Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale is set to reveal who the new owners of The Woolpack are next week, after a tense auction sees the village pub being sold.
Following Al Chapman's (Michael Wildman) devious plan to take over the pub and build luxury flats in its place, and the devastating explosion on Christmas Day, current owners Chas (Lucy Pargeter) and Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) have been put in the heartbreaking position of having to put their beloved pub up for sale.
Next week, Kim Tate (Claire King) picks up an auction catalogue and starts flicking through it. Her fiancé Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) quickly works out that Kim is quite likely to be planning on putting in a bid to buy The Woolpack.
Related: Emmerdale revisits another loose end over Meena
When Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) overhears this news, she is gutted and is faced with the difficult prospect of breaking the news to Chas. Sure enough, when Chas hears that Kim might be interested in the pub, she hits the roof.
Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), having previously upset Chas with his interference over the issue, becomes determined to fix things when Chas admits that losing the pub will break her heart.
As the day of the auction dawns, Chas initially refuses to go along, unwilling to watch Kim snatch away her pub. Her husband Paddy Dingle (Dominic Brunt) is sad to see his wife so defeated over the situation.
Related: Why Emmerdale's Claire King left Coronation Street
But soon, Charity hits a nerve which emboldens Chas to attend the auction after all, leaving Paddy delighted that she isn't going to go down without a fight.
At the Auction House, there is tension among the Emmerdale villagers as the auctioneer prepares to start the bidding.
Just as the auctioneer is preparing to sell the Woolpack to the highest bidder, Cain's hand shoots up and he makes a bid for the pub. It's a tense moment for his wife Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb), but she's relieved when Cain is quickly outbid by a mystery online bidder.
Related: Emmerdale's Manpreet faces police quiz over Meena
As the auction concludes, the pub is sold to the online buyer and Marlon and Chas are interested to know who the new owner of the Woolpack is.
Faith Dingle (Sally Dexter) tries and fails to get the name of the buyer from the auctioneer, but she is informed that they would like to meet Marlon and Chas in person.
Fearful Chas worries about who the mystery buyer could be – who has taken over the village's iconic pub?
Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw recently told Digital Spy and other media that, despite the pub's recent troubles, "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."
Emmerdale airs these scenes on Thursday, February 3 at 7pm and 8pm on ITV.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage.
50 Years of Emmerdale: The official Story of TV's most iconic rural drama
Request video message from selected Emmerdale stars past and present
If the Cap Fits: My Rocky Road to Emmerdale by Steve Halliwell
![Emmerdale Farm - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1972]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568651758-515sfWjRcqL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Emmerdale Farm - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1972]")
![Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568651981-51KI1Ifvg-L.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]")
Emmerdale - The Dingles For Richer For Poorer [DVD]
Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
