Emmerdale is set to deliver a festive season packed with high-stakes drama, mystery, and emotional turmoil for its beloved residents. Fans of the long-running ITV soap can expect a Christmas schedule shake-up, with the traditional timings altered to make way for an hour-long special on the big day itself.
Festive Schedule: When to Watch Emmerdale
Viewers eager to follow every twist should mark their calendars. The soap will deviate from its usual 7:30pm weeknight slot over the Christmas period. The key festive broadcasts are as follows:
- Wednesday 24 December (Christmas Eve): 6:55pm (30 minutes)
- Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day): 6:15pm (One-hour special)
- Friday 26 December (Boxing Day): 6:30pm (30 minutes)
Episodes will also air on Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd December at 7:30pm and 7pm respectively. After Boxing Day, the show resumes its normal 7:30pm slot, culminating in another hour-long special on New Year's Day at 7pm. All episodes are available to stream from 7am on the day of broadcast via ITVX.
Christmas Drama Unfolds in the Village
The festive cheer will be in short supply for many in the Yorkshire Dales. Central to the turmoil is the reunited couple, Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden, known to fans as 'Robron'. Their plans to bring Robert's son, Seb, back into their lives are met with fury from Ross Barton, who helped raise the boy after the death of Seb's mother, Rebecca White.
The tension escalates when a sinister figure begins a campaign of terror, starting with setting fire to trees outside Aaron's flat. Aaron points the finger at Ross, but Robert is determined to uncover the true culprit. On Christmas Day, Robert vanishes on a mysterious errand, leaving Aaron frantic with worry about his whereabouts.
More Villagers Facing Festive Woe
The drama is far from confined to Robron. The evil mother-and-son duo, Celia Daniels and Ray Walters, fear their drug schemes are about to be exposed and consider fleeing. However, Ray's growing closeness to Laurel Thomas makes him dream of a fresh start.
Meanwhile, Kim Tate is pushing everyone away following a near-death experience, leading to a furious row with Joe Tate. After she falls and injures herself, she rejects help from Lydia Dingle, facing the prospect of a lonely Christmas.
Elsewhere, a public marriage proposal takes place, Paddy Kirk misses his father Bear, and Vanessa and Charity are forced to spend the day together, with a drunken Vanessa threatening to spill a dangerous secret.
With a missing person, secret threats, and relationships hanging in the balance, Emmerdale promises a Christmas in the Dales that viewers will not want to miss.
