ITV Emmerdale fans 'work out' true identity of John Sugden as villager set to return

Ever since the character of John Sugden, portrayed by Oliver Farnworth, made his appearance in Emmerdale, viewers have been questioning his true identity.

There's a growing suspicion among fans that John may have assumed someone else's identity and isn't actually related to Victoria Sugden, played by Isabel Hodgins.

One fan shared their theory on a Facebook fan page: "I think I have figured out what's going on with John, I reckon he's connected with Robert but not in the way he's saying.. I think he was in prison with him and either loved him or hated him, and he's come to Emmerdale to get with Aaron because of whatever went on inside..

"Robert is being mentioned too often for there not to be an upcoming storyline about it.. I think Robert gets released and when he arrives back he sees John and it all comes out... Just my theory."

Another viewer responded: "I think it's stolen identity and the real brother is dead, I wish Robert would come back but I have read there's no plans for him to yet," reports Leeds Live.

Emmerdale fans are certain that they've cracked the devious plot of John Sugden after noticing 'something not right' in Wednesday's episode
Emmerdale fans think they know who John Sugden is -Credit:ITV

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A different fan noted: "Eric Pollard knows he is John Sugden."

"Well Robert is coming back apparently," another chimed in, while one more added: "Would love Robert back."

Ryan Hawley's character, Robert Sugden, returned to the soap in October 2014. He left Emmerdale in 2019 after his character was sent to prison for the death of Lee Posner (Kris Mochrie).

Robert Sugden has been mentioned on the hit ITV soap thanks to the arrival of his long-lost brother John Sugden
Robert Sugden has been mentioned on the hit ITV soap thanks to the arrival of his long-lost brother John Sugden -Credit:ITV

In the latest episodes of the ITV soap, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) was left shocked by the news that Rebecca White (Emily Head) has died, leaving her son Seb under the guardianship of Rebecca's aunt.

Devotees of the soap will recall that Aaron's ex-lover, Robert, is Seb's father. The shocking revelation about Rebecca was delivered by her former partner, Ross Barton (Michael Parr).

Aaron was hit hard by the news, wondering why Seb wasn't placed with him or with Robert's sister, Victoria.

In a heart-to-heart, Victoria reassured Aaron that Robert always saw him as Seb's "second dad" and cherished him, but ultimately, Seb needed the stability of living with Rebecca's aunt.

This poignant moment was accidentally eavesdropped on by Aaron's new beau, John, who shockingly turned out to be the long-lost half-brother of both Robert and Victoria.

John tried to pry more details from Victoria, but she redirected him to Aaron. During an episode that aired last week, Aaron hesitantly confided in John about Robert, but when John probed further into his emotions, Aaron couldn't handle the pressure and bolted.

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7.30pm on ITV.