In Emmerdale, Victoria Sugden is delighted to have discovered a new half-brother, John. But John’s prickly nature and love of keeping secrets isn’t going down well with family-loving Vic.
We caught up with Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria, to find out how she’s feeling about the new member of her family.
“I think she’s very happy,” Isabel tells us. “I think she’s been on her own for quite a while. Emmerdale can be a lonely place when you haven’t got any family. So I think she’s thrilled that she’s finally got another Sugden around.”
Slow burner!
Though John was initially desperate to leave the village, he seems to be settling in. Does that mean he’s starting to warm to his new-found sister?
“I think ever so slightly,” laughs Isabel. “He’s a slow, he’s a slow burner that one. So it’s taken a while, but he’s starting to come around. But he really doesn’t care about the Sugdens. He’s very much thinking that he’s staying in the village until he can drive off in his van.”
And Victoria is the opposite! “She doesn’t care what’s going on as long as he stays,” admits Isabel. “I think that leaves her open to getting hurt. She’s not that bothered, actually, if he’s a good guy or not, or, you know, how he receives her because he’s not that warm. He’s not that friendly, but he’s a Sugden and he’s there. And that’s all that matters.”
Family secrets
But Victoria is nothing, but not determined!
“So on this particular day, Vic’s kind of twisted John’s arm already to get him in the pub to show him some old pictures,” explains Isabel. “And she’s going through it, he’s really not interested and he’s really not bothered. Â And she’s getting nothing from John. He’s not interested. So she grabs his phone. She completely disrespects his boundaries, standard. And she sees that there’s quite a few texts off Aaron. And she sees that one is of a particular nature!”
So how does Vic feel about that?
“She’s very shocked to see that!” says Isabel. “So she asks him what’s going on, why is Aaron messaging you like that? I think she’s shocked because she’s now got this relationship with Aaron where it’s back to Victoria and Aaron rather than Aaron being with Robert. First and foremost at the minute, Aaron is her friend. So there’s a little sense of betrayal there as in how could he be doing this to me when he’s my friend?”
And she adds that there is another layer to how Vic is feeling. “Aaron has been involved with Robert and Aaron is a bit of a liability,” Isabel tells us. “If John and Aaron continue to see each other and it goes wrong, John’s going to leave the village. And that’s the last thing that she wants.
“She wants to get to know him and she’d love for him to open up to her. And I just think it’s like blow after blow after blow of going, oh, he really doesn’t consider me as family because he doesn’t confide in me. So I just think it’s constant frustration that she’s not really getting anywhere with him.”
Emmerdale: John’s keeping more secrets from Victoria!
John’s been keeping secrets already – he didn’t tell Vic he’d been in the army, then didn’t tell her he was a medic until it was revealed during the fire. And so, Victoria ends up snooping round his van…
“I swear it is an accident,” laughs Isabel. “Because of how she behaved in the pub. So she goes to his van to find him and apologise, and would you believe the doors open? And she has a little snoop. And, you know, I’m a little sister in real life and we snoop. It’s what we do! She comes across some of his belongings and she has a good old nosy and she finds a dog tag with Aidan Moore on it.”
But of course, this is Emmerdale so as soon as Vic finds the tag, John arrives.
Emmerdale: John angry at Victoria!
“He is angry with her, but she is suspicious because she’s just either been drip fed or found everything out by accident. And so I just think she wants the chance to be able to have a frank conversation.”
And what if John’s done something terrible? Would Victoria still want to know him?
” I think so,” Isabel muses. “Because, you know, Andy did questionable things. Robert did questionable things and she stood by them through whatever. So I think she’d be the same in John’s case.”
So is Isabel pleased to have another Sugden in the village? “It’s been really nice because obviously when I first came into it, there were so many of us and it was always seen as all around the table having breakfast and stuff. And as the years have gone on, the numbers have dwindled. So it’s nice to try and re-establish the Sugden family and the Sugden connection, really. So I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Read more: Guess who’s coming home for Christmas: All the theories as Iain MacLeod teases ‘huge’ arrival
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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