With ITV planning to make soap history by airing the groundbreaking Corriedale special in the New Year, it was no surprise to see

Emmerdale’s Christmas episode serving as a sneaky showcase for what’s to come. Fans are eagerly awaiting a historic TV moment on 5

January as the worlds of Emmerdale and Coronation Street collide for the first time – and returning character John Sugden will be among those at the centre of the drama.

 

 

John made his comeback in Emmerdale’s ho

Aaron and Victoria Sugden both feared for Robert’s life when he mysteriously went AWOL on Christmas Day. The timing certainly didn’t look great, with dangerous Kev still on the loose.

When viewers were given a glimpse of someone unconscious and tied up in an abandoned house, it seemed that Robert was in a precarious position… until he turned up at The Woolpack, alive and well. Turned out that he’d just nipped out for an errand, so who was the guy being held prisoner?

Well, the real target for trouble ended up being Kev himself. For reasons that will become clear, master manipulator John has decided to hold Kev captive as part of a bigger scheme against Robert and Aaron.

In an eerie cliffhanger, John managed to sneak undetected into The Woolpack, where a drunken Aaron had passed out in the back room after the day’s festivities.

This gave John the opportunity for an ominous monologue about his intentions for Aaron: “So many people care about you, but not one of them as much as I do. 2025 has been a shocking year, but ’26? That is going to be the best year ever. Because you and me, we’re going to be together. No matter what…” Oh dear!

As well as setting the stage for sinister scenes over the next 7 days or so, John’s festive return takes us full steam ahead to Corriedale on 5 January. ITV bosses announced the full cast of 41 characters last week and it was John’s inclusion in the episode that sparked the most headlines.

 

ur-long festive episode, providing an element of surprise for fans who’d perhaps expected Kev Townsend to be the one causing chaos. Kev returned with his own revenge plan this week, unable to accept Robert Sugden’s decision to choose Aaron Dingle over him. But the even bigger threat of John lay waiting in the wings…