It has become very clear that Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) is John Sugden’s (Oliver Farnworth) next intended victim in Emmerdale, but he’s not the one who actually cops it.

John’s secret reign of terror is escalating as he plots and manipulates villagers like Claudette (Flo Wilson) to further his agenda in appearing to be the hero of Emmerdale while covering up his crimes.

Mack is proving a thorn in his side having figured out that John’s a raging liar. John’s response to this was to try and wallop Mack over the head with a plank of wood at the allotment. But John missed his intended victim and whacked Dr Liam (Johnny McPherson) instead.

John still wants Mack gone and is ready for a second attempt. But at the same time, he’s also pre-occupied with all the attention around his heroism award.

On the day of the ceremony, he prioritises Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) over attending the awards do when he has a mental health crisis.

Vic Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) and Tracy Shankley (Amy Walsh) throw a celebration for him anyway, much to Mack’s disgust. Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano) thinks he’s being hilarious in his rivalry. But as the stag do gets underway, Mack is perturbed when John gives him a chilling warning. Does this confirm Mack’s fears?

Mack is now determined to beat John and show him up, but equally John is ready to fight. He spots Mack sneaking off somewhere and he decides to follow.

Later, Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) finds a serious leak with the slurry tank and it’s Mack who gets the blame, much to John’s utter delight.

It turns out to be a much bigger problem than it first seems – the leak affects the village’s entire water supply. Did John have something to do with this?

But there is much worse to come – an ambulance pulls up and Vic’s son Harry is rushed to hospital after consuming some of the contaminated water.

If this was part of John’s plan to get Mack back, has it backfired and accidentally targeted an innocent child instead?

‘John is the harbinger of his own doom in that respect, just to get one back on Mackenzie’, Lawrence Robb said, discussing the slurry incident.

‘That’s basically John just trying to have a go back at Mackenzie, because at that stage Mackenzie is thinking he’s won, kind of. He certainly outdoes him at the stag do.

‘It puts even more wind in Mackenzie’s sails knowing that John used to be in the army and Mackenzie outdoes him in paint-balling. That spurs John’s actions on to try and get one back at Mackenzie.’