and admitted what he was, and what they were doing, so that would definitely help,” Dominic adds. “I mean, any evidence would help, and hopefully in the future there will be something that’s uncovered that’s not previously been thought about…”

Later in the week, having been released from the station, Dylan is struggling under the weight of it all, still feeling guilty for bringing Ray into their lives in the first place.

As the pressure continues to mount, April (Amelia Flanagan) becomes increasingly concerned that it may be becoming too much for him.

3) Will Graham win over Joe?

Up at Home Farm, following the fallout from his night with Kim (Claire King), Graham (Andrew Scarborough) turns his attention back to Joe (Ned Porteous), determined to convince him that Kim cannot be trusted.

After believing Rhona (Zoe Henry) had stood him up when she failed to meet him on the footbridge, Graham returned to Home Farm where he seduced Kim into spending the night with him.

However, things quickly turned sour the following morning when Graham discovered missed messages from Rhona on his phone and abruptly turned cold on Kim.

When Rhona later learned what had happened, she quickly shut down any suggestion that they might reconcile. Kim was left equally unimpressed when she realised Graham was still actively pursuing Rhona, turning on him after discovering what he had been up to.

Next week, Kim attempts to draw a line under the situation as she opens up to Lydia (Karen Blick), insisting that she won’t allow herself to fall for Graham again.

Meanwhile, Graham continues his efforts to influence Joe, warning him to tread carefully when it comes to Kim and insisting that he is underestimating what his step-grandmother is capable of.

However, Joe grows increasingly frustrated with Graham’s persistence, leaving Graham to realise that he may need to come up with something more convincing if he is going to change Joe’s mind.

Later in the week, Kim can see that something is bugging Joe.

Pushing him for an answer, Joe finally makes an admission about something he’s recently found out…

4) Cain’s determined to start again

Recent episodes have seen Cain (Jeff Hordley) finally tell his family the truth about his prostate cancer diagnosis, having initially tried to keep the news to himself. But the emotional moment was quickly overshadowed when he discovered that Moira (Natalie J Robb) had sold Butlers Farm to the Tates, after she’d asked Kim to visit her in prison.

Earlier this week, after Moira signed the farm over, Joe wasted little time in announcing that Robert (Ryan Hawley) would be taking on the tenancy alongside partner Aaron (Danny Miller).

The pair are soon set to install the recently unearthed stone sign from the Sugden family’s original homestead, establishing a new ‘Emmerdale Farm’ in the village for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.

“The Sugdens have always been at the centre of our village, having been the original farming family when Emmerdale was first created,” producer Laura Shaw stated this week. “This return to the farm’s roots is a powerful moment, echoing the early drama that unfolded when Annie Sugden and her sons, Jack and Joe, farmed the land.”

For Cain, however, the change only serves to underline just how much has been lost.

Next week, Cain reluctantly agrees to move into Wishing Well with his young sons Kyle (Huey Quinn) and Isaac (Bobby Dunsmuir).

However, the sudden upheaval proves unsettling for the boys, who are still trying to process everything that has happened in recent weeks.

Later, as the family gathers in the Woolpack, Cain is in no mood for celebrating. When Joe comes over and apologises to Lydia, and announces that he’s increasing her pay, the Dingles are all suspicious. What is Joe up to?

Determined that Moira’s farming career shouldn’t end with the loss of Butlers, Cain begins looking into the possibility of finding land nearby where they could start again—raising the prospect of a brand new ‘Dingle Farm’.

Meanwhile, Cain’s diagnosis weighs heavily on Isaac, who becomes increasingly frightened about what it could mean for his dad—but will Cain be able to put his son’s mind at ease?

5) Eric discovers Kerry’s dirty little secret!

Elsewhere in the village, Kerry (Laura Norton) and Jai (Chris Bisson) continue attempting to keep their workplace relationship under wraps, but their secret won’t stay hidden for much longer.

The pair have been enjoying a clandestine romance in recent weeks, convinced they’ve managed to keep things quiet—even after Jai’s son Archie (Kai Assi) previously came close to discovering what was going on.

However, the situation begins to unravel when Archie and Kyle let something slip to Kerrie’s new husband Eric (Chris Chittell), prompting him to set about proving whether Kerry and Jai are secretly seeing each other.

The marriage was only one of convenience for the pair, of course, designed to secure Eric’s finances for eventual inheritance by Jacob, but the thought of Kerry carrying on behind his back still stings, particularly with a man like Jai.

Eric begins keeping a closer eye on the pair as he quietly investigates what they might be up to. Before long, his curiosity pays off when he stumbles across concrete evidence that Kerry and Jai have been secretly seeing each other.

Armed with the truth, Eric decides to test Kerry’s loyalty.

But how will Kerry respond, and will she realise that she’s been found out?

6) Jacob comes under further scrutiny

Also next week, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) faces a difficult week as the pressure of working under Dr Todd (Caroline Harker) begins to mount.

Having recently accepted Dr Todd’s offer to join her mentorship programme, in addition to his existing placement at the hospital, Jacob soon realises that her expectations are far higher than he first anticipated—and she wastes little time in making her dissatisfaction known.

Next week, Jacob is left shaken when Dr Todd delivers some brutally frank feedback about his work so far.

Determined not to let the criticism knock his confidence, Jacob attempts to push forward. But will he be able to cope with Dr Todd’s relentless scrutiny?