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OH MY DALES
Five explosive ITV Emmerdale theories: new killer runs free in the village and wedding feud tears family apart
Who will be Emmerdale's next serial killer?
TOM King has been silently tormenting his new wife Belle Dingle mere weeks after they tied the knot in an explosive ceremony.
Emmerdale fans are expecting the worst for the fan favourite while elsewhere in the village, drama and conflict remain rife.
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1. Abusive husband stoops to new low
Belle King's well-being has been at the core of a plethora of concerns in recent months as her romance with Tom King became increasingly serious in a short amount of time.
After rekindling his relationship with the fan favourite last year, the returnee portrayed by James Chase made it clear he was ready for commitment and dropped down on one knee to propose.
But as ITV viewers will remember, Belle (played by Eden Taylor-Draper) initially refused the proposal and, unable to handle the rejection, Tom shoved her into a table, leaving her bloodied.
Despite this gigantic red flag which raised many alarm bells amongst regular watchers of the Yorkshire-based program, Belle forgave and eventually popped the question herself.
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The pair have been married for a handful of weeks but wedded bliss is far from a reality for Belle as Tom has been gaslighting, manipulating and trying to control her.
He has even targeted her career as he appears determined to become the centre of Belle's world.
This week, Belle's coercive control ordeal continues as Tom goes above and beyond to keep tabs on her every move.
Coming up, Tom has a tracking app on his phone that shows that he’s keeping Belle under constant surveillance.
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As if this wasn't enough to stir up trouble, Tom also arrives home with a puppy this week, in the hopes of distracting Belle enough for her to give up on her job.
But when things don't go according to plan, how far will Tom go to gain complete control over his bride?
Fans of the long-running show believe they have it all figured out as one soap watcher pointed out that Tom could use Belle's mental health history to his advantage.
According to this fan theory, the son of Carl King could convince Belle's family that she has had a schizophrenic relapse, making it impossible for her to get the help she needs in her marriage.
"I think this is only the start of this storyline and things will get a whole lot nastier for Belle", the viewer penned on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"He will gaslight her so much then try to convince her family Belle's schizophrenia is back and act all concerned for her."
But if such is the case, could somebody close to Belle see right through Tom?
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2. Downward spiral for fan favourite
Elsewhere in the eponymous village, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) has been keeping a huge secret from his loved ones.
The troublemaker learned that his mother Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) had been diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer and she decided to undergo a double mastectomy.
Chas then dropped a bombshell on her closest male relatives as she told her half-brothers Cain Dingle and Caleb Miligan they could have inherited the BRCA2 gene mutation which is believed to be the cause of her cancer.
Cain and Caleb were given the all-clear but when Chas' son Aaron went through the same test, he was shocked to learn he had inherited the mutation from his mother and, by extension, his maternal grandmother Faith Dingle.
This mutation prevents the BRCA2 gene from functioning properly, meaning he could be vulnerable to the same health issues as his mother.
But much like Chas did before coming to terms with her condition, Aaron decided to keep the news to himself and lied to her about his test results.
Unfortunately for him, someone has caught on and they're ready to make him face the music this week.
Tensions grow between Dr Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) and Aaron as the village GP confronts him over his lie.
And while he insists that Aaron should fully open up to Chas, Liam knows he'll be unable to speak up for him as he's obliged to respect patient confidentiality.
But will he really be able to talk some sense into Aaron?
While this remains to be seen, multiple viewers have taken to social media in recent weeks and predicted another rough patch for Aaron.
According to them, the mechanic could turn to self-harm once again in a bid to cope with his health ordeal.
"Oh Aaron...I hope this does not mean he will self harm again", one viewer penned online.
"Aaron’s not going to tell Chas he has a positive result, what could possibly go wrong", another sarcastically questioned.
A third viewer jumped in: "I feel so sorry for Aaron" while a fourth wrote: "Aaron lies to Chas that his BRCA gene test is negative. Oh, Aaron."
Diehard Emmerdale fans will know that Aaron has had a heavy history with self-harm which all began following the death of his former boyfriend Jackson.
Since then, Aaron has turned to self-harm in stressful and overwhelming times.
Could he resort to self-harm again?
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3. Tear-jerking exit
While Aaron's mental and physical health are raising new concerns, fans of the long-running show are just as worried they may have to wave another legend goodbye.
Fans have branded Chas' cancer battle a "carbon copy" of her mother Faith's own ordeal.
This has made many of them wonder if, like her late mother, Chas could meet a tragic end in upcoming Emmerdale episodes.
"Wasn’t gonna drink tonight but Chas is probably gonna die so", one fan commented as another added: "This Chas storyline is an almost carbon copy of her mum."
As they reacted to Chas' relief following her double mastectomy, one soap watcher echoed: "Unfortunately, Chas shouldn’t be happy just yet, as I said this happened to my mum. And unfortunately, it came back with a vengeance and spread so fast."
"Chas Chas Chas don't ever EVER say it's gone in soapland for anything cos they'll just...", one viewer warned.
Faith Dingle was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and, when she was told her illness was terminal, she decided to accept her fate by denying herself any treatment.
Chas was left a wreck as she was desperate for her mother to fight back and survive.
But in another shocking twist, Faith decided to end her life herself and she drew her last breath in her son Cain's arms.
Could Chas meet a similar end?
Emmerdale fans in floods of tears as Faith Dingle dies in Cain's arms
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4. Newcomer takes a killer turn
While the Dingles try their best to support Chas in her time of need, they may have to face the wrath of Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly), who has been antagonising the whole clan for weeks.
Ruby rocked up the Dales earlier this year in an attempt to fix her marriage with her estranged husband Caleb (Will Ash), unaware he'd been having an affair with Tracy Robinson (Amy Walsh) during her absence.
Once she found out, Ruby exposed the pair during Belle and Tom King's wedding and made it clear to Caleb he had to make a choice between her and his long-lost family.
But this week, Ruby seems to drop her guard as her and Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter) start to patch things up.
Things aren't off to a great start, however, as the rowing continues, although her son Nicky (Lewis Cope) is astonished when a slanging match outside the shop with Nate leaves her unflustered.
Meanwhile, Caleb’s full of foreboding to hear Ruby’s been alienating his family further and he heads off to find out what’s happened.
Unable to watch another row between his parents, Nicky’s quick to stick up for Ruby when Caleb demands to know what she said to upset Nate.
But as he tries to resolve the conflict, Caleb is left exasperated by his incorrigible wife.
Later that night, Caleb can’t help feeling a pang of guilt as Ruby describes to Nicky what she gave up to build a life with his father.
Nicky, who is just as keen as his father to have peace in the village, convinces Ruby that an apology to Nate might be a good idea, especially if it helps to smooth things over between her and Caleb.
Later on, and against all odds, Nate accepts Ruby’s apology and the pair start to tentatively bond over their shared hurt at Tracy and Caleb’s betrayals.
When Caleb marches in, he’s surprised to find Ruby and Nate peaceably conversing.
However, Nate makes it clear that Caleb himself is a long way from forgiveness.
But while all could be finally well, Ruby may actually have ulterior motives.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, actress Beth Cordingly explained the dysfunctional relationship dynamic between Caleb and Ruby and admitted that her on-screen alter ego was "obsessed" with her husband.
To make matters worse for her, Ruby is seemingly lonely, making Caleb the only villager who can fully understand her.
"She’s given up everything for him in her eyes", Beth added.
"She turned her back on her family for him. So since she was 16 or 17, he and Nicky are her whole world."
"She doesn’t appear to have any friends. Maybe she had some friends in Newcastle, where she was bringing up Nicky, but she’s not very good at making female friends."
"So they are everything and it’s sort of fear-based as well, in that if she loses them she loses everything."
"So it’s that need as well. So it’s family, they are everything to each other – they are mother, father, sister, brother, lover, the whole thing.’
As she grows increasingly determined to keep her marriage with Caleb afloat, could Ruby resort to desperate - and deadly - measures?
Since her arrival, Emmerdale viewers have suspected that Ruby could be up to no good in the village, particularly as she tried to team up with legend Kim Tate (Claire King), known for her own murderous streak.
With serial killer Meena Jutla serving a seven-decades long prison sentence for a string of murders, could bosses have brought Ruby to keep her evil legacy alive?
Could Ruby turn to murder to keep Caleb close to her?
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5. Family feud in the village
Meanwhile, Amy Wyatt and Matty Barton (respectively portrayed by Natalie Ann Jamieson and Ash Palmisciano) are gearing up for their nuptials.
The pair are finally able to focus on their wedding ceremony after tending to a devastated Chloe Harris in the midst of her love triangle with Charity Dingle and former fiancé Mackenzie Boyd.
But as they begin to get their ducks in a row this week, Matty is horrified when he's targeted by Claudette Anderson (Flo Wilson) over his gender identity.
The mother of local vicar Charles Anderson makes her transphobic views obvious this week as she doesn't hide her strained reaction when she learns that Matty is a trans man.
While Amy and Matty are both excited to tie the knot in the Village Hall, Claudette gets in their way and she forbids the pair from getting married in the Village Hall, as she claims it is Church property.
Although Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough) is quick to propose finding a new venue, it's clear Matty has been blindsided by Claudette’s prejudice.
Later on, in the Hide, Claudette’s hurtful stance on the Village Hall pushes Matty to confess that he just wants to experience his wedding day as himself rather than as other peoples’ trans role model.
Amy processes Matty’s desire for a scaled-down wedding and tries to hide a flicker of disappointment.
While the elderly woman's negative views may have an impact on the couple's big day, one fan couldn't help but remind other viewers that Claudette could be put in her place by somebody unexpected - her grandson, Ethan Anderson (Emile John).
"Claudette has a gay grandson and the village hall has nothing to do with her", the soap watcher penned.
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Could this lead Claudette to have a heated feud with Ethan?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.