Emmerdale's Ryan Stocks is left devastated next week as he discovers that his adoptive mum has died.
Ryan (James Moore) was raised by Irene Stocks and lived with her for most of his life before he moved to the village, although viewers haven't seen the character appear on screen since 2019.
Next week, Ryan feels hassled when he receives multiple phone calls out of the blue.
When Ryan finally answers, it's clear that he has received some terrible news.
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Ryan tries to contact his mum Charity (Emma Atkins), but she rejects his call as she's busy overseeing a playdate for Johnny and Moses alongside her ex-fiancée Vanessa Woodfield.
With nobody else to talk to, Ryan confides in Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) instead and explains that Irene has died.
Mackenzie tries to call Charity, but she also fails to answer his call as she's enjoying spending time with Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick) so much.
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In the end, Mackenzie continues his support by offering to drive Ryan to his brother.
The following day, Mackenzie urges Ryan to tell Charity that Irene has died.
When Ryan doesn't do so, Mackenzie blurts out the news to Charity instead.
Charity's response is a thoughtless one as she's visibly angry that she wasn't told sooner.
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She regrets her reaction when she realises that she has upset both Mackenzie and Ryan.
Vanessa is also annoyed, seeing this as typical of Charity, so she heads off. Can Charity make amends?
The role of Irene was played by former Brookside actress Eithne Browne in 2018 and 2019.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
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Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.
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