Emmerdale fans 'work out' John Sugden's true identity in Nate Robinson kidnap twist

Soap fans are buzzing with theories after a recent Emmerdale bombshell - is Nate Robinson (portrayed by Jurell Carter) no longer part of the Dales?

Viewers were left scratching their heads as Thursday's epic episode concluded without even a whisper of a farewell for Nate, fuelling speculation that his cryptic exit might be linked to the dramatic barn fire.

In an intense hour of drama, Ruby Milligan (played by Beth Cordingly) and Moira Barton (Natalie J Robb) were revealed to have miraculously survived the blaze. Meanwhile, Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) and the mysterious John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) emerged unscathed after their valiant rescue bid.

Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) and Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) also beat the odds, managing to dodge danger.

But eyebrows are being raised over newbie John and fans think he could be concealing a secret despite disclosing his past as an army medic, reports the Express.

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Tracy Metcalfe's (Amy Walsh) encounter with John in the village only added fuel to the fire of uncertainty. As Tracy noted the scent of smoke, John chillingly disclosed: "There was a fire at the farm."

Her alarm escalating, Tracy enquired about the severity, to which John ominously responded: "Pretty much as bad as it gets."

Worries mounted as she delved deeper into who was caught in the disaster and their conditions.

"Moira, Ruby, and Will were taken to hospital," John conceded, but when pushed on their prognosis, admitted grimly: "I don't know. They weren't in a good way, it didn't look good."

All eyes then turned to the whereabouts of Nate, to which John claimed he'd already left the village. He revealed: "He wasn't there, he left before it happened, he mentioned Shetland."

Tracy, taken aback, replied: "Yeah, I knew he was going there, I just thought I might have seen him before he took off."

"I am sorry," John concluded, to which Tracy responded: "It's not your fault, is it."

However, Emmerdale viewers are speculating that John may be involved in Nate's disappearance, with some suggesting that Nate could be hidden in his van. Others believe that Nate may have perished in the barn fire.

On a Facebook fan page dedicated to the soap, one viewer posted: "I think John is hiding something #Emmerdale."

"So John was army doctor? #Emmerdale," another questioned, while a third speculated: "I think Nate is in John's van because he shut the door quick when Tracy spoke to him."

Another agreed, saying: "John is hiding something in his van, close the door quickly enough, and wanted to get back his van sharpish."(sic).

Adding another twist to the theories, one fan suggested: "#Emmerdale Perhaps Nate is gonna fake his death to get away from Tracey."

Other fans shared similar thoughts: "Telling u Nate was caught in that fire. He's going to be found dead #emmerdale." (sic)

"Nate is 100% dead #emmerdale," one fan declared.

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7.30pm on ITV.