The following article contains discussion of themes including coercive control and domestic abuse.
Emmerdale spoilers follow from Tuesday’s episode (July 23) and beyond.
Emmerdale aired a worrying cliffhanger on Tuesday evening as Belle and Tom King’s ongoing storyline took another unsettling turn.
When Cain and Charity Dingle took a trip to Belle and Tom’s holiday cottage in Wales, they were concerned to find evidence of a violent struggle.
The remote property had been completely trashed, while there were also smears of blood on the walls. Cain and Charity were left deeply worried as it dawned on them that Belle and Tom were nowhere to be seen.
The scenes set the stage for a special episode of Emmerdale airing on Wednesday, so here’s our guide to what happens next.
What has happened to Belle and Tom in Emmerdale?
The short answer is: all will be revealed in Wednesday’s episode, so there’s not long to wait for answers on the couple’s fates.
Wednesday’s special edition opens with another glimpse of the trashed holiday cottage, but the action then rewinds by four days as flashback scenes begin.
Belle and Tom are seen arriving at the cottage together with their pet dog Piper. They initially seem to be in high spirits, but as ever, Tom’s controlling and abusive behaviour is never far from the surface.
While Belle is hopeful that her marriage can get back on track, events take a turn and the holiday escalates into a terrifying ordeal for her.
The episode focuses entirely on Belle and Tom’s story, exploring the events of four consecutive days as the break gets progressively worse for Belle.
Emmerdale‘s producer Sophie Roper recently explained: “The story set to the backdrop of this beautiful cottage will be really hard-hitting and difficult at moments.
“Tom is very much isolating Belle from her family, from her surroundings, from everything she knows and loves, which is very much unfortunately a typical trait of abusers and people who are trying to isolate their victim from their family.
“So it will be difficult drama but a really important message and really important story that we’re keen to continue to tell.”
Beyond the special episode, the action will shift back to Cain and Charity as they process their shock discoveries and try to get some firm answers.
Jeff Hordley, who plays Cain, recently told us: “I don’t think Cain quite believed Charity’s suspicions over Tom until he got there. Charity could sense that there was trouble.
“If somebody has hurt his little sister, there’s no saying what Cain would do. It’s almost inevitable that there’s going to be a time where Cain gets wind of what’s been going on.
“It’s interesting now that Cain wasn’t a liked figure for the viewers when he first joined, but they see him now as this hero who can go in and save the day for other people, in a not-very-nice way!”
Emma Atkins, who plays Charity, added: “It’s just an unpleasant sight at the cottage. Charity and Cain immediately fear for Belle’s safety, because why wouldn’t they?
“We know that Belle has gone away to Wales and she’s now missing as there’s nobody in the house. Charity and Cain immediately assume that Belle is in real trouble.
“Working with Jeff again was just magic because I haven’t worked with him for quite a while. We just seem to have this effortless chemistry when we get together, because we know each other, we know our history, and our characters just somehow really work well together.
“It’s great that Cain and Charity are not a couple but they come together and they’re good in a crisis. They trust each other and I love the fact that Cain does listen to Charity.”
In the longer-term, Emmerdale bosses have previously confirmed that Belle and Tom’s story will run until the end of the year.
Where was Emmerdale‘s special episode filmed?
While Emmerdale‘s special episode for Belle and Tom is set in Wales, the ITV soap’s team filmed the scenes much closer to home.
A previously-unused cottage based within the soap’s regular village location was transformed to look like Belle and Tom’s Welsh holiday home.
Producer Sophie Roper recently explained: “We recreated Wales in Yorkshire! Our fantastic design team [did it]. We’ve got a cottage up in the village, which we’ve re-dressed and made this beautiful Welsh retreat. So it’s really fantastic, the lengths they’ve gone to, to create that within our world.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, organisations including Refuge (www.refuge.org.uk), New Beginnings Peer Support (www.newbeginningspeersupport.com) and Women’s Aid (www.womensaid.org.uk) can provide further support and information. The 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522.