Emma Barton came to Emmerdale to reconcile with her sons Ross, Pete and Finn and ex-husband James. He was Moira’s brother-in-law, brother to her husband John Barton.
Emma blamed her ex, James, for her losing her family, but it was quickly revealed that she had tried to kill Ross when he was a baby.
Not surprisingly, James wasn’t keen on his ex-wife coming back into his life. But Emma was persistent!
Emma held James prisoner in his own home (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
The background for Moira and Emma Barton in Emmerdale
It turned out that Moira had slept with James and it was later revealed that James was actually the biological dad of Moira’s son, Adam.
During an argument with James, Emma accidentally caused a pallet to fall onto her ex. She was a nurse and could have helped, but instead she waited before calling an ambulance.
With James injured, Emma managed to manipulate him into letting her move in to look after him and then to give their marriage another try.
The truth about Moira and James revealed!
When Emma found out about James and Moira, she stepped up her mental abuse, holding James prisoner in the house. When he escaped, she followed and they had a showdown on a motorway bridge. Emma pushed James off the bridge, causing the huge Hotton by-pass crash. And James later died of his injuries.
Dark stuff!
Emma and Moira had a confrontation in a burning barn – sounds familiar! (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Moira comes face-to-face with Emma Barton in Emmerdale!
Anyway, with all that resentment about James and Moira still simmering, Emma’s mental health began to suffer even more.
She became fixated on the church and her Christian faith
And eventually, in October 2017, Moira and Emma came face-to-face in a barn.
Emma confessed to pushing James off the bridge, and the women fought. In the struggle, they knocked over a lamp and the barn caught fire.
As if that wasn’t enough drama, Moira was pregnant, though she didn’t know it at the time, and she went into labour!
Fiery confrontation
So with the barn ablaze and Moira having contractions, things looked bleak, especially when an explosion trapped the mum-to-be.
Emma saved the day, though, driving through the barn to free Moira, and helping deliver baby Isaac.
Moira fell unconscious, and was found by Adam and his wife Victoria. Emma ran away and Adam followed – with a gun. Another struggle followed and Emma grabbed the gun.
She walked off into the night, and accidentally fired the gun when she banged into a tree.
Unbeknownst to Emma, the bullet she fired hit her beloved son, Finn, who was in the woods looking for his mum. He died later in hospital.
Moira tried to stop Emma from jumping but ended up pushing her instead! (Credit: ITV)
Viaduct showdown!
When Emma heard the news of Finn’s death on the radio, she was distraught. She was seen on the viaduct, contemplating taking her own life – and then viewers saw her on the ground, dead.
But it was revealed later that she had been murdered. On the day of Emma’s funeral, a series of flashbacks revealed that Moira had spotted her nemesis balancing on the viaduct and had attempted to talk her down.
Emma though, wasn’t listening. Instead, she blamed Moira for her daughter Holly’s death.
“Imagine if you paid attention and actually noticed that there was something wrong with Holly on the day that she died,” she said to Moira. “You could’ve saved her, Moira, but you walked out and left her to die. You might as well have injected the heroin yourself.”
Emma died when she fell (Credit: ITV)
Emma’s death
Not surprisingly the bereaved mum saw red at such cruel words. She shoved Emma off the viaduct and Emma fell to her death.
Adam Barton took the blame for his mum’s crime and is currently on the run.
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.
Plus, visit our Facebook page @emmerdaleinsider for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers!
Emmerdale takes a break from our screens tonight because there is an England football match on the telly.
Soap fans are used to their fave shows being pushed aside when there’s football on – though we’re never really happy about it – but tonight’s scheduling has really got viewers’ goats.
Because last night’s episode of Emmerdale ended on such a dramatic cliffhanger!
Moira tried to wake Ruby up (Credit: ITV)
Cliffhanger!
Ruby had come across Moira in the barn, intending to taunt her about her ‘kiss’ with Nate. But it was clear that Moira was acting oddly – spilling petrol and zoning out as Ruby spoke.
And then Moira began calling Ruby by the name ‘Emma’ as she hallucinated that she was back in another barn – remembering her confrontation with Emma Barton.
Moira was scared as she thought Emma was in the barn with her, and Ruby was freaked out, but Moira wouldn’t let her go. She held Ruby at gunpoint and then fired – sending sparks into the barn that set it alight.
Ruby tried to grab the gun, but Moira knocked her out.
As the episode drew to a close, Moira seemed to come to her senses for a moment, and desperately attempted to wake Ruby.
But then she spaced out again, rocking where she sat on the ground – and that was the end of the episode!
Monday’s episode was so dramatic, fans can’t wait to see what happens next (Credit: ITV
Forced to wait!
After such an exciting cliffhanger, the fans are desperate to see what happens next and now they’re being forced to wait thanks to the football!
And they are really not happy about it!
“Looks like Moira is about to pass out! and we have to wait until Wed now? Damn it!” said one disgruntled viewer.
“Emmerdale once again falls behind for bloody football we had enough of it with Euros could have aired Emmerdale but no hours worth of pointless waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle match stuff,” said another who wasn’t holding back on their opinion!Â
“Aargh no Emmerdale,” another viewer wailed. “Thanks to boring football we won’t see it tomorrow,” complained one more.Â
Thankfully it’s only one episode we’re missing this week and we’ll back in the thick of the action in the barn fire on Wednesday!
But will Moira and Ruby make it out alive? It’s not looking good for the pair right now!
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.
Plus, visit our Facebook page @emmerdaleinsider for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers!
In Emmerdale tonight a fire broke out in the barn Moira and Ruby were arguing in. But as Moira’s behaviour gets stranger and stranger, it’s time for Emmerdale to answer our questions over what is wrong.
Let’s just hope they don’t kill her off in the blaze before we find out!
Here’s everything that went down in Emmerdale on Monday September 9.
Cain was not impressed by the news (Credit: ITV)
Caleb broke up Cain’s marriage
As Cain tried to talk to Moira, she wasn’t really interested in Belle’s plight, she was more concerned about Nate’s strops and a fox in the barn.
Caleb then broke the news to Cain that he’d seen Moira and Nate kissing – and it seemed like he was watching something different to us because he made it sound like a full on pash rather than a moment of confusion.
But Cain went home to confront Moira and wouldn’t listen to her explanation. She called him paranoid and ridiculous and stormed off. Although she’s the one acting strangely, in this instance we agree with her – Caleb’s clearly stirring the pot for no real reason.
Caleb later told Nate he’d seen everything and then told Tracy what had happened for good measure.
Really, we were absolutely watching something else, because we saw no kiss. Just a weird moment of what seemed like Moira being a bit dizzy and confused. Maybe we didn’t have a great camera angle…
Nate was knocked down (Credit: ITV)
Bad day for Nate as Cain beat him up and Tracy dumped him
Cain decided to speak with his fists anyway, beating Nate to a pulp. Nate was begging him to listen and believe him, but Cain told him he was no son of his and he’d be happy if he never saw him again. Foreshadowing there, we wonder?
Tracy also wasn’t impressed and told him everything had changed and he could go to Shetland on his own. Five minutes before she was telling Vanessa being with Nate was like ‘coming home’, but apparently she likes breaking up with her home a lot.
Seeming to totally forget her affair with Caleb ended the marriage in the first place, Tracy gave him five minutes to say goodbye to Frankie and then kicked him out.
Meanwhile, Cain was still fuming with Moira and called her a slag. She then lost it and slapped him, to which he told her they were done. NOOOOOOO. Hear us now, Emmerdale, do not split Moira and Cain up.
As he stormed out, Moira grabbed her head and muttered “what’s going on?” – that’s exactly what we’d like to know, too.
Moira thought she was hearing Emma Barton (Credit: ITV)
She grabbed her shotgun, and locked them in the barn. When she fired a warning shot, it flamed with petrol she had spilled in the hay and a fire sparked. She then knocked Ruby out and saw blood coming from her head as the blaze took hold.
Moira was too dazed to act (Credit: ITV)
But dazed and confused Moira couldn’t move and just went into spaced out mode again. Will either of them survive the blaze? Nate is on his way to see Moira, will he perish as he tries to rescue them? Can Cain forgive his wife? Will we ever find out what’s wrong with Moira?
Tom’s still lurking
Tom’s lurking again, breaking into the house to remove the cameras. Even Jimmy accused him of skulking. But Tom turned the tables and told Jimmy Belle was telling everyone he hit her. He manipulated and lied and there was a slight flicker from Jimmy that he might believe Belle.
But then he ruined it and started supporting Tom again, even confronting Belle on the street. However, Cain the saviour stepped in and frightened Jimmy away – not before Rhona had heard everything though. So whose side will she take?
Tonight (Monday, September 9) in Emmerdale, Emma Barton makes a shock “return” from the grave as Moira Dingle hallucinates her back into existence.
Viewers will remember that Emma died after Moira pushed her off a bridge. Emma had been goading Moira over the death of her daughter Holly, who died following a drugs overdose, and Moira eventually snapped.
During her time in the village, Emma Barton caused chaos with her unhinged behaviour. Here, we take a look at her creepiest actions.
1. She lied about being ill
In order to stop her sons Pete and Finn from leaving, Emma came up with a shocking lie by pretending to have symptoms of motor neurone disease.
Emma later blackmailed Dr Bailey into backing up her claims. But, of course, the truth outed itself in the end.
Emma was reallyyyy creepy (Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (6897790s))
2. THAT wedding dress scene
After secretly discovering that James had confessed his love to Moira, Emma pretended she’d help take care of James and his broken leg. But in reality she mentally tortured him.
In scenes reminiscent of Stephen King’s classic horror film Misery, Emma was seen helping put James back to bed when he tried to escape her clutches.
When James woke up, he saw Emma wearing a wedding dress and preparing him a “romantic” meal. If that’s romance, we don’t want it!
3. Chicken slaughter
In the same set of episodes, Emma managed to burn their dinner.
But, being as unhinged as she was, she didn’t panic, she simply went outside and killed a chicken with a meat cleaver. She then cooked it and served it to James. Ew.
4. James’ death
James did eventually manage to escape her clutches, but Emma caught up with him on a bridge.
She pushed him over the edge onto Ashley Thomas’s car, causing him to crash. A crash that resulted in a 19-car pile up. This will forever be known as the Hotten Bypass Crash – the biggest ever crash in the Dales.
At the hospital, Emma berated James for betraying her and she considered sabotaging James’s oxygen tank. She changed her mind, but he later died of his injuries anyway.
Emma stopped at nothing (Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (6897994u))
5. Emma’s torture of Ashley
Nurse Emma reduced dementia sufferer Ashley to tears. After Ashley revealed he saw her the night James was killed, Emma was determined to make sure the information didn’t get out.
Emma muddled Ashley with information and used his illness as a weapon.
6. Revenge on Faith
Emma was appalled when Faith tried to stage a psychic night. Faith claimed she could contact James in the spirit world – something Emma insisted went against her Christian beliefs.
Later, as revenge, Emma grabbed a brick and would have hit Faith with it had she not been knocked down by Harriet’s van.
Following this, Emma became even more sure of religion and was convinced God had saved her life.
7. Emma kills her son
During a showdown with Moira in the barn, Emma was close to killing her love rival, but she changed her mind when she realised Moira was about to give birth to a baby which could be Pete’s.
When Adam arrived and saw Emma standing over his unconscious mum, he suspected the worst and chased Emma through the woods with a shotgun.
After a fight, Emma managed to get hold of the gun. She fired off a shot and run off. It was then revealed that Finn had just happened to be standing in the position where the gun had been fired. He later died of his injuries. Sobbbb!
8. Kidnap of baby Isaac
As if there wasn’t anything more Emma could do in her short time in the village, she added baby kidnap to the list.
After Moira regained consciousness in hospital, she was alarmed to learn that Emma had taken little baby Isaac. But, Moira got her revenge though and shoved Emma off a bridge – killing her.
In tonight’s explosive Emmerdale spoilers, Moira causes a fire to break out at Butlers after being haunted by visions of her old nemesis, Emma Barton. She and Ruby are trapped inside the burning barn, with seemingly no way out.
Meanwhile, Cain attacks Nate after hearing about his kiss with Moira. Tom’s abuse of Belle becomes the talk of the village, and Will arranges a rendezvous with his mystery blackmailer.
You are not going to want to miss Emmerdale on Monday September 9.
Cain attacks Nate after believing he’s having an affair with Moira (Credit: ITV)
Cain is on the warpath in Emmerdale spoilers
1. Cain discovers Moira and Nate’s betrayal
Tensions are high at Butlers as Moira’s unhinged behaviour continues to cause problems. Caleb thinks he’s worked out what’s going on after witnessing a ‘kiss’ between Moira and Nate. He misinterprets the situation and is convinced they’re having an affair.
Caleb reports back to Cain, who’s livid to hear his wife is cheating on him. He confronts Moira, who plays down the clinch. Cain’s incredulity only ends up exacerbating the situation, and Moira storms off.
Cain launches a brutal attack on his innocent son (Credit: ITV)
2. Cain attacks Nate
Furious Cain then storms across the village to confront Nate – who’s like a rabbit in the headlights.
Nate tries to tell his dad he’s got it all wrong, but Cain won’t listen. He suddenly snaps and punches Nate to the ground, as a horrified Tracy looks on.
Cain continues to assault his son, before Tracy is able to break their brawl up. Afterwards, injured Nate pleads his innocence again, but Cain walks out, cruelly disowning his son.
Will he regret turning his back on Nate?
It’s over for Nate and Tracy in Emmerdale spoilers
3. Tracy dumps Nate
Nate’s day goes from bad to worse when Tracy decides she can no longer go to Shetland with him.
He’s heartbroken and begs Tracy to reconsider, but all she will do is allow him five minutes to say goodbye to Frankie. Will Nate be forced to leave the village on his own?
4. Moira turns on Cain
Another row breaks out between Moira and Cain when she hears about his attack on Nate.
But as he rages about her indiscretion, a flicker of deja vu begins to intrude Moira’s thoughts. Overwhelmed by the stress of the situation, Moira loses her temper.
She slaps Cain in the face, which leads him to storm off.
Moira believes she’s talking to Emma, and not Ruby (Credit: ITV)
Emmerdale spoilers: Moira is tormented by the ghost of Emma Barton
5. Moira is haunted by the past
Later, Moira is working in one of the barns at Butlers when Ruby comes in. There’s no love lost between the pair since Moira attacked Ruby in a jealous rage. Ruby gloats at Moira’s misfortune, and is surprised when she doesn’t bite back.
But Moira’s starting to feel disoriented. And as she spills tractor fuel in the barn, Ruby’s voice begins to blur with her former nemesis, Emma Barton.
Haunted by the sound of the woman she killed, Moira raises her shotgun at Ruby and locks them inside the barn.
Moira and Ruby are trapped inside the burning barn (Credit: ITV)
6. Moira and Ruby are in terrible danger
As the situation escalates, Moira believes she’s being taunted by Emma. She fires a warning shot into the air, which hits a lightbulb. This causes a spark to take hold.
Petrified Ruby tries to wrestle the gun out of Moira’s hands, but ends up taking a blow to the head and collapses.
When Moira comes out of her trance she sees Ruby lying unconscious on the ground. But before she can help, the barn goes up in flames after a spark ignites the tractor fuel.
Is this the end for Moira and Ruby?
Tom is glum (Credit: ITV)
Tom covers his tracks in Emmerdale spoilers
7. Tom manipulates Jimmy
The net is closing in on Tom as he urgently tries to hide all evidence of his stalking of Belle. He lets himself into Dale Head and removes all the hidden cameras, but is then cornered by Jimmy who wants to know what’s in his bag.
Forced to think on his feet, Tom breaks down and reveals Belle has been telling people he abused her. Protective Jimmy falls for Tom’s tears and pulls his nephew in for a hug, promising to support him. However, it’s not long before word starts to spread about Tom’s wicked behaviour.
Will wants to know who’s making his life a living hell (Credit: ITV)
Will prepares to meet his fate in Emmerdale spoilers
7. Will arranges a meeting with his blackmailer
Over at Home Farm, Will receives another message from his mystery blackmailer.
Someone has been terrorising Will, demanding money in exchange for their silence about his night of passion with Rose.
Now Will has decided to use the money as bait to reel this individual in and put a stop to the campaign. Is he finally going to unmask his stalker?
The Barton family in Emmerdale burst onto our screens in 2009. The brood were the brainchild of the then executive producer Gavin Blyth, who wanted to overhaul the show by bringing in a sexy, modern farming family.
The Bartons were originally a five piece, made up of farmer John, his wife Moira and their three teenage children – Holly, Adam and Hannah.
Four years later saw the arrival of John’s older brother James Barton, and his three sons, Pete, Ross and Finn. And then along came James’s former wife, Emma – who definitely brought the drama with her.
Like the ill-fated King family, the Bartons rank up there with Emmerdale’s most cursed clans. Half of them are now six feet under and only Moira and Matty (formerly Hannah) remain in the village flying the Barton flag.
Here’s a breakdown of who is (or was) who in the brood and their major moments.
The most glam farmer around, Moira! (Credit: ITV)
Moira Dingle – nee Barton, matriarch of the family in Emmerdale
Moira, played by Natalie J Robb, is one of Emmerdale’s most popular characters.
She came to the village in July 2009, when she and husband John purchased Butlers Farm from the newly-divorced Andy Sugden.
Moira and John were childhood sweethearts. They’d married young and had three teenage children – son Adam and daughters Holly and Hannah (who later transitioned to Matty).
On the outside, the Bartons were a solid couple. However, it wasn’t long before Moira found herself unable to resist the charms of a certain Cain Dingle.
Their affair ended Moira’s marriage to John, who then sadly perished in a car crash.
After John’s untimely death, Moira reunited with Cain and went on to marry him in 2014.
Two years later Moira’s world was shattered when daughter Holly died from a heroin overdose.
Happiness followed in 2017 when she gave birth to Cain’s son Isaac. But his arrival came as something of a shock to Moira, who didn’t realise she was pregnant.
Moira and Cain’s marriage has survived betrayals on both sides but they remain one of soap’s most popular partnerships.
The original head of the Barton family (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
John Barton
John Barton, played by James Thornton, was Moira’s first husband. A farmer by trade, John was a loyal and hardworking man who always tried to put his family first.
John had an older brother called James, but the pair fell out after James bedded Moira. Moira strayed again with Cain Dingle, which broke John’s heart and led him to end their marriage.
The couple came close to a reunion, but fate dealt them a cruel blow when John was killed in a car crash.
Holly’s addiction saw her meet a tragic end (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Holly Barton
Holly Barton, played by Sophie Powles, was Moira and John’s first-born child.
The party-loving schoolgirl was the most unruly of the Barton kids. After a brief fling with a still-closeted Aaron Dingle, Holly began dabbling with cocaine.
Her recreational drug use spiraled into an uncontrollable heroin addiction, which saw her resorting to theft and prostitution to fund her habit. Moira and John took action and forced Holly to go cold turkey. But the trauma of her dad’s death caused her to relapse.
After eventually getting clean Holly moved to London with her sister Hannah in 2012.
She returned four years later on the run from a drug dealer.
Sadly Holly couldn’t beat her addiction and suffered a fatal overdose in September 2016. The character’s death, which wasn’t announced before transmission, has gone down as one of Emmerdale’s most dramatic exits.
He could come back… (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Adam Barton
Adam Barton, played by Adam Thomas, is the son of Moira and her late brother-in-law James. He didn’t discover the identity of his biological dad until he was in his twenties, and had always assumed he was the son of John.
A down to earth cheeky chap, Adam struck up a bromance with Aaron Dingle, which endured throughout his time in the village.
Adam married Victoria Sugden in 2015. However, his fertility problems meant the couple were unable to have children.
The character left the village in 2018 after admitting to the murder of his aunt Emma Barton, to protect his mum Moira, who was the real killer. After ‘confessing’ to the crime, Adam decided to go on the run and escaped in a shipping container.
Now divorced from Vic, Adam remains a fugitive and is living abroad somewhere.
Things have been hard for Matty this year (Credit: ITV)
Matty Barton
Matty Barton – formerly known as Hannah – is Moira and John’s youngest child.
The character, who has been played by Ash Palmisciano since 2018, identified as female during his early years in the village.
As a teenager, Matty was shy and had a string of short-lived flings with unsuitable lads. After flunking his A-levels, Matty went to live in London with his sister Holly.
During his time there, Hannah transitioned to male and changed his name to Matty.
He returned to Emmerdale in 2018 and underwent top surgery the following year.
Matty got his happy ever after in 2024 when he married long term girlfriend Amy Wyatt.
However a stint in prison earlier this year has changed him for good. In a male prison, forced to hide his trans secret, Matty, who was innocent, found life very hard. He even arranged for his cellmate to beat him up as he felt safer in hospital than inside.
James met a miserable end (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
James Barton and his family in Emmerdale
Fellow farmer and single dad James Barton, played by Bill Ward, set up home in village in October 2013. He was the brother of John Barton and father of Pete, Ross, Finn and Adam Barton (who was originally thought to be John’s son).
James and John had been close growing up, but became estranged after James slept with John’s wife Moira – which later transpired had resulted in her conceiving Adam.
James raised his sons Pete, Ross and Finn alone after ex-wife Emma walked out on them.
He started a romance with Woolpack landlady Chas Dingle, but she dumped him after Emma returned on the scene and schemed her way back into James’s affections.
James’s fate was sealed when he started to grow closer to Moira again. Jealous Emma held him hostage, and when he tried to escape her clutches she pushed him off a bridge. This started a chain of events that led to the Hotton Bypass Crash.
Miraculously, James survived the fall, but succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
James’s wife was unhinged (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Emma Barton
Emma Barton, played by Gillian Kearney, was the unhinged former wife of James Barton. She was also mum to his three sons, Pete, Ross and Finn.
The character had a complicated and messy backstory.
As a young mother, Emma had been gripped by postnatal depression and terrified of her husband James’s closeness to sister-in-law, Moira.
Pushed to the edge, she attempted to suffocate her middle son, Ross with a pillow – which was witnessed by his older brother, Pete. Emma had then fled, abandoning her family and wasn’t heard from for more than 20 years.
Two decades later, Emma was tracked down by her youngest lad, Finn and came to live in the village. She eventually reconciled with all her boys and got back together with ex-husband, James.
But Emma was unable to get over the revelation that James had fathered a child with Moira.
After making it look as if James’s fall was an accident, Emma got away with murder for 10 months until Finn found out the truth and she unintentionally shot him dead.
Emma met her own grisly end when she was pushed off a viaduct by sister-in-law Moira in a storyline dubbed ‘Who Killed Emma Barton?’
Love hasn’t always been lucky for Pete (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Pete Barton
Pete Barton, played by Anthony Quinlan, is the eldest son of the late James and Emma Barton and probably best remembered for his rivalry with brother Ross.
On the day of his wedding to Debbie Dingle, Pete discovered she’d been sleeping with Ross behind his back. But before he could do anything a helicopter crashed into their venue!
In the aftermath, Pete believed he’d killed Ross and drove his body to the woods, where he dumped him. Ross was later revealed to be alive, and Pete and Debbie got their marriage annulled.
Pete also had a short stint in prison after he assaulted Ross.
After failed romances with Tracy Robinson, Rhona Goskirk and making a pass at his Auntie Moira (ick!), Pete left the village in February 2020 to go and live with Ross in Liverpool.
An acid attack changed Ross’ life forever (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Ross Barton
Ross Barton is the bad boy middle son of the late James and Emma Barton.
He was a hugely popular character and actor Michael Parr won numerous awards for his portrayal of the Dales bad lad.
The stereotypical black sheep of the family, Ross preferred to play by his own rules. Ross was initially characterised as a criminal. His first appearance saw him hijacking Laurel Thomas’s car.
But underneath that hard man exterior was a soft centre, which was shown during his romance with cancer-stricken Donna Windsor.
Ross had an eye for the ladies – he bedded Charity Dingle (which resulted in her getting pregnant with Moses) and also had an affair with her daughter Debbie.
After enduring the loss of his father James, Ross faced his darkest hour in 2018 when he was scarred for life in a targeted acid attack.
Later that year, Ross decided he was done with the Dales and left to start a new life with his girlfriend Rebecca White and her son Sebastian.
Shot by his own mother (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
Tragic Finn Barton in Emmerdale
Finn Barton was Pete and Emma’s youngest son and little brother to Ross and Pete.
The character was played by Joe Gill.
Studious, and far more sensible than both his brothers, Finn had just finished a degree in economics when he arrived in the village. With big plans to travel in Asia, Finn took on a job as a cleaner at The Grange B&B to earn money.
Finn was openly gay, but didn’t have much luck with men. One particular date, Brad, spiked his drink, which resulted in Finn ending up in hospital.
He was besties with Victoria Sugden, and they made a pact to marry if they both reached 30 and were still single.
In 2015, Finn tracked down his estranged mum Emma and forgave her for running out on them when he was a baby.
Unfortunately his decision to allow Emma back into his life proved to be fatal one.
Finn died in 2017 after being accidentally shot by Emma.
He was taken to hospital but suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away, aged just 25.
This week’s Emmerdale review is all about quirky storytelling!
Emmerdale is never afraid to try something new when it comes to interesting ways to tell a story and this week we were treated to a special, stylised episode featuring four potential futures for Belle Dingle.
Did it work? We’re not sure! Find out more in our Emmerdale review of the week.
Belle imagined possible futures (Credit: ITV)
Groundbreaking episodes
Back in 2016, Emmerdale screened a groundbreaking episode exploring Ashley’s point-of-view as a dementia patient.
And since then we’ve seen all sorts of innovative episodes including two-handers, an all-female cast and crew for International Women’s Day, an all male episode promoting men’s mental health, flash-forwards, flashbacks, and a Christmas episode featuring Robert Sugden that’s probably best forgotten.
We’ve also had two special episodes in the Belle and Tom storyline. There was the dinner party where we saw the same events play out from Marlon and Rhona’s point of view, and from Belle and Tom’s. It cleverly portrayed the truth that you never know what goes on in someone else’s marriage.
And then there were the tense, gripping episodes as Belle and Tom went to their remote Welsh cottage only for his abuse to ramp up further.
So we were excited to see how this week’s special episode would play out.
But we’re not sure it really hit the spot!
The episodes following Belle and Tom at their holiday cottage were gripping (Credit: ITV)
Belle rattled in our Emmerdale review
Belle was rattled this week when Tom revealed he was in a relationship with young mum Amelia Spencer. And her desperate attempts to persuade Amelia that it was a bad idea fell on deaf ears.
So the special hour-long episode began with Belle hoping to protect Amelia. In the first scenario, she got back with Tom and we saw her at Christmas, pregnant and sad.
In the second, her passionate – and public – pleas to Amelia, listing the ways Tom had hurt her, were overheard by Cain. He lashed out, and was carted off by the police, as Tom fought for his life.
Next – giving us a glimpse a few years into the future – we saw businesswoman Belle, who was back working with Suzy, while Tom and Amelia planned a wedding. But Belle knew Amelia wasn’t happy and tried to warn her. It was too late, though, and we saw Amelia’s body being taken away while Tom cried crocodile tears at her funeral.
Dark stuff!
Charity has promised to do things Belle’s way (Credit: ITV)
Begging for help
But the final scenario was the one where Belle told Charity what had been going on and she, and a surprisingly calm Cain promised to support her. Thankfully, as Friday’s episode showed, that was the ‘real thing’ and we’re looking forward to Tom getting his comeuppance!
There’s no doubt that it was an entertaining episode. As a storytelling technique, though, showing alternative futures seemed a bit unnecessary. Belle and Tom’s story is dramatic, engaging and important enough without needing the addition of gimmicks. And actors Eden Taylor-Draper and James Chase are great actors who don’t need any glittering distractions to help them shine.
But we loved the final outcome and now we are on tenterhooks waiting to see how Tom will pay!
Will’s being a bit of a wally (Credit: ITV)
Will’s baffling blackmail
The rest of this week was uneventful! Will’s blackmail plot is still completely baffling. How that man thinks he can outsmart Kim Tate is beyond us. Has he met Kim? She always – ALWAYS – comes out on top. And if she’s not behind his blackmail, well, let’s just say, we’ll be very surprised.
Everyone persistently ignoring Moira’s health issues is beginning to grate a bit, too. The poor woman is mood-swinging all over the place and it’s clear something’s very wrong. Though, we have to admit seeing her headbutt Ruby was a treat! We reckon Moira and Ruby could actually be good friends – they’d be a formidable team!
Emmerdale tonight brought out the Cain Dingle we love oh so much when he supported Belle after learning the truth about his abuse. As our heart rate recovers from his mad, bad, brooding, but melt-in-the-middle demeanour, here’s everything that happened in Emmerdale tonight.
Anyway, that picture of domestic bliss aside, Belle felt relieved, but admitted she was worried about telling Cain. Charity agreed to do it for her, insisting she needn’t worry because Moira is the violent one these days! True story.
Charity then arranged a secret meeting with Cain and prefixed what she was about to tell him with the sentence: “We can’t kill him.” When a Dingle says that, they really mean business. Of course Cain was fired up and immediately flew out of his seat ready to hurt Tom “and the rest”. But Charity talked him down and he calmed slightly.
But before too long, Cain couldn’t contain his anger any more and stormed out, despite Charity screaming at him to stop. However it turned out he wasn’t off to confront Tom, he went straight to Belle, took her in his arms and said: “We believe you and we love you.”
And that moment just cemented our love for Cain all over again. Swoon.
Back in the bosom of her family, we finally felt Belle was somewhat safe again. Cain told her they would go to the police when she was ready.
Tom saw Cain leaving Charity’s with Belle on the doorstep and he knew. He realised he was caught out and she had told them everything. So what will his next move be? He’s not going to give up without a fight, so how will he regain control of this situation?
Tom is manipulating Amelia now (Credit: ITV)
Amelia fawned over Tom and it was not pretty
Elsewhere, Tom revealed it was his birthday as flirty Amelia supped on wine and tried to seduce him. She then attempted to organise a birthday party for him, but no one would attend.
He manipulated Amelia saying her plans had made him feel even more rejected, sucking her even further under his spell.
Kerry then had a mother/daughter chat with Amelia – telling her she had a thing for rescuing lost lads. Kerry’s not really one to talk about taste in men, but she does have a point. However she sort of spoiled it by saying they can’t even get free vet care out of it because they don’t have a pet.
Angry Amelia told her to support her or butt out of her life, leaving Kerry with no choice. But we wouldn’t like to be Tom when Kerry realises what he’s really like.
We need answers over Moira now (Credit: ITV)
For the love of God, tell us what’s wrong with Moira!
Caleb wanted Moira to give Ruby an apology, but she was adamant Ruby was flirting with Cain. Nate defended Moira, but Mack was not on his sister’s side.
Later, Nate and Moira shared a hug, but she had a moment of weirdness which he thought was her trying to kiss him. She later insisted she wasn’t, however, he shouted at her quite aggressively and stormed off. It was all rather confusing – for us and for Moira. And honestly, we’re struggling to care much about Nate’s temper tantrums.
Also, Caleb witnessed their ‘moment’, immediately told Ruby and now we fear it’s all going to kick off. That will then be the focus instead of finding out what the hell is wrong with Moira. It’s dragging now, give us some answers, please, we’re bored.
Nate and Tracy decided to leave in Emmerdale tonight – yay!
Nate confessed to Mack he’d kissed Tracy and had all the feels and didn’t know what to do. Mack, who was keen for him to stay, told him to talk to Tracy. This was the same advice Moira gave him, and not to state the obvious, it seems like the right thing to do.
Then after Moira’s weird kiss-not-kiss moment, Nate stormed off and told Tracy he was leaving for Shetland. But that he wanted her to come with him. She told him they wanted the same thing and led him upstairs. So is that an exit for both of them, then? Is Tracy leaving Emmerdale too? We wouldn’t be overly sad to see it…
Am I bovvered? Er, yes, Aaron, clearly you are (Credit: ITV)
Also in Emmerdale tonight…
Aaron was doing a very bad job at pretending he wasn’t bothered that John was packing up and leaving. John himself seemed slightly bothered, but not enough that he was going to stay or anything. Are they really over?
Let’s talk about the new and improved Cain and Charity in Emmerdale. In their almost 25 years on screen they have arguably become two of the most developed characters in Soapland. But do they belong together?
During Friday night’s episode (September 6) they came together to support Belle after discovering her abuse at the hands of husband Tom. And there was something in their body language that made us think, finally, after all these years, this could be their time.
Sure, they’re both married to other people – and we’ve always shipped Moira and Cain for life, but with Moira’s weird behaviour, have they finally reached the end of the line?
Are they meant to be? (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)
The history of Cain and Charity in Emmerdale
Sit tight, there’s a lot of history between these two. So much so you could write a book and several sequels!
The second cousins had a fling when they were 14 and 13, which resulted in the birth of their daughter, Debbie in October 1989. She was then given up for adoption.
Debbie came to live in the village in the Christmas of 2002 when she was fostered by Paddy Kirk and his then-wife, Emily. She reconnected with her birth parents and the trio formed a close bond.
The return of their daughter prompted Cain and Charity to give things another go. They were together until 2005, when Charity ditched Cain – and the village – for a new life elsewhere.
She returned four years later. The pair got back together and Cain proposed in December 2009. He gave Charity with a plastic engagement ring – who says romance is dead?!
Cain then planned a surprise wedding. But Charity decided she wasn’t ready to settle down and called their engagement off.
The pair finally called it quits shortly afterwards when Cain strayed with glamorous Faye Lamb and Charity left him for Jai Sharma.
Since then there’s been a few cheeky liaisons – including a brief affair in 2016.
Cain and Charity work well together now (Credit: ITV)
Cain and Charity now
Instead of a romantic attraction, the pair have settled into being the Dingle equivalent of best friends. Cain was the one who supported Charity when her own abuser DI Bails died. And he was the one there for her when she suffered PTSD after killing Harry at Christmas.
Now, they are supporting each other to help Belle cope with what’s she been through at Tom’s hands. And there was a moment tonight, just a fleeting one, where Charity and Cain locked eyes and there was a frisson of something there.
With Cain’s marriage Moira under pressure and Charity’s marriage to Mack – well, the less said about that the better – is now the time to reunite these two for good?
Are they really soulmates? (Credit: ITV)
Should Cain and Charity get back together in Emmerdale?
The Emmerdale Insider team are definitely torn on this one! Cain and Moira were meant to be together, but can they weather this latest storm?
Cain has been very sweet with Ella (Credit: ITV)
Kaggie Hyland, Editor-In-Chief
“I’d like to see Cain with Ella. I think there’s a level of understanding and shared experience (sort of…) there that would be interesting to explore further. Also, underneath the tough shell she’s needed to build, Ella is such a broken bird still – in a way that Charity nor Moira are – although they clearly have their own vulnerabilities still. I’d like to see him really needed – and deep down I think Cain needs to be needed by a strong woman.
“Mostly, though – in previous scenes, the chemistry between Jeff Hordley and Paula Lane is great!!”
Carena Crawford, Managing Editor
“I have never, ever liked Charity and Cain together. But there’s something about them now, their reckless schemes, plots and one-upmanship days are behind them, they’re both mature and calmer and somehow it feels like it might work. I’ve always backed Cain and Moira, but it really seems like they’re done. Don’t get me wrong, I want them to work it out, but right now it feels like there’s more of an emotional understanding between Cain and Charity.”
Tamzin Meyer, Assistant Editor
“Cain should be with Moira, they’re an iconic Emmerdale couple. But, he actually needs to step up and be a good husband when his wife needs him the most!”
Coira for life? (Credit: ITV)
Kerry Barrett, Soap Writer
“I have always been a Coira fan but I think he has really let her down recently.”
Poor Moira is clearly going through something – and in her confused state, took her aggression out on the not entirely deserving Ruby. This came in the form of her now-patented ‘Glasgow kiss’ or ‘gift from Glasgow’ – or a rock-hard forehead to the nose, to you and I.
Here we take a look back at a history of Moira’s Glasgow kiss – and posit some future recipients we’d like to see.
Moira Dingle’s Glasgow Kiss victims in Emmerdale
Moira gave Ruby a Glasgow kiss last night (Credit: ITV)
Ruby Fox-Miligan
Fans have been calling for Ruby to get hers since her arrival on the soap earlier this year. As Caleb’s wife, Ruby won few friends when she turned up, throwing Tom and Belle’s wedding into chaos by loudly (and drunkenly) exposing Tracy and Caleb’s affair.
Regardless, she’s stuck around and even managed to win over Cain. It was while observing the pair that Moira got the idea that Ruby was flirting with her man. She then stormed over to the house to warn her off. The return of Moira’s gift from Glasgow left Ruby bloodied on the sofa, wondering what had just hit her.
Charity is the original recipient of Moira’s gift from Glasgow (Credit: ITV/YouTube)
Charity Dingle
The original recipient of Moira’s gift, Charity got more than she bargained for during an argument with Moira. As an overconfident Charity postured in Moira’s face – even going so far as to mock her accent.
Moira reciprocated by dropping the nut on her future sister-in-law, leaving the Dingle lost for words for once.
Who should Moira target next in Emmerdale?
Tom’s smug face is crying out for a gift from Glasgow (Credit: ITV)
Tom King
Top of any fan’s list for a face full of forehead has to be abusive husband, bad dog owner and creepy camera fan Tom King. Viewers have been hoping that Tom’s terrible treatment of Belle is leading towards him catching a beating from Cain and Charity, but – given they are related through marriage to Dingles – the thought of Moira getting involved isn’t too far beyond the pale.
Is Tom set for a face full from Mean Machine Moira?
If anyone deserved it, it’s Josh (Credit: ITV/YouTube)
Moira needs to take revenge on Josh in Emmerdale
Moira’s unravelling became noticeable during son Matty’s recent imprisonment. This came about after he was falsely accused of stabbing Samson Dingle – an accident that was local thug and transphobe Josh’s fault.
Moira was left frustrated as the pair refused to come clean. It all came out in the wash, but there were plenty of viewers who had been hoping to see Josh get a more satisfying Moira-shaped comeuppance.
John fancies himself a bit of a hardman (Credit: ITV)
John Sudgen
Since arriving in the village, newcomer John has been throwing his weight around like some sort of hard case, sulking and scowling all over anyone who looks in his general direction. While he’s not given Moira much reason to look his way thus far, a gift from Glasgow could be the humbling that the character needs.
Fans had been hoping to see Aaron take a beating from Moira (Credit: ITV)
Aaron Dingle
Similarly, Aaron’s return to the soap found him a changed man. His moody, sullen and extremely angry persona saw Aaron take out his aggression on family members Cain and Vinny.
His attitude left fans fuming – and hoping that Moira might take him down a peg or two.
“Aaron no chance against an angry Moira. Glasgow kiss will be heading your way,” one fan wrote at the time.
Fortunately for Aaron, he’s now changed his ways, so maybe he’s escaped Moira’s wrath for now…
Moira has no fear of Kim (Credit: ITV)
Kim Tate
Kim Tate is one of the village’s most formidable figures. However, Moira has never been intimidated by the horse-loving socialite – even holding her at gunpoint during their 2021 rivalry.
After firing off a warning shot at an innocent vase, Moira pinned Kim against the wall, warning her that things would be worse if she continued to get in her way. The pair have largely steered clear since, with Kim avoiding Moira’s signature move… for now.
