Emmerdale is the soap that everybody is talking about at the moment (they should probably thank Meena for that) and there's another busy year ahead as we head towards the 50th anniversary in October.
Show producers Jane Hudson and Laura Shaw recently caught up with Digital Spy and other media to provide an exciting preview of what's in store.
1. Meena will get her comeuppance
It's the question on everyone's lips at the moment – will serial killer Meena Jutla ever be brought to justice for her evil crimes?
While this week's episodes see Meena's story reach a dramatic point as she tries to kill Manpreet and Vinny, it seems that the saga still has a while to run beyond that.
Hudson teased: "Judgement Day for Meena is coming. Whether she will get away with murder or not, you'll have to wait to find out. There are still some more twists and turns to be had and some you won't see coming, but I think we're all agreed that Meena can do pretty much anything.
"Judgemental Day for Meena won't play out quite as you expect and it will have a lasting effect on quite a few of our villagers. I think within the next few months Meena will get what's coming to her."
2. The Jamie Tate story will be revisited
Jamie Tate left the show last year, but a final twist saw him return from the dead after outsmarting his scheming mum Kim.
While there's no word on whether Jamie will make a reappearance, the secret of his survival will be revisited this year.
Shaw explained: "Up at Home Farm, we know that Jamie Tate is actually still alive so obviously that info is still to come out – and what will Kim do once she knows?
"We know what a tough cookie Kim is but we also know that Jamie is her Achilles heel, so we can expect huge fireworks if she ever finds out how much he has betrayed her."
3. Vanessa and Charity could reunite
Show bosses aren't ruling out a reunion for 'Vanity' now that Vanessa is back in the village.
Vanessa's return will cause tensions for Charity's new relationship with Mackenzie, while there'll be more twists to come when Ryan receives some shocking news.
Shaw commented: "Vanessa is back and obviously that is going to set the cat amongst the pigeons for Mack and Charity. Will we see Charity and Vanessa back together in 2022, or will we see Vanessa head off in a new direction maybe? I think it's going to be time for people to decide whether they are team 'Vanity' or team 'Mackity'.
"Charity is also going to be affected by some heartbreaking news involving Ryan that is going to see some huge emotional scenes play out between mother and son. This is going to have some influence over Charity's relationship."
4. Jai's return to the dark side will cause trouble
Jai will be left to pick up the pieces after the HOP receives a massive fine for the disastrous survival adventure challenge.
Next week, Jai resorts to desperate measures by making a fraudulent loan application in Laurel's name, marking the beginning of a story which sees their relationship come under threat.
Shaw warned: "There's a difficult road ahead for Jai and Laurel. Jai's desperation to sort out his money woes steps up a gear and he'll go to extreme lengths to cover the money he owes for the HOP fine – so will his relationship with Laurel be jeopardised?
"We know how Jai can struggle when he's on the back foot and not winning at life – so will this send him spiralling back to his old ways and will we see a darker Jai emerge from all this?"
5. Leyla starts to struggle
Leyla has spent months loyally supporting Liam as he has been on his journey of grief for Leanna, but the focus of the storyline looks set to shift now that we've entered a new year.
Shaw said: "Leyla has a big storyline coming up in 2022. We've seen her be a huge support to Liam through the loss of his daughter Leanna but is all as it seems?
"Is Leyla really coping as well as she seems to on the surface, or is there a bit more going on there that we'll uncover?
6. It's a big year for the Dingles
As ever, a dramatic year has been planned for the Dingle family as they remain at the heart of the show, with their trials and tribulations causing ripple effects for the wider community.
Shaw told us: "There is lots going on for the Dingles as we head into 2022. Two of our most loved Dingles are going to be facing huge life-changing situations that are going to have repercussions for the whole village. The effects of this are going to be long-lasting over the course of 2022 and into 2023.
"In the next few months, we'll see drama, joy, fun, laughter, agony, pain, grief and despair hit this family. They will pulled into a lot of directions and be at the heart of our very biggest stories this year."
7. The 50th anniversary will be a month-long celebration
Emmerdale turns 50 this year and the celebrations will play out over the big birthday month of October.
Hudson explained: "We're going to be having a golden month of celebration to mark our 50th. There are going to be mind-blowing stunts, more heartbreaks, secrets and lies are revealed. It's going to be the gift that keeps on giving and the party no-one wants to end.
"Our 2022 is very much going to be building our stories for the 50th golden month of celebrations. We need to make this the biggest year we've ever had. We've already got some great stuff planned – maybe a wedding in the summer!
"There are some really big things that will test couples' strength and them as parents, so there is a lot in store.
"We might see some old faces returning, we're not sure yet. I think there is a lot coming up – the focus is really to celebrate Emmerdale turning 50.
"Our focus at the moment is to really build those stories so when we get to our golden month of celebration, we've got secrets that the viewers are desperate to be revealed.
"We'll do something epic. There will be an epic stunt because we're well-known for that. But at the heart of it, the best loved characters in our show are really going to be tested in some big emotional stories.
"It's really key to us that whatever happens in the 50th, the fallout is huge. This will continue and take us into 2023."
Shaw added: "We're determined that we'll keep our audience on their toes for the whole of 2022. Obviously we want October to be epic and it absolutely will be, but we won't be resting on our laurels until then.
"Some of what we've got planned for the first half of this year will undoubtedly go down in Emmerdale history as some of our finest moments."
8. Another special episode is on the way
Emmerdale has been bolder in experimenting with its format over the past few years and this continues in 2022, with a special episode coming up.
Shaw enthused: "We're never ones to shy away from stepping outside of our comfort zone and usual storytelling style. We do have a very special episode coming up, which we're about to start shooting quite soon actually.
"This episode is going to spark off one of our biggest stories for this year, but in a different way.
"It's something we've not done before and it'll enable the audience to see the story from a whole different perspective to usual. I don't think I can say much more than that without giving it away."
9. Al and Cain's feud will take centre stage in a special week
Tensions have been simmering between Al and Cain in the past few days, setting the stage for a huge week of drama later in the year.
Shaw promised: "I can also confirm that we do have one of our big special weeks planned for later in the year, which will contain the culmination of some of our biggest stories as well as the start of other big stories.
"And fingers crossed, COVID permitting, hopefully we'll throw one of our infamous stunts in there as well."
Hudson added: "I think we can probably tease in our special week that Cain and Al's feud is definitely not over. Something will happen that will make those two have to look at their relationship with each other.
"So there's definitely going to be an explosive Cain/Al moment in our special week. I think the audience are really enjoying these two men constantly at war."
10. The Woolpack will rise from the ashes
The Woolpack has been facing an uncertain future since the Christmas Day explosion, with Chas ready to give up on her beloved business. Fortunately, all hope is not lost.
Shaw teased: "Things might get a little bit worse for Chas and Paddy before they get better. But from the ashes of Christmas Day, we're going to see a shiny new Woolpack emerge this year and the fight for who's going to control it will definitely be on.
"Who's going to be victoriously holding their keys at the end of it, though? Who's going to have their name over the door? You're going to have to watch to find out."
11. Three weddings are planned for 2022
In total, three weddings have been storylined for this year – but as always, soap fans will have to stay tuned to find out whether all of the couples successfully make it down the aisle.
Shaw commented: "We've already touched on one wedding that might happen in the summer.
"Other than that, we've already seen Billy and Dawn get engaged on screen and I don't think I'm giving too much away by telling you that their wedding is definitely going to happen this year.
"It does happen on the most romantic day of the year – Valentine's Day – so there's not too long to wait for their wedding. But will it all go to plan? Is it going to be happy-ever-after for these two or will disaster strike? I suspect it's probably going to be the latter.
"We've also got another wedding coming up, a third one. That's a bit more of an unexpected twist and I think that's going to shock quite a few of our villagers and ruffle a few feathers."
12. A baby will arrive this year
One character will hear the patter of tiny feet before the year is out, but the show's producers aren't giving away any other details at this stage.
Hudson said: "There will be a new baby arriving in Emmerdale before the end of the year.
"I think that's not giving anything away as there are so many female characters in the show, but there will be a new arrival before the year is out.
"There's probably going to be a birth in the anniversary month perhaps! Babies in soaps are either born on programme celebrations or Christmas so there's going to be one of those happening."
13. Pierce's son is arriving
Darcy Grey has joined the cast of Emmerdale in the role of Marcus Dean, who's the son of Rhona's ex-husband Pierce Harris.
Marcus will make his first appearance on screen in February, bringing back terrible memories for Rhona as she's once again forced to revisit her traumatic past with evil. Pierce.
Hudson explained: "When we meet Marcus, we don't know who he is but then we find out he is Pierce's son. Pierce has written to Rhona asking to find his son, who she didn't know about.
"Pierce has had no contact with him since he was young because he was abusive to Marcus's mum. This young man tips up on Rhona's doorstep and she makes the wrong decision to not tell Marlon about it.
"Vanessa's not very happy that Marcus is there. We will have to wait and see whether Marcus is a chip off the old block or whether he's the polar opposite of Pierce.
"I will say that he is going to be involved with one of our villagers – so watch this space as a new romance blossoms.
"There will also be someone else new in Rhona's life appearing but I’m not telling you that one! Rhona's going to be having two new characters appearing in her life."
14. Moira will face a huge decision
Moira has been quieter on screen since her reunion with Cain, but she'll play a central role in a big storyline this year.
Shaw promised: "I don't think Moira fans need to worry at all, as we've got plenty coming up for her this year. She's going to be the person to lean on for more than one of her family members.
"We're going to see her be given one of the biggest decisions of her life when she's asked to keep a huge secret and she's going to struggle massively with that.
"On another side of the fence we're also going to see something Moira thought was in her past and that she'd dealt with, come back to haunt her in quite a big way.
"The ramifications of that are going to affect quite a few people. Again we're going to see her really tested as to how she deals with that difficult situation."
15. There's more to come from the younger cast
Emmerdale has been showcasing the younger cast more often in the past year or so, helping to create that next generation. Their stories will also continue to be a strong focus in 2022.
Hudson said: "I think it's really important for the show that we have stories aimed at everybody. What makes soaps different from a lot of dramas is our reach, which is teens right up to 90 plus. We've got a lot of viewers to keep happy.
"This year the likes of Noah, Amelia, Samson, Archie, Cathy and Sarah – you're going to be seeing them much more prominent in the stories because they deal with topics that affect their generation and we see how they handle things.
"It's really important that we keep our youngsters coming through because they are our next generation."
16. It's not all doom and gloom
While there'll be plenty of drama this year, show bosses have also pledged to strike the right balance with some lighter moments thrown in too.
Shaw said: "One of the things that makes Emmerdale so great is our ability to combine really hard-hitting and gritty drama with lighter, more comedic storylines. As we head towards the 50th, we're going to be showcasing lots of that and reminding our audience exactly why they love our show.
"We've got some fun stuff coming up in the salon where we'll see a new and unexpected member of staff joining the team there.
"We've got more from Cain and Liam, who are one of my favourite relationships in the show at the moment. I could watch them all day long.
"When you've got brilliant comedy actors – Marlon and Paddy, Jimmy, Nicola and Bernice – the laughter is never going to be far behind, is it?"
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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