The mysterious Aidan Moore has popped up in Emmerdale again, raising more questions about what exactly John Sugden is hiding.

Since his arrival in the summer, there has been somewhat of a question mark

over John’s head. One question has been about why he has a dog tag with the name Aidan Moore engraved on it.

That same dog tag made a reappearance in Monday’s episode (December 16) while John was enjoying a winter camping trip with boyfriend Aaron Dingle.

Is there more to Aidan’s story than John previously shared?

John Sugden arrives in Emmerdale

The new mystery Sugden arrived in the Dales back in August. Unaware of his identity, Aaron had arranged to meet John via a dating app. Aaron and John ended up hooking up in the van on the side of the road.

Later, it was revealed that John was a secret Sugden and was the half-brother of Aaron’s ex-husband Robert. But after a dog tag with the name Aidan Moore was shown in his belongings, viewers wondered whether John was lying about his identity.

John has continued to arouse suspicion with viewers with his random behaviour. Recently, he called the police on Ross and Billy’s underground fight and then warned those involved that the police were coming.

The new guy is also regularly moody and he doesn’t like cake.

Fan theories on Aidan Moore

The name Aidan Moore first popped up in Emmerdale in August, when Victoria returned a box of John’s belongings. The box had been misplaced and she’d found it in Harry’s room.

When John opened the box, there was a dog tag inside inscribed with the name “Aidan Moore.”

Fans have had several theories about the mysterious Aidan Moore. One suggested he could be linked to villain Alex Moore, who left the village after his ex-girlfriend Dawn threatened to kill him if he went near their son Lucas again.

Others suggested that Aidan Moore could be John’s stepdad, who was there for John when real father Jack wasn’t. Another theory is that Aidan is his ex-boyfriend, while some fans believe that John IS Aidan Moore. Some fans have even suggested that John – or Aidan – was in prison with Robert Sugden, and now he’s using his knowledge to worm his way into the Sugden family and potentially con them.

The most impressive theory came from an Emmerdale fan on Reddit who delved into the archives and discovered a character called Karen Moore from the 1980s. She had a fling with Jack AND Jack’s brother Joe and moved away in 1986. Could she be a link to Aidan Moore?

What has John said about Aidan?

In September, John caught his half-sister Victoria looking through his van. She later demanded that John tell her who Aidan Moore is.

John revealed that Aidan had been his best mate in the army, but he had died while they were serving together in Afghanistan. He revealed that the tragedy happened just before the troops were due to be withdrawn from the country.

John got emotional as he revealed that he had tried his best to save him. “I told him I could, but I was lying, I had to,” he remembered. “I could see the fear in his eyes, I held his hand as he slowly slipped away.”

No more was said about Aidan Moore… until now. But fans continued to have their suspicions over John’s story.

Aidan Moore is back

During Monday’s episode (16 December), John took boyfriend Aaron camping. Aaron was reluctant, but John insisted that ‘being in nature is healing.’

He also told Aaron: “You are just like everyone else, happy in your little box, night after night… four walls and a roof – that is a prison to me. Open air, that is my home.”

Aaron was persuaded and the two found themselves in the forest. Aaron opened up to John, revealing that the only time he has ever been camping before was with Gordon – his father and the man who abused him.

Following Aaron’s revelation, John secretly pulled the infamous dog tag chain from his pocket. He looked deep in thought as his fingers rubbed over the name Aidan Moore. But, is John still keeping secrets about who Aidan Moore really was?