Yahoo News Emmerdale promises "poignant" exit story for Emma
Emmerdale's producer Iain MacLeod has spoken out about Emma Barton's exit storyline for the first time, promising a "poignant" ending for the troubled character.
The ITV soap confirmed in May that Emma would be leaving in a dramatic autumn plot, but official details since then have been few and far between.
With Emma still harbouring her guilt over the untimely death of her husband James, fans have been wondering whether she'll end up behind bars, or if karma will catch up with her in the form of a shock death.
MacLeod has now told TV Times: "There's a character in John Steinbeck's classic novel Of Mice and Men called Lennie, who loves mice so much he keep squashing them – and I feel that Emma is like that.
"She's got this pathological need to squeeze everything she loves so hard that it ends up dying on her.
"That trait will come back poignantly as part of her exit storyline."
Could the show's top boss be hinting that Emma's exit will spark the destruction of the whole Barton family, after her desperate attempts to keep them all together over the past few months?
Or could it just mean that they'll all turn against her forever, leaving her alone and isolated again just like she's always dreaded?
When Emmerdale first announced Emma's exit, they revealed that Gillian Kearney had extended her contract after being promised a huge final storyline – so it's sure to be one to watch this autumn.
An Emmerdale spokesperson told Digital Spy: "Gillian Kearney was intending to leave Emmerdale in May 2017. We asked her to extend her contract to play the last chapter of Emma Barton's story.
"Gillian was happy to stay with the programme to the end of the year in the knowledge she would be involved in a major storyline this autumn."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
Read more news, spoilers and gossip on our Emmerdale homepage
Want up-to-the-minute soaps news, spoilers and gossip on your social feeds? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Soaps Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @soapscoop Twitter account.
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video – hit play below for all the latest Emmerdale spoilers, as Rhona faces Pierce again and Aaron deals with the return of his enemy Jason.
You Might Also Like
