The following article contains spoilers from the episode of Emmerdale dated June 4. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX and YouTube.
Doctor Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker) has given Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) one more day to get the rest of the money she owes her in Emmerdale.
This week, Charity got her hopes up and believed that Kim Tate (Claire King) would buy her shares in the Woolpack. She intended on using the money from the sale to silence Dr Todd, who knows that Leyla is actually Charity and Ross Barton’s (Michael Parr) daughter.
Unfortunately, Kim told Charity that she was no longer interested. This woman is desperate, but the news from Kim pushed Charity into believing that she could get away with committing a crime and get rid of Todd at the same time.
A drunk Charity and reluctant Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) broke into Home Farm with the intention of stealing money from the safe and giving it to Caitlin. Their plan didn’t work as they were caught by Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick), who let them go without letting Kim know.
Back at home, Chas concluded that failing to rob Home Farm was a sign that Charity now needed to tell Sarah the truth.
But she didn’t want to. Instead, Charity secretly plotted to rob the depot by stealing keys from Noah Dingle (Jack Downham).
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Chas worked out what Charity was doing and found her there in today’s instalment. Hiding from Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle), the duo listened in as Billy worked out that someone had robbed some items from a box, and then called Caleb Miligan (William Ash) about it.
Charity managed to secure £30k from the depot robbery and handed it to Doctor Todd later that day. The woman was immediately annoyed, as it didn’t complete the full £100,000.
Caitlin made things perfectly clear to Charity. She said that if she doesn’t find the rest of the cash by tomorrow, she will reveal the secret about baby Leyla at Sarah’s 21st birthday party.
This week, Emmerdale confirmed that this storyline will take a harrowing turn in the episode set to be broadcasted on Sunday, June 7, as Doctor Todd will sexually assault Charity.
The ITV soap aims to explore the complex feelings of isolation that survivors can experience, particularly in the context of female-on-female assault.
In the instalments that follow, Charity will struggle to come to terms with the attack, having to choose between confiding in her loved ones, or internalising the trauma.
Producer of the show Sophie Roper discussed the important storyline and said: ‘Charity’s storyline will explore the impact of sexual violence, and though this heinous act is fundamentally about power, we’ll explore the complexities of how Charity processes her trauma when the perpetrator is a woman.
‘With little conversation surrounding female-on-female assault, we’ll explore the overwhelming feelings of isolation many survivors experience and will examine the disparity between the legal term sexual assault and the fact that many women in Charity’s position feel this minimises what’s happened to them, because they feel like they’ve been raped.
‘Though difficult viewing at times, Charity’s resilience will inspire hope as she confronts what has happened to her.’
Star Emma Atkins added: ‘This has been one of the most demanding and significant storylines I’ve had to navigate as Charity. We know her as a tough, resilient character, but this trauma will expose a deep, raw vulnerability that has been heartbreaking at times to play.
‘I hope this storyline gives even one person the courage to speak out or helps others understand the quiet devastation of trauma.’
