A special one-off Emmerdale episode is set to hit our screens centring around Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) as his dream of becoming a doctor seems to go tragically wrong.
The episode will focus on Jacob during his first day on placement at A&E, where things do not go at all as planned.
Jacob is buzzing that he’s finally getting to walk the halls of A&E. It’s a four-week placement he’s been waiting for – he’ll be able to get stuck in with observations and have the hands-on experience he’s craved.
Hours of revision and exams have led to this moment; it’s a big deal and he kicks it off with a quick selfie outside of the hospital.
He’s quite rightly proud of himself, and heads in to meet the doctor who will be overseeing his placement.
Dr Todd is there to keep a close eye on Jacob, who actor Joe-Warren Plant describes as ‘she is strict she is also understanding.’ A little foreshadowing there that Jacob will see her dark side.
He’s in a fast-paced and dangerous environment – lives are on the line and there is a heck of a lot going on. Joe-Warren reveals that Jacob soon gets overwhelmed, which could lead to dangerous decisions.
‘I think it’s only later on in the day when the apprehensions start to show and he does start to feel a little overwhelmed,’ he says. A hint of things to come.
As the day progresses, things start to go terribly wrong – and with lives hanging in the balance, that isn’t an option. Dr Todd might be firm but fair, but there’s no room for Dr Nice when tragedy strikes.
The episode was filmed on roaming steady-cams to capture the frenetic nature of the emergency department, with Jacob at the epicentre.
‘When I first went up to the meeting with the producer Sophie, she told me there was going to be an hour-long episode coming up dedicated to Jacob’s first day of placement on A&E. I remember being hit with all these emotions,’ Joe-Warren shared.
‘Knowing how many people have this high-pressure job and I felt the pressure to really knuckle down with it and get it right. Tackling this storyline scared me a bit at first but to know but they trusted me to tell it, it means a lot and I do feel very honoured.’
But how wrong does it all go for the aspiring doctor?
