Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale star Rebecca Sarker has revealed more details of next week's dramatic stunt storyline.

Show bosses have revealed that Rebecca's character Manpreet Sharma will end up with Victoria Barton's damaged harness, which was deliberately sabotaged by serial killer Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) at the village's survival event.

While the exact details of how the story plays out are being kept under wraps, we know that Manpreet, Charles (Kevin Mathurin), Victoria (Isabel Hodgins) and David (Matthew Wolfenden) all end up fighting for their lives in dangerous rapids.

Rebecca recently caught up with Digital Spy and other media to preview the unmissable storyline.

Was Manpreet's recent split from Rishi connected to her feelings for Charles?

"Manpreet says that she has fallen out of love with Rishi. She still loves him, but she's not in love with him. It's not a romantic love.

"Manpreet is adamant that it has nothing to do with Charles, but the question is: is she being truthful to herself? I don't think even Manpreet knows the answer to that yet. But maybe the survival event will make things a little clearer."

Why did Manpreet get involved in the survival event?

"She was strong-armed into it by Meena. There was a place going and she needed to make up the numbers, but it's the last thing she wanted to do because obviously she just wants to hide away. Manpreet has just dropped this bombshell on Rishi and she just wants the world to go away and to hide.

"Meena has obviously got something up her sleeve and Manpreet is a facilitator for that, not that she realises it."

Meena starts to wind Andrea up over Manpreet and Charles' past relationship. What do you think Meena is hoping to do?

"Meena makes no secret of the fact that she's not a fan of Rishi or Andrea. She's desperate for Manpreet and Charles to get together. She likes to influence events and have control.

"I think Meena also really enjoys the game. She enjoys being the puppetmaster and creating havoc, with very little regard for the consequences or other people's feelings."

manpreet sharma in the emmerdale stunt episodes
ITV

Viewers may have noticed a spark between Manpreet and Charles. Could we eventually see them declare their feelings for each other?

"Nothing brings home the fragility of life than a brush with the Grim Reaper, a near-miss. There's always been, and there still is, a real chemistry between Charles and Manpreet.

"They try to fight against it. Obviously assuming Manpreet and Charles make it out alive, will this intense experience bring them together? Or will it rock them so much that it drives a wedge in their relationship?

"Will they have the same response to it? Might it be that what's said in the rapids stays in the rapids, a bit like Fight Club?"

We see Manpreet pick up Victoria's harness, which Meena has damaged in a murder plan. How much danger is Manpreet in?

"Well, I think it's safe to say that when Meena is on the loose, nobody is safe, either by design or accident. She sets out this smorgasbord of horrific delicacies for everyone to enjoy.

"It sets in motion this chain of events. Manpreet is not the intended victim, but what happens to Manpreet and Charles is a by-product of Meena's evil machinations. That's what I can say to that."

Does Manpreet have any idea what her sister is capable of?

"I think Manpreet so far is blissfully unaware that Meena holds psychopathic tendencies. They're sisters so they've got a history in terms of growing up together.

"We know that Meena slept with Manpreet's ex-husband. Awful though that is, it's nothing compared to murder. The cracks have started to show with Meena's lack of empathy, which is really quite chilling. It comes out in a very sort of mundane situations – she just does not care.

"Meena's MO is winning and coming out on top, to the detriment of all others and of course this involves Charles' character as well. She had the incident where she sent texts to Ethan pretending to be his mother and there's more to come on that front as well."

manpreet sharma in the emmerdale stunt episodes
ITV

What's it like working with Paige? Do you have fun on set?

"A huge amount of fun. We definitely have something akin to a sisterly relationship. We're quite protective of each other. We know what each other is thinking.

"It's very easy. Paige gives a lot in terms of her performance, so that's really lovely to bounce off. It's been very interesting developing the relationship, and with that development comes development for Manpreet too. I think the viewers are quite enjoying that.

"Manpreet's very professional usually. She's usually very together, but Meena can come in and completely discombobulate her. I like how Manpreet can react to this quite childish, sarcastic sister in a bitchy kind of way sometimes. It's a new angle to Manpreet, which I really enjoy."

How was it doing the stunts?

"We had a fantastic stunt team and we each had a stunt double. They would also stand in for us for rehearsals for camera angles, so we didn't have to. They were the guinea pigs, really. They deserve a lot of credit.

"And I think Belinda, my stunt double for a week, deserves an end credit of her own. It was mad, the wig she wore! Belinda, with lovely blonde tresses, puts this straggly black wig on that had a life of its own."

Was it difficult to film the water scenes?

"I think we're all reasonably strong swimmers. We're reasonably fit and able. But the thing is, swimming doesn't really come into it when there's 15 tons of water!

"At one point, we were attached to a rope and towed by a power boat and that was interesting. There was no swimming involved there, just clinging on for dear life!"

rebecca sarker filming the emmerdale stunt episodes
ITV

What was it like to work on such intense scenes as a cast?

"It really was great. It was a collaborative experience. The team was working away from home, so that also contributed to the feeling of a shared experience.

"Not only were we filming together, but we were practically living together as well. We had breakfast, lunch, all the work and then you'd get 'home'. I'd also meet up with Kevin in the gym that evening.

"So it was quite intense, but I think that creates a sense of camaraderie and also created a bond that can't help but add a certain something to the performances, I hope."

How did you wind down after filming?

"It was full-on days. You're working away from home, so you need to connect with your family. It was very difficult to do that on set. In Leeds, when you're working in your normal environment, you can quickly get back to your dressing room and send a quick text or have a quick phone call with anyone.

"But it was incredibly difficult to do that when you're in the throes of working so intensely. I would often get back to the hotel room, have a little Zoom meeting with my boys, maybe read them a story and get back to a sense of normality.

"There was a lot of work and preparation to do for the next day, so it really was quite intense. Because it's such an ambitious project, we all wanted to bring our A-game to the field. We had to be on it.

"Sometimes there's no second take on these things because everybody was involved, so there was a lot of work involved in the evenings."

What can the audience expect from this week of drama?

"Several jaw-dropping moments. They'll be biting their nails in suspense, they'll be hiding behind a cushion in fear. There'll be lots of audible gasps, I'm sure, in all the sitting rooms around the country.

"It's incredibly ambitious. There's so many threads of stories, which all come together in some horrific moments. They create their own mini-dramas and it culminates in these huge stunts that we're teasing. It's Emmerdale, but not as you know it."

Are you looking forward to watching the episodes?

"Hugely excited. The feedback so far has been good. It's going to be interesting to see how it's all put together, how it's all chopped and edited. I hope we'll reap the rewards of some real hard work that we've all put in as a team."

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage.

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Daniel Kilkelly

Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.  
He has interviewed hundreds of soap stars over the years, from Bill Roache to Lacey Turner, and regularly visits the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks for behind-the-scenes trips and press events.  
He has served as an awards judge on numerous occasions for the likes of the BAFTA TV Awards, RTS Programme Awards and British Soap Awards. In 2020, he was Highly Commended for Best Section Editor at the BSME Awards.