Emmerdale confirms special hour-long Belle Dingle episode in format shake up amid evil husband Tom King’s abuse
EMMERDALE will air a different episode format following another showdown between Tom King and Belle Dingle.
The ITV soap will air a harrowing one-hour long episode focusing on Belle and her imagined futures which will play out with different scenarios.
Viewers will see more than one future she could be faced with amid her ordeal at the hands of abusive husband Tom King.
Tom coercively controlled wife Belle for months before turning violent.
And next week, the domestic violence storyline reaches a huge point.
After another tense confrontation with manipulative Tom, Belle’s suffering continues and she will be left in a daze wandering through the village.
Then three different potential future realities that could happen to Belle will play out.
Viewers will experience the emotional scenes through Belle’s eyes.
The aftermath of the episode may push Belle to reveal all to her family and the police.
Tom’s behaviour has shocked viewers after spying on Belle through cameras and making others believe Belle was mentally unstable.
He also ran over their dog Piper and allowed Belle to believe she had died.
However, fans were left outraged to learn that Piper didn’t die and Tom actually gave the dog away.
Taking to X – formerly Twitter – one fan said: “I knew Piper wasn’t dead! But I hope Belle finds out eventually and gets her back.”
Another added: “Piper is alive! And Belle is starting to work with the police against Tom. Let’s just pray the end is near.”
A third penned: “I had a gut feeling that Tom King didn’t kill Piper! He’s just torturing poor Belle! Still more to come on that storyline.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.