Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) struck up a game-changing deal with Sadie King (Patsy Kensit) in Thursday’s (10 September 2026) Emmerdale.
After a screen-break, Robert and fiancé Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) recently made a welcome reappearance as they reacted to the return of scheming Sadie, who had an affair with Robert when he was 19 years old (and played by Karl Davies).
In the wake of Jimmy King’s (Nick Miles) heartbreaking death, Sadie informed Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) that she had been in a relationship with Jimmy for the last three years.
But as Sadie’s card was declined in The Hide, we realised she may just be up to her old tricks – getting her hands on other people’s money.
Meanwhile, Robert has been revisiting his own manipulative side as he swooped in to defend Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) amid his grief for Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley), hoping he could trick Joe into signing over Emmerdale Farm to him.
Nicola with Sadie in Emmerdale. ITV
Telling Aaron he also wanted to buy The Hide, Robert was defiant when it was pointed out to him that current owners Gabby (Rosie Bentham) and Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) didn’t deserve to be collateral damage.
Robert later wandered into The Hide and remarked to Laurel that the restaurant clearly wasn’t getting much business, and that they should work on their advertising.
But when Sadie approached Nicola and presented her with a Rolex watch belonging to Jimmy, an earwigging Robert was intrigued.
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As Sadie quizzed Caleb Miligan (William Ash) over Jimmy’s missing money from the sale of half of the haulage firm, Robert smirked, knowing exactly what her game was.
Robert invited Sadie for a chat at the farm, insisting it would be worth her while.
Once there, Robert called Sadie out on clearly being strapped for cash, and for passing off a fake watch as the real deal.
What Sadie hadn’t banked on was just how well Robert knew Jimmy; and the reliable Jimmy he remembered would never have cheated on Nicola with Sadie – any more than Sadie would have ever gone back to him!
Aaron isn’t sure about Robert’s grand plans for The Hide. ITV
Robert had also clocked that Nicola had to pay for lunch with Sadie, and realised Sadie only wanted Jimmy’s money.
While he was having great fun musing over how Sadie came to be so desperate, Robert cut to the chase – he had the means to find Jimmy’s cash.
And unless Sadie split the money with Robert, he would tell Nicola that Sadie had lied about being with Jimmy, and what she was really up to.
Faced with no other option, Sadie agreed, and the pair shook on the deal.
Will they find the loot, and will Robert really stitch up poor Nicola in the process?
And how will Aaron react to all this?
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Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.
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