Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale’s Charity Dingle is left fighting for her life next week, after a traumatic race against time to deliver her baby sees her trapped in a lift with both Ross Barton and Mackenzie Boyd.
It’s the worst-case scenario for Charity, as her secret baby daddy is forced to deliver his own child in front of her husband. But when Charity starts bleeding heavily, will she and the baby be okay?
ITV
Related: Emmerdale’s Robert and Aaron to face huge obstacle after crushing revelation
“Charity is haemorrhaging,” explains Emma Atkins, who plays the distressed mum-to-be. “The odds are stacked against her, giving birth stuck inside a lift. Everyone’s fraught with emotion and it’s not looking good for Charity…”
Ahead of Charity’s nightmare labour, she throws an elaborate baby shower for her granddaughter Sarah Sugden, overcompensating for all the secrets she’s keeping. But when the cake can’t be delivered, Mack and Charity head to pick it up.
Before long, they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with a clapped-out car and no phones – then Charity’s waters break!
“They’re in a mayday situation where the car breaks down and they’re stuck,” reveals Emma. “Neither of them has any way to call the outside world to say Charity’s gone into labour. And it’s the baby daddy Ross who’s the knight in shining armour! It’s mortification personified for Charity.”
Ross just happens to be passing in his car, and begrudgingly agrees to drop them at the hospital. Meanwhile, Sarah is confused by her gran’s absence at the baby shower, only to find multiple missed calls on her phone. Just as the partygoers realise something is seriously wrong, Charity, Mack and Ross get trapped in a broken lift at the hospital…
ITV
ITV
Related: Emmerdale star Adele Silva shares rival soap dream – in show she’d be “ideal” for
“They’re jammed in the lift and the contractions are getting closer,” declares Emma. “They can’t get out. Mack and Ross react wildly differently. Charity is just breathing through it, Ross is trying to focus, and Mack is triggered from being trapped in the bunker. He just recoils like a frightened animal…”
Elsewhere in the hospital, unaware of what’s unfolding, Jacob Sugden relays the extent of Dr Todd’s bullying to HR, and finally manages to stand up to her in person.
Meanwhile in the lift, Charity’s panic escalates as the pain and desperation increase. Over the intercom, the midwife encourages Ross and Mack to help deliver the baby, but it’s Sarah who saves the day…
“Sarah gives Charity a beautiful little monologue,” confirms Emma. “Charity feels like she can’t push any longer. There’s no energy left. Sarah tells her she’s amazing and that she can nail this. But then Charity starts to haemorrhage, which is horrendous…”
ITV
ITV
Related: Emmerdale’s Charity Dingle to battle guilt in baby shower story
Dread washes over Charity’s loved ones as it becomes clear that she’s in a critical condition. As emotions run high between Mack and Ross, Sarah and Jacob struggle to comprehend the traumatic scenes of their child’s birth.
So is this the moment where the big secret is finally revealed? Could Ross be the one to blow the family apart, now that his daughter has been born? Whatever happens next, this secret is a ticking time bomb…
If Charity survives her ordeal, will the heightened emotions and hell she went through mean she’ll struggle to give up the baby? Or will she hand over her baby daughter to Sarah, and continue to live in fear of this buried secret blowing her family apart?
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – as Todd breaks his silence over Theo, and Moira gives her plea in court.