Next week on Emmerdale, Aaron is shocked to witness an intimate moment between Robert and Kev, fingers point at Joe after Jimmy is run down, and Caleb has an unexpected delivery.

1) Aaron discovers Robert and Kev’s secret

Robert’s (Ryan Hawley) secret looks set to be blown open next week, as boyfriend Aaron (Danny Miller) spots him during an intimate moment with secret husband Kev (Chris Coghill)!

Robron fans barely had time to celebrate their reconciliation, following the exit of the dastardly John (Oliver Farnworth), before the next obstacle reared its head when Kev arrived unexpectedly in the village.

Robert hadn’t considered his prison husband to be a threat, figuring he’d be inside for a long time to come, but was shocked to learn that he had been given only six months to live.

As a result, this week’s episodes saw Kev announce that he had been released from prison permanently on compassionate grounds, and that he was moving in with vicar Charles (Kevin Mathurin) as part of an outreach programme.

“It’s a completely different obstacle to anything else the couple have had,” Ryan Hawley recently told EverySoap and other press. “Kev is a really big obstacle in the sense that he is a very loveable, damaged, broken character. You feel sorry for him as well as like him, he’s funny.”

Arriving home next week, Robert is unsettled to find Kev deep in conversation with his sister Victoria (Isabel Hodgins).

Victoria wastes little time before challenging Robert about why Kev is back in the village, and again insists that he needs to be honest with Aaron.

“Robert is an absolutely compulsive liar, he can not be trusted as far as you can throw him,” Chris Coghill quips when the question arises over why Robert hasn’t told Aaron the truth.

“That’s Chris’s take!” Ryan responds. “Robert does try to tell Aaron, he tries to tell him several times. Because of what’s been going on with John, Aaron’s in a very fragile place.

“So there are several times he tries to say it and he’s like, ‘If I say it, it’s just going to drop another bombshell on top of everything else Aaron’s got going on’. So he’s not able to do it.”

Later, Robert introduces Kev to his new hosts, Charles and Claudette (Flo Wilson), but the situation grows increasingly uncomfortable when Kev returns to the café and manages to cross paths with Aaron.

Robert’s fast losing control, and having downplayed his past with Kev to Aaron, he begins to realise just how fragile his double life has become.

Robert continues to struggle under the weight of his situation as both Kev and Aaron remain in close proximity to each other.

Eventually, bowing to Victoria’s demands, Robert agrees that ending things with Kev is the best course of action.

But before he can act, Aaron–unaware of what’s really going on–tells friends in The Woolpack that he and Robert are back together, deciding the time is right to go public.

With the situation becoming more fraught by the minute, Robert also has Kev’s underlying aggression to worry about, knowing that it wouldn’t take much to tip him over the edge.

“He’s an incredibly dangerous person,” Chris admits. “Kev wouldn’t have any qualms about physically attacking anybody, apart from possibly Robert.”

“Kev loves him and there’s quite a complicated relationship,” Ryan adds. “They’re lovers, they’re married, they’re husband and husband. But to what degree does Robert love Kev and what degree does he love Aaron? I think it’s unclear at this stage.”

“It’s complicated, isn’t it?” Chris responds. “Kev is unhinged. There are genuine feelings there, but they’re not quite what they should be.”

Kev promises that he’s trying to change his behaviour, but with Robert still unable to be honest and continuing to juggle both relationships, the situation becomes tense. Kev starts to suspect that something isn’t right, while Aaron too begins to sense that Robert’s behaviour doesn’t quite add up.

The pressure builds until Kev shocks Robert by giving him an expensive watch and kissing him in public–an impulsive move that leaves Robert horrified when he realises that Aaron has seen the whole thing!

“It’s going to be explosive,” Ryan teases. “Aaron thinks he and Robert are on the path that they both think they were always intended to be on.

“All the drama’s behind them, there’s no John any more and they can carry on their lives. Then out of nowhere there’s this guy who turns up, and the next thing he sees is them kissing round the back of The Woolpack.”

How will Aaron react?

2) Dylan turns spy for Ray

Meanwhile, Marlon (Mark Charnock) is desperate to try and get his relationship with daughter April (Amelia Flanagan) back on track, after she moved out to live with grandad Bob (Tony Audenshaw) following Leo’s (Harvey Rogerson) hospitalisation.

Having been dragged into working for Ray (Joe Absolom) alongside boyfriend Dylan (Fred Kettle), tonight’s episode saw April trapped in a hotel room with a sleazy client, who she quickly realised was after more than just the package she was delivering.

April made her escape, but when Ray’s mum and boss Celia (Jaye Griffiths) later caught up with her, she made it clear that April would have no choice but to go through with it next time.

Next week, as Ray reiterates Celia’s warning to April, Bob suggests to Marlon that he should try talking to Dylan in order to check in on April.

Hoping to keep an eye on things, Marlon offers Dylan a shift in the Woolpack kitchen, believing it could help rebuild bridges with April.

Meanwhile, Celia secretly meets with Ray to discuss their growing concerns over the pair.

By the end of the week, Dylan is finding himself under renewed pressure from Ray, who instructs him to steal the depot’s delivery schedules.

While searching Caleb’s (Will Ash) office, Dylan is caught out by Jai (Chris Bisson) but still manages to get away with the information Ray has demanded.

Impressed, Ray offers him further work the next day–but Dylan refuses, determined to join Paddy for their rally day.

Ray, however, makes it clear that his supposed debts aren’t going anywhere…

3) Joe runs down Jimmy!

Elsewhere in the village, there’s a sigh of relief for Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) and Jimmy (Nick Miles) when they learn that the police will not be taking any further action against 11-year-old Carl (Charlie Joyce), after he forwarded an intimate photo that Clemmie (Mabel Addison) had sent him to his schoolmates.

But whilst the decision comes as good news for the Kings, it doesn’t sit well with Joe (Ned Porteous)—the boyfriend of Clemmie’s mother figure, Dawn (Olivia Bromley)—who believes Carl should face tougher consequences for what he did.

Unbeknownst to Joe, Caleb has witnessed the entire incident, and it doesn’t look good given that Joe has given himself the perfect motive to harm Jimmy.

With no choice but to act when Caleb makes his presence known, Joe calls for an ambulance whilst trying to calm his nerves.

At the hospital, Nicola rushes to Jimmy’s bedside and is stunned to find Joe there being questioned by police.

Joe insists the crash was an accident, but Nicola remains unconvinced. Certain that Joe was motivated by revenge, she vows to give her own statement to the police.

As the fallout unfolds, Dawn is caught in the middle. She wants to move on from the feud and protect Clemmie from further conflict, but Nicola refuses to back down, determined that Joe will face the consequences!

4) Caleb has an unexpected delivery

Having issues with Caleb still to address, Joe heads up to the depot to settle things once and for all. But the pair are soon distracted when they hear a noise in one of the nearby vans that has just returned from the continent.

When Caleb opens it up, he’s stunned to find a stowaway inside—a young woman named Anya (Alia Al-Shabibi).

As Caleb attempts to coax her out, Ruby (Beth Cordingly) arrives and is taken aback by the scene unfolding before her.

The situation soon descends into confusion as the police turn up to speak with Joe about the accident. Amid the commotion, Anya vanishes, leaving Ruby to chase after her and stop her from running off.

The following day, Caleb and Ruby try to work out what to do next. Wanting to make sure Anya’s unharmed, they call on Liam (Jonny McPherson) to check her over.

After assessing her condition, Liam advises Ruby that she should contact the authorities and report what’s happened—but Ruby hesitates, uncertain whether doing so is the right move.

5) Gabby has news for Vinny

Over at Dale View, despite agreeing to a fresh start after the secrets they were keeping from each other were finally revealed, it seems Gabby (Rosie Bentham) is still having trust issues with new husband Vinny (Bradley Johnson).

Mandy (Lisa Riley) is taken aback next week when she catches Gabby going through Vinny’s phone, trying to find out the identity of someone he’s been texting.

Gabby quickly tries to explain herself, pleading with Mandy not to say anything to Vinny.

When it later turns out that Vinny had good reason for the messages, Gabby is reassured. But Mandy remains uneasy, questioning whether the newlyweds may already be drifting apart.

The next day, Gabby makes a major decision that leaves Vinny completely blindsided.

Could their marriage be over before it’s even started?

6) Liam pulls his finger out

Also next week, after receiving the all-clear from his own test, Liam is on a mission to raise awareness of prostate health, and throws himself into launching a new campaign in the village.

Receptionist Claudette had been very persuasive in getting Liam to seek help for his issues, as he began having trouble holding in urine, and the reason now becomes clear when she reveals that she lost her brother to prostate cancer.

At the surgery the following day, a team meeting takes a turn when Claudette discovers that Charles has been less than honest about his own health.

Furious to learn that he hasn’t been getting checked as regularly as he claimed, Claudette later makes her feelings clear to her son in the middle of The Woolpack.

By midweek, Liam is thrilled to see a strong turnout for the initiative, with a long line of local men waiting to be examined—which it turns out is largely thanks to encouragement from Cain (Jeff Hordley).