Emmerdale will air sad death news later this month, leaving Sam Dingle and his wife Lydia Dingle devastated this Christmas period.
They get some tragic news about one of their beloved pigs, and the only one remaining after the others sadly passed away.
The Dingles have had pigs on their farm for years and years, but later this month it's the end of an era. Vet Rhona Goskirk delivers the heartbreaking news that their final pig is unwell, and in bad shape.
There's nothing she can do for them, and she has to tell Sam and Lydia that their animal friend has to be put down.
It's an emotional time for the couple and they are left heartbroken, as they realise they must say goodbye to the pig just as Christmas arrives.
The death follows a devastating and twist-filled time for the Dingles in recent months, from deaths, betrayals and murder.
Sam himself nearly died in the storm in October, and his son Samson was also injured.
Sadly, the family lost Faith Dingle at the start of that month, and Liv Flaherty died weeks later during the storm.
At the end of that same month, Cain Dingle was arrested for the murder of Al Chapman - actually carried out by his young son Kyle Winchester.
There's huge secrets too that could soon rock the family, as Cain's secret brother Caleb makes his debut - while Chas Dingle's affair with Al could come to light.
Another secret under threat is Charity Dingle's partner Mackenzie Boyd's night of passion with Chloe Harris, who is now pregnant with his child.
Soap producer Jane Hudson spilled what was ahead this Christmas and in 2023, and it's safe to say things start with a bang for the Dingle family.
Speaking to The Mirror and other press, she said: "It’s not all going to be like that, but we've got Paddy and Chas who are absolutely at their worst because the affair has been discovered, and they are forced to spend Christmas Day together, and it does not go well.
"And then the other thing that’s going on is we’ve got Cain still in prison and he’s gonna get a visit from his brother on Christmas Day, Caleb played by Will Ash.
"I think viewers are gonna fall in love with him, you're all gonna fall in love with him very soon."
Jane added: "So we know that Mackenzie is the father of Chloe's baby and it's again another secret in the village that’s probably not gonna be a secret for long.
"We have got the Charity and Mackenzie wedding on the cards which is happening next year. I think we know weddings don't always go very smoothly, and Chloe's baby is maybe due around the time of the wedding, so I'll leave it to yourselves to figure out what might happen around the wedding date and birth date, and it will be explosive for Charity and Mackenzie.
"We are continuing our story with Paddy and Chas, and how you navigate trying be the best parents you can when your marriage has fallen to pieces and one of you had an affair, and we'll watch both of them go on their journeys and it's gonna be very serious and quite heartbreaking, as we watch what happens to what was one of our favourite couples until we tore them apart.
"I would say the start of 2023 is explosive for the Dingles. We have got Cain at the heart of what is happening in the village, we have got Paddy and Chas at the heart of what is happening, and we have got Charity and Mack, so the Dingles are really kicking off 2023 with a bang. It's all going on for them."
Jane went on: "Noah and Amelia have got their story going on. Amelia has had the baby and Noah is a kind of surrogate father. Samson is going to be more devious than usual in terms of looking after himself. It will cause big arguments with his father, they have got quite a big story going on."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
