In a dramatic early release on ITVX, Emmerdale has plunged the Sugden family into a fresh nightmare, with Robert Sugden vowing to bring down Joe Tate after his scheming leads to the wrongful arrest of Moira Dingle.
A Blackmail Plot Spirals Out of Control
The crisis stems from events at the recent Corriedale festival, where Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) secretly recorded Victoria Sugden covering up her brother John's murder. Using this footage as leverage, Joe blackmailed Victoria and her brother, Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), demanding they sign over their valuable farmland to him for free.
Feeling trapped, the siblings saw no alternative but to comply. However, Joe's ambitions grew. After discovering an envelope full of identity cards belonging to slaves on Celia Daniels's farm, he hatched a new, more sinister plan. He ordered Robert to plant the passports at Butler's Farm, intending to frame Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) for Celia's crimes and seize her property.
Moira's Life Hangs in the Balance
Robert initially refused, but under the constant threat of exposure, he hid the IDs. He was unaware of the full gravity of Celia's people trafficking operation until Kim Tate revealed the truth. Horrified that Moira could face life-destroying charges for crimes she didn't commit, Robert desperately appealed to Joe's non-existent conscience.
His pleas fell on deaf ears. As the episode began, DS Walsh arrived at Butler's Farm with a search warrant. The damning evidence was quickly 'found', leading to Moira's immediate arrest. While Walsh interrogated a bewildered Moira, a furious Robert confronted Joe at Home Farm.
Robert's Vow of Revenge
Joe remained chillingly indifferent to Moira's fate, seeing her downfall merely as a stepping stone to acquiring her farm and installing Robert as manager. This callousness proved to be the final straw for Robert.
In a powerful declaration, Robert told Joe that if Moira is convicted for Celia's crimes, he will 'blow his world apart'. Shockingly, Robert appeared more concerned about an innocent woman going to prison than the risk of his and Victoria's murder cover-up being exposed to the police.
With a mountain of fabricated evidence against her and the threat of Anya's body being discovered on her land, Moira's future looks bleak. DS Walsh stated that the farmer currently looks 'incredibly guilty'. The question now is whether Robert's newfound determination can untangle the web of lies before Moira's life is ruined forever.
This explosive storyline, available now in an early ITVX release dated for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, sets the stage for a brutal war between Robert Sugden and Joe Tate, with Moira's freedom as the battleground.
