Next week on Emmerdale: Al is busted by Debbie and Priya, plus Luke denies he's gay (spoilers)
Revenge plots come to fruition, vicar Harriet wants to ditch her cassock and Manpreet gets a blast from the past – it’s all the action from next week’s Emmerdale (25-29 January 2021):
Al gets his comeuppance
Debbie and Priya put their revenge scheme into action – so, you know what that means, right? An end to those repetitive scenes where randy Al is seen juggling two women, making secretive phone calls and whispering double entendres about “closing the deal”.
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Honestly, it’s a wonder that he bothers buying boxer shorts, as they permanently seem to be around his ankles instead of his waist.
Well, thankfully, mercifully and belatedly, payback is coming, as Priya starts siphoning money out of the Hop bank account, while Debbie makes the surprise suggestion to Al that they should get married. Only, have a guess who’s listening in to their conversation? That’s right, it’s Priya, who steps out of the shadows to reveal that she’s teamed up with Debbie to take Al down.
As Al realises he’s been had, he tries to make excuses, but his efforts prove to be less than convincing. And worse is to come when Kim later accuses him of defrauding the company out of thousands of pounds. Now that he’s a pariah in the eyes of everyone, I’m wondering whether Al’s next phone call will be to book a cab big enough to take him, his bags and his ego to the airport.
Harriet quits
Village vicar Harriet has been doing her frenzied “out damned spot” routine for weeks now, with her erratic behaviour becoming an increasing cause for concern. What colleague Charles doesn’t know, of course, is that Harriet’s look of swivel-eyed madness is down to her having indulged in a spot of off-the-books body-burying.
As life gets increasingly hot under the dog collar and Harriet frets that the corpse of DI Malone will be dug up, she decides to leave her post as she feels she’s letting her parishioners down. Personally, if I were Harriet, I wouldn’t be concerned about disappointing the flock because they’re all a bunch of duplicitous so-and-sos. But she seems determined to walk away – that is, if Charles and Moira can’t put a halt to her exit plans.
Manpreet’s mystery past
Newcomer Charles is also set to be entering Manpreet’s orbit, as it’s revealed that the two of them share a past. I mean, what are the chances? In the space of a fortnight, Charles seems to have embroiled himself in everyone else’s plotlines. At this rate, he’ll have been made an honorary Dingle by spring and will be seen drinking out of that rancid wellington boot.
But first, we have Manpreet begging Charles to keep quiet about the history they share, all of which sounds like an attempt by the writers to give her some kind of characterisation that sticks. Remember when she had that spending addiction for all of five minutes? You’d be forgiven for it having slipped your mind as it’s never been referred to again.
Is Luke gay?
Speaking of shared history, it’s also set to become obvious that recent arrival Ethan knows Luke of old. Upcoming scenes will see Luke insist to Ethan that he’s not gay, while overcompensating with his affections for Victoria.
It looks to me as though we’re on a similar plot trajectory as the one recently travelled by Casualty’s Faith and Lev, whose marriage came under threat thanks to revelations about his gay experiences.
Watch: This week’s Emmerdale spoilers