Emmerdale boss Jane Hudson has confirmed more than one character will lose their life in the deadly storm, as the ITV soap celebrates its 50th anniversary with dramatic and heart-wrenching scenes.
While the deaths are remaining under wraps until transmission, the producer revealed it won't just be one resident meeting a tragic end, and hinted there could be several deaths on the way - following the passing of Faith Dingle prior to the stunt week.
Jane promised each death would deliver its own story and impact, as emotions run high when lives are left in grave danger.
A series of stunts will place most of the characters, if not all of them, in harm's way as they fight for survival - but not everyone will make it out alive.
Teasing the big scenes ahead, Jane told of there being "funerals" ahead, and said: "We will be having some huge stunts, big emotional heartache, secrets, lies, comedy and sadly, some of the soap’s much-loved characters will sadly lose their lives.
"There will be funerals, a wedding with Kim and Will and a birth. Three of Emmerdale ’s favourite old characters are also returning – Aaron Dingle, played by Danny Miller, Diane Sugden, played by Elizabeth Estensen, and Tracy Metcalfe, played by Amy Walsh.
"There will be a huge storm that will wreak damage on the entire village and change everyone’s lives forever. It’s going to be a very special month and we hope everyone will really enjoy it all.
"But the 50th is not just a celebration of Emmerdale – it is a celebration of what makes soaps great."
Teasing more about how many characters could die, Jane remained coy over what would lead to the deaths.
She spilled: "It is always hard to kill a character as someone is losing their job. You don’t want somebody to lose their job.
"But the nature of soaps means if you want to introduce new characters, then you need to lose old ones. If you are going to do a death in the soap, it can’t be the postman who has had three lines because it doesn’t matter.
"A death has got to have an impact not just on the characters but also on the viewers watching. Each of our deaths will bring a different emotion."
Fellow producer Laura Shaw also teased the heartbreaking scenes ahead, saying: "There is going to be a lot of heartache involved in October and the rivalry between Cain and Al is really going to step up a gear.
"Al and Chas have grown a lot closer now but will their affair finally be exposed? Viewers will have to wait and see! The stunts will also be amazing. We do a big super stunt week every October but with 2022 being our 50th birthday, we wanted to top the big week.
"Spreading the stories across the month gives us the chance to celebrate all our characters. It means everyone in the show gets to be part of our 50th and have a story to celebrate."
Got any theories or thoughts on the storyline? Let us know in the comments section below
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV and ITV Hub, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
