Instead of starting 2026 with pies, wine, and joyful gatherings, Emmerdale is being spoiled for a new year filled with blood, tears, and bitter farewells.

Behind-the-scenes posts have hinted at “threats to life”—direct threats to the characters’ lives—and the possibility of some familiar faces leaving the village amidst extreme tragedy.

With the Celia-Ray-April-Rhona-Marlon-Moira-Cain storyline escalating, it’s almost certain that one of the main threats will be those caught in the eye of the storm:

Dylan is still not fully recovered from his car crash and injections, April could become a target for silencing if Celia and Ray think she’s starting to speak, and those who dare to resist, like Moira or Cain, are far from safe.

Just one unexpected “accident” or cleverly disguised attack is all it takes for Emmerdale to deliver a shocking death to the audience. Simultaneously, other storylines are heightened to create the feeling that the entire world is shaken at once: Kim Tate faces new troubles at Home Farm, possibly theft, fraud, or internal betrayal; Sam and Lydia may become even more deeply entangled in the scheme of borrowing money from the rich and failing to repay it;

couples already on shaky ground face inevitable breakups as old secrets are unearthed as a side effect of the conflict with Celia. Emmerdale is famous for its ability to use the New Year to create irreversible plot twists, so the New Year 2026 spoiler serves as a warning that no one is truly safe. Viewers will witness scenes that are both beautiful and painful: fireworks explode in the sky while, in a dark corner, a key character lies in a pool of blood;