Next week on Emmerdale: Faith's comeback revealed, kidnap horror for the Kings and Tracy gives birth (spoilers)

A new arrival in the village, the shock prospect of a kidnapping, plus the return of a fan favourite character – it’s all the drama on next week’s episodes of Emmerdale 22–26 February, 2021.

Baby joy for Nate and Tracy

Having admitted how squeamish he is around the sight of blood, Nate will be seen setting himself various gory tests. I’ve not received word on what these will be – maybe giving himself a series of increasingly deep paper cuts? Watching the Saw movies back to back?

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In the end, though, Nate’s attempts to conquer his fears won’t quite do the trick because when Tracy’s waters break and she’s rushed to hospital, he finds himself overwhelmed by events.

Heading out into the corridor, the angst-ridden dad-to-be has a heart to heart with Cain and ultimately finds the inner strength to re-enter the delivery room for the final stages of Tracy’s labour. As she gives birth, Nate takes his daughter in his arms – thankfully, without passing out and hitting the deck.

Has Carl been kidnapped?

The return of Juliette feels like the result of the writers scrambling around in the plotline equivalent of a lost property cupboard. So desperate were they to find something (anything!) for Jimmy and Nicola to do that they came up with this hoary old staple: the unbalanced absent mum. If you hadn’t already guessed what’s going to happen next, the Kings will find that young Carl has vanished, with Jimmy left frantically worrying that he’s been kidnapped.

But when Juliette soon resurfaces with Carl in tow, Nicola makes the unusual move of arranging a private conflab with Juliette behind Jimmy’s back.

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However, the pair’s secret meet-up will be cut short when Jimmy arrives home from work unexpectedly early. After he shakes the rafters with his rage, Jimmy rails at Nicola for meddling and tells her that he won’t be able to forgive her should Juliette take Carl away.

All change at the Woolpack

In a cruel irony, no one is in a giving mood where Charity is concerned. In fact, she’s still being shunned by all. Having exhausted everyone’s goodwill, the village pariah ends up signing away her share of the pub.

But in a small sign that Charity may yet be redeemable, she does make time to offer some sound advice to a lonely Rishi, who finds himself taken aback by the sincerity of her comments.

You’ve got to have Faith

There always seem to be a revolving door of Dingles in Emmerdale. For instance, no sooner have we said goodbye to Debbie than Faith (played by the marvellous Sally Dexter) makes a comeback. It’s a good job, though, seeing as the family has been missing a matriarch since Lisa’s death.

Faith’s reappearance will involve an undertaker and a hearse (those are all the clues you’re getting). But with Faith having left in disgrace back in 2019, her return scenes will also lead to a family court being convened in order to decide whether she can stay.

When the clan does this weird kind of thing, I’m often left wondering what the judgement will be if they really took against the accused. Usually, the worst punishment is ostracisation or banishment (as we’ve seen most recently with Charity). But one day, I’d like to see events turn surreal and for the family to burn an enemy in a huge Dingle Wicker Man.

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