Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb has offered a tantalising glimpse into his character's involvement in the upcoming, unprecedented crossover episode with Coronation Street, known as 'Corriedale'. The special episode, set to air in 2025, will unite the two ITV soaps amidst a catastrophic car pile-up.
Mack's Tumultuous Year and Captivity
Mackenzie Boyd, played by Robb, endured one of the year's most intense storylines after uncovering the dark truth about John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth). Mack discovered that the seemingly heroic medic was, in fact, a 'grade-A wrong'un' – a crazed killer who engineered life-or-death situations to cast himself as a saviour.
This revelation left Mack at John's mercy, culminating in him being locked in an underground bunker and chained to a wall. Although John eventually took a seriously unwell Mack to hospital after his final stand – which involved throwing himself and husband Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) off a cliff – Mack returned to a personal life in chaos.
A Marriage in Crisis and a Baby Secret
Prior to his captivity, Mack's marriage to Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) was on the verge of collapse, strained by her decision to act as a surrogate for Sarah Sugden. During Mack's disappearance, Charity slept with Ross Barton (Michael Parr), and subsequent tests revealed the baby she carries is his, not Sarah's.
Charity has vowed to keep this secret, even forging a document to silence a suspicious Ross. While Mack and Charity have been reunited, an unlikely friendship developing between Mack and Ross has left Charity deeply concerned.
Teasing the Historic 'Corriedale' Crossover
With Mack, Charity, and John all confirmed for the game-changing crossover episode, Lawrence Robb shared his excitement. 'My initial thought was, God, I hope I'm in it!' he said. 'Then it was just thinking about how this is history. We're part of something that's never been done before.'
Robb confirmed his involvement in some of the episode's promised stunts, calling it 'good fun'. However, he revealed a twist for his character: Mack does not interact with many Coronation Street characters. 'Because of what happens for Mack, he doesn't really interact with a great deal of Corrie characters,' Robb teased. 'That'll all become clear but unfortunately I didn't act alongside any of them.'
When asked to sum up the historic episode, Lawrence Robb kept it brief with three words: 'Explosive, iconic and historic'. The crossover episode is scheduled for broadcast in 2025.
