Shortly after Bear disappeared, behind-the-scenes news began to spread, making the audience even more curious.

It was actress Lisa Riley – who played Mandy – who caused a stir when she revealed at the National Television Awards that she had read the Christmas script and knew exactly where Bear was.

“I read it. And I promise you: it’s an unprecedented moment in the history of television,” Lisa Riley affirmed.

“I told my husband, Alan, and he was so shocked that he just said: ‘This has never been done before.'”

That sharing made the audience hold their breath. In the show, Mandy was the one who was most heartbroken when Bear left, always eager to know the truth. And in real life, it was the actress who played her who held the secret that made the entire Emmerdale fan community boil.

What could possibly make the entire television industry admit that it has “never been done before”? Where has Bear been these past months? Has he been drawn into a criminal conspiracy? Or has he been transformed by an event beyond imagination?

The more questions, the more drawn in the audience. And Mandy – both on screen and off – is the bridge that leads viewers to the terrifying twist that is about to unfold.