There was devastation in the Anderson family in Emmerdale recently when Ethan (Emile John) unexpectedly

collapsed at home and died. This happened on the day that Ethan was due to appear in court

for driving offences after the car he was driving crashed, leaving Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope) seriously

injured. Following the incident, Ethan confessed to his father Charles (Kevin Mathurin) that he’d been the driver when Nicky was hurt and that he’d fled the scene over worries about his career. Charles’s reaction was to turn him in to the police, a decision which has been weighing on his conscience ever since and particularly since his son’s shock death. This has taken its toll on Charles’s relationships with his mum, Claudette (Flo Wilson), and his partner Manpreet (Rebecca Sarker) as his grief has made him shut everyone out. Charles and the rest of the family know that Ethan was involved in a hit and run accident just before his collapse and Charles thinks this was what could have killed his son.

The driver in the hit and run was Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly), seeking revenge for what Ethan had done to her son – but currently Charles is unaware of Ruby’s involvement. Even after Ethan’s death was ruled as being due to an aneurysm and the hit and run wasn’t the fatal factor, Charles is finding it hard to come to terms with his son’s unexpected death in upcoming episodes. And he’s taking his anger and grief out on Manpreet. In a devastating moment in the Woolpack following Ethan’s funeral, Charles ended up drinking heavily. Manpreet was hurt when she tried to help him and he angrily rejected her and told her to go. In upcoming episodes Claudette is worried about Charles and Manpreet’s relationship. Although Claudette was no fan of Manpreet when she first came to the village, more recently the two women have become more close and Claudette now respects the GP. She urges Manpreet to fight for her relationship. Sadly it seems that Manpreet’s efforts are in vain, as she arrives at the B&B to book herself in for an overnight stay. Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw) is sad to see her there. As someone who only a few months ago lost his own son in a car accident, he’s better placed than most to understand what Charles is going through. Will he be able to get through to Charles on Manpreet’s behalf?