Emmerdale star James Hooton discusses shock death storyline
Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Note: The following article contains discussion of topics including rape and sexual misconduct.
Emmerdale puts the Dingle court back in session next week as Lydia seeks answers over the mysterious death of Craig Reed.
The long-running soap is about to air a special set of episodes, as a tense lock-in at The Woolpack sees Lydia quiz her family after Craig's body is found.
Following the news that Craig won't face police charges for raping Lydia, one member of the Dingle clan appears to have taken justice into their own hands – but who is the killer among them?
James Hooton, who plays Sam Dingle, recently caught up with us for a chat about what's in store.
What can you tell us about Lydia getting the family together next week?
"There's a court of 12 angry Dingles! Lydia wants to get to the bottom of who killed Craig.
"We start with the finger being pointed at Cain and Sam, because they'd taken it upon themselves to take Craig to a disused farm warehouse and they tied him up."
How has Sam been coping since Lydia confided in him about her ordeal?
"It's been a mixture of things. At the time, Sam was devastated as he'd been thinking that his wife didn't love him anymore and she was going to leave him. There'd been a question mark over whether Lydia had an affair or not.
"When Sam found out that Lydia was raped, it was a shock and he experienced all of the emotions that come from finding out something like that. Sam is a bit lost at some points, but he just wants to make sure that his wife is okay.
"That's what leads to Sam and Cain taking matters into their own hands by kidnapping Craig in a farm outhouse building. Sam is quite an emotional character."
Sam has found it difficult to watch Lydia struggling so much, hasn't he?
"Absolutely. Sam always wants what's best for his wife. He loves Lydia beyond belief and he is extremely loyal – almost to a fault.
"Sam doesn't always follow the requests that Lydia has given him. Lydia was quite clear that she didn't want the Dingles exacting their own revenge. There's been a dilemma for Sam over whether he should listen to her request or not."
Can you tell us how next week's episodes are different to a typical week?
"It's great how the episodes are filmed – the director, Gary Williams, was just amazing with us all. He got us through quite a massive block of episodes, which are mainly centred around the Dingles in The Woolpack.
"What's different is the flashbacks. The spotlight is on different individuals throughout the various episodes. The week centres around the idea that everybody in the room is concealing some kind of secret, which may or may not lead to Lydia discovering who has killed Craig."
Are the family honest when Lydia questions them?
"They're all concealing something from the group when they recount their stories. They're lying to each other, basically!"
How common is it to have all the Dingles in one place like this?
"There's been various occasions where we probably have got together in an environment like The Woolpack, but not quite in this way.
"These episodes do break the mould slightly. The concept that was laid out to us was quite an interesting one. We're paying homage to the 12 Angry Men film from the 1950s. It's been an interesting departure from our usual filming regime."
What was the atmosphere like when you were filming?
"We had a total of seven days filming in The Woolpack. It can be quite long days at the best of times in The Woolpack, but it helped that it was a group of us who tend to get on well with each other.
"We had various tactics to get through the day. Mark Charnock [who plays Marlon] even came up with a game we could play while we were waiting around.
"We had as good a laugh as it's possible to have during the process of this filming. Obviously, it's quite heavy subject matter, so you've got to find ways to get through the working day.
"I think we got what Gary Williams, our esteemed director, wanted us to get out of these episodes."
Were there different filming techniques used?
"Yes, there's an overhead shot which I'm led to believe is a homage to 12 Angry Men, but it's a very long time since I've seen it so I can't really recall!
"There was a sense that we were doing things slightly differently. The last day of filming was pretty much centred around this overhead camera and then focusing on each individual before their flashbacks started.
"Not being technically minded, I had no idea what was going on, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what the episodes are like and how it comes across."
With so many secrets, this week will spin off new stories for the Dingle family, won't it?
"Yeah, which I find very interesting. It's not something that we've done in Emmerdale before. I'm not privy to how all these other story strands progress – whether they all come to fruition, or whether we just concentrate on some of them beyond the telling of Craig's death story.
"But I think it's quite an innovative way of drawing an audience into what is quite a harrowing storyline."
After initially being questioned by Lydia, Sam later reveals that there's more to his story. Can you tell us more?
"I think we come to realise that Sam is concealing further information, that could lead to a conclusion as to what's happened to Craig."
Will the audience know the truth by the end of the week?
"They will definitely know what happened to Craig, yes."
Do you think Sam has the potential to kill?
"It's an existential, philosophical question, isn't it? I would say that any one of us, given the right set of circumstances, has it within them to kill."
Will Lydia and Sam be forever changed by this ordeal?
"I think anyone in real life would be ultimately changed, on some level, from an ordeal such as this. God forbid anyone has to go through that set of circumstances.
"Given the death of the individual concerned and everything else that happens, there is a question mark over whether Sam and Lydia can get back to a sense of normality. You would hope that their bond and strength as a couple allows that to happen over time.
"Lydia, Sam and Samson are a strong family unit, despite the perils and problems they've faced, so we hope that love prevails as a family."
What do you make of the Dingles self-governing through their own court like we see in these episodes?
"In the old days, we used to have a strange old Dingle bible and a gavel that was actually some form of soup ladle!
"Within this immoral village in which we all dwell, I think there is a moral code. The Dingle code is often put forward as this code which the family genuinely live by – so break it at your peril. It's left up to the audience to decide whether the Dingles have a moral through-line or not."
Why do you think the Dingle family have become such a success?
"I don't know! When the Dingles first came into the show, it was before my time – it was 1994 and I joined in January 1995. They were billed as this underclass, outsider family. That's how they started out and they gradually became integrated within the village.
"Like any bacteria or virus, they have spread through every annal of village life in and around Emmerdale! We've been integrated into most aspects of village life and consequently have been involved in several deaths, marriages, births and everything else in between.
"I don't know what the winning formula is for a soap family, but for each one of us, the character breakdowns that we received in our auditions was quite pronounced and individual.
"There are certain character traits within each individual and I think that makes the Dingles quite a unique family. They're diverse in their characters, but they all seem to gel together and come together as a family unit."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contactRAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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