Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale airs terrifying scenes next week as evil John Sugden plans to murder his brother Robert with a bomb. Back in the village and determined to take the ultimate revenge, John waits for the right moment to detonate an explosive device.
John has returned to the village for one last scheme, with Oliver Farnworth reprising the role just in time for the highly-anticipated Corriedale special on 5 January. In the coming days, as we await the dramatic crossover, there’ll be plenty of sinister reminders of what John is capable of…
In next week’s scenes, John continues to hold Kev Townsend captive in an abandoned room – seeing him as a key part of the masterplan. John hopes he can unleash his revenge on Robert and then frame the notoriously obsessive Kev for everything.
Sadly for John, his scheming comes at a cost – he has to deal with Kev’s constant talking!
ITV
Related: Emmerdale plans dramatic 2026 for Moira after Celia Daniels’ crime spree
“John’s frustrated when Kev won’t keep quiet,” our Emmerdale source explains. “Kev’s always had a divisive personality, so you either love or hate his quirky ways. John’s definitely in the latter camp…”
Meanwhile, Robert’s troubled when he spots his partner Aaron Dingle having a terrifying nightmare about Kev following the criminal’s recent return to the village.
Robert feels guilty that Kev is still having such a negative impact on the people he loves. Fearing that the village isn’t safe anymore, Robert begins making plans to get his sister Victoria and young nephew Harry out of harm’s way.
“Robert has the right idea for the wrong reasons,” our insider continues. “John is the one lurking around the village and clearly poses a threat to everyone.
ITV
Related: Emmerdale lines up a life-changing 2026 story for Kim Tate
“At one point, John even corners Harry when the young lad kicks a football into the woods. Harry’s delighted to see his uncle again – and John promises they can all be together again soon.”
Robert doesn’t have a place in John’s “picture-perfect” vision for the future, though. Back in the abandoned room, John openly boasts to Kev about how he plans to blow Robert up with a bomb and let Kev take the blame.
Kev desperately tries to be the voice of reason for once, pointing out that innocent lives could be lost if John makes such a risky move to kill Robert. Unfortunately, John just isn’t listening…
ITV
Related: Emmerdale star shares candid message with fans after being killed off
“John can’t be deterred from his view that he’s making a righteous move for the good of the Sugdens,” our spy warns.
“In the end, he plants the explosive device underneath Robert’s car and tells Kev that he’s waiting for the right moment to detonate it. Will John finish off Robert for good?”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating music icon Dolly Parton, is here! Buy Dolly at 80 in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.