It’s not the first time Emmerdale has caused a shock, but this time, they’ve gone bigger by confirming a character’s death in the ITVX premiere – before the episode airs on TV.

As soon as the news dropped, the entire Emmerdale fan page was on fire as everyone wanted to know who died, how, and how it would affect relationships that were at their peak.

According to the leak, the character’s death was discovered in a sudden, unwarranted situation.

The scene is haunting: a body lying in the middle of a barn, dim lighting, rain pattering on the tin roof.

When Moira walks in and recognizes the identity, she screams, a scream that can be heard all the way to the village.

In keeping with the spoiler spirit, the news only reveals that the death is directly related to the Bear – Celia – Ray line, and it’s very possible that this character knew too much. Many viewers speculated that it could be one of those trapped like Bear, or someone who accidentally discovered Celia’s secret.

The bigger twist: this character was discovered in the same area where Bear was previously held. This led Paddy to suspect that Bear was not the only victim, and that Celia and Ray’s network was more sinister than anyone had thought.

A scene in the preview shows a trembling Moira telling Paddy:
“If we had arrived a few days later… Bear could have been the one lying there.”

The words cut like a knife into the audience’s heart. And while the village has yet to recover from the shock, the final scene of the trailer shows police cars pulling up to Celia’s farm – signaling that the villain’s day of reckoning is near.

This death not only ends one character arc, but also opens a new chapter: the war between the people of Emmerdale and the underground forces that reign under the peaceful ground.