Updated: 1 Dec 2025Author:
David Frederickson

Emmerdale spoilers 8–12 December: Kim’s deadly woods ordeal and Jason Donovan’s Woolpack gig

Sam quits his job with Joe, leaving the Dingles skint and Lydia torn over where her loyalties lie.
A desperate Sam arranges an illegal shooting party on Home Farm land and drags Lydia into the cover-up.
Kim pulls strings to surprise Lydia with a Jason Donovan concert at The Woolpack, because village life clearly wasn’t surreal enough.
When Kim investigates the dodgy shoot, she’s left badly injured and alone in the woods, fearing she’ll never be found.
Pollard ropes Kerry into a money scheme, Vinny’s hopes with Lewis are trampled by Kammy, and the Christmas fayre looks like a festive flop.

Monday: Sam quits on Joe and Lydia questions Kim’s loyalty

Sam walks out and the Dingles’ money problems get worse

Joe is fuming after catching Sam stealing trees, and Sam finally snaps and stands up to his boss instead of just apologising and grabbing a broom. The row leads to Sam quitting his job completely, which is brave, principled, and financially catastrophic in equal measure.

Back at the Dingle end of the village, the reality hits that walking out means even less cash to throw at their already terrifying pile of bills. Lydia can see Sam’s pride, but she can also see the price of electricity, so she urges him to swallow his anger and get the job back before they’re cooking Christmas dinner over a candle.

Lydia starts to doubt Kim’s “support”

When Lydia clocks Kim’s miserly raffle donation for the Christmas fayre, the scales start to fall from her eyes about just how generous the Home Farm boss really is. It’s hard to preach loyalty to your staff while flinging small change at village fundraising, and Joe’s treatment of Sam only rubs more salt in.

Lydia begins to wonder whether the Tates have burned their bridges with the Dingles for good, even as she tries to push Sam back towards the job that’s keeping them afloat. It’s a very Emmerdale sort of dilemma, where your moral compass and your bank balance are permanently arguing in the corner.

Tuesday: The illegal shoot and Lydia’s impossible juggling act

Sam’s dodgy money-making plan takes shape

With no wages and plenty of panic, Sam decides the best way to fix a financial mess is, naturally, to commit a crime on the land of the woman who terrifies him. He starts organising a secret, illegal shooting party at Home Farm, hoping a day of paying punters with guns will plug the hole in the Dingle finances.

He ropes Lydia into the scheme, asking her to keep Kim distracted while the shoot goes ahead behind her back. It’s the sort of plan that sounds clever for about three seconds, right up until you remember Kim owns the estate, the villagers gossip for a living, and nothing in Emmerdale stays secret past lunchtime.

Lydia is pulled between the shoot and the Christmas fayre

Lydia quickly finds herself double-booked, with the shooting party demanding food while Kim insists she needs Lydia’s help at the fayre. She’s basically catering for a dodgy countryside stag do and a wholesome village fundraiser at the same time, which is a new level of multitasking even for Emmerdale.

Desperate not to let Sam down or alert Kim to what’s happening on her land, Lydia tries to keep all the plates spinning with a fixed smile and rising panic. She has no idea that Kim is quietly planning something huge for her, which makes the whole cover-up feel even more like a disaster waiting to happen.

Wednesday: Jason Donovan brings star power to The Woolpack

Lydia’s dream night out at the pub

Kim eventually orders Lydia to The Woolpack, and what looks like just another shift turns into the kind of surreal evening you only get when the casting team has gone delightfully rogue. Lydia walks in to find Jason Donovan himself waiting to perform, and for once her jaw drops for a good reason rather than sheer horror.

Jason launches into a special concert for the villagers, who are suddenly living in a crossover episode between Emmerdale and every 90s nostalgia playlist ever created. The Woolpack crowd laps it up, and Jason seems genuinely touched by the warm welcome, probably because no one has yet asked him to pull a pint or officiate a Dingle wedding.

The Christmas fayre plans creak under pressure

While the village is distracted by actual pop royalty in the back room, Lydia, Nicola and Claudette are quietly panicking about the Christmas fayre. Ticket sales are dire, enthusiasm is patchy, and even the bunting looks like it’s lost the will to live.

They cling to the hope that things will come together, but the mood isn’t exactly helped when people visibly wince at the mention of Bob’s promised performance. It’s hard to flog raffle tickets when your headline act makes everyone wish for a sudden power cut.

Thursday: Kim investigates the shoot and disaster strikes

Vanessa sounds the alarm and Kim heads into the woods

Out at Home Farm, Vanessa spots the illegal shoot taking place and realises something is very wrong. She alerts Kim, who wastes no time heading out to see exactly what Sam has been up to on her land.

Kim marches into the woods with that familiar mix of fury and icy focus, clearly expecting to shut down a bit of Dingle dodginess and get back to the fayre. Instead, she suffers a nasty leg injury that leaves her stranded on the ground, miles from help and facing a very different kind of showdown.

Kim faces the possibility she may not be found

Unable to move and with the shoot continuing elsewhere, Kim realises just how serious her situation is. The woman who usually controls every room she walks into is suddenly at the mercy of the elements and the clock, which is not a position she tolerates well.

As the light fades and no one comes, she starts to genuinely accept that she might not be found in time. It’s a chilling contrast to the festive chaos back in the village, and a reminder that Emmerdale likes its Christmas storylines with a generous side order of dread.

Friday: Pollard’s scheme, Vinny’s frustration and a wobbling Christmas fayre

Kerry finds £15k and Pollard owns up

Kerry is stunned to discover a bank account in her name with fifteen grand sitting in it, which is the kind of surprise that usually comes with a scam warning attached. Jacob advises her not to touch a penny in case it’s dodgy, which, given the postcode, is statistically likely.

Pollard eventually admits he’s behind the account, explaining that he’s using her as a middle person to move tax-free money to Jacob. Kerry is rightly furious about being signed up for “Pollard’s dodgy bank” without consent, but she softens when he explains it’s about securing Jacob’s future if Sarah’s illness takes a tragic turn.

Vinny just wants time alone with Lewis

Over at the more awkward end of village romance, Vinny is keen to spend proper one-on-one time with Lewis and actually get to know him better. He puts together what he thinks is a subtle plan for some quiet hanging out, which for Vinny basically means trying not to babble and staring at Lewis’s cardigan.

Unfortunately Kammy turns up, blissfully unaware he’s gatecrashing what could have been a date or at least a meaningful chat. Vinny is left playing third wheel in his own love story, stewing in frustration and silently begging the universe for just one evening without a chaperone.

The Christmas fayre and Bob’s big moment

Nicola, Lydia and Claudette are still battling to flog tickets for the Christmas fayre, trying to sound enthusiastic while mentally calculating how much money they’re about to lose. Jimmy does his best to gee everyone up, insisting it will all come together on the day, as if optimism alone can fix village apathy.

Bob, meanwhile, throws himself into planning his performance, blissfully unaware that enthusiasm for his big number is even lower than the ticket sales. If the fayre doesn’t pull in a crowd, it might not be the weather to blame so much as the prospect of Bob doing showbiz in a novelty jumper.

Across the week: Dingle fallout and Kim’s uncertain future

The cost of Sam’s decision and what comes next

By the end of the week, Sam’s attempt to protect his pride and finances has put Kim’s life in serious danger and dragged Lydia into a moral mess. The Dingles are left staring at the fallout, wondering how they’re meant to claw their way back from illegal shoots, furious Tates and potential manslaughter level guilt.

At the same time, the village is buzzing about Jason Donovan’s visit, fretting over the Christmas fayre and quietly laughing at Pollard trying to pretend this latest scam is actually a noble gesture. With Kim’s fate hanging in the balance, Emmerdale sets up a grimly compelling run-in to Christmas, where even a cosy pub concert can’t drown out the trouble brewing in the woods.

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