Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) has become a thorn in John Sugden’s (Oliver Farnworth) side in Emmerdale.
The character made a discovery a few weeks ago in the form of learning John had told a massive lie about a man from his past called Aidan Moore. Mack learnt from John’s old mate Connor that Aidan was alive, but in a coma in hospital.
This giant red flag prompted Mack to race over to Aaron Dingle’s (Danny Miller) flat and tell him everything. At first, Aaron wondered if he was doing the right thing marrying John, as this lie was a sign he didn’t know him very well.
Debating the cancellation of the wedding lasted all of five minutes for Aaron, as he put John back in his good books when he helped Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) after he was attacked.
John was the person who attacked him by the way, but Aaron doesn’t know this…obviously.
In upcoming episodes, Mackenzie and John face off again at the stag do. It involves army gear and paintballing, and John decides this is the perfect place to enact another revenge plan against Mack…one that he hopes to actually get right this time.
Discussing these scenes, star Lawrence Robb did not hesitate in telling us Mack’s future remains uncertain with John in the Dales.
‘The thing is with John, he obviously k.i.l.l.e.d Nate but he didn’t do it intentionally. Could he go all the way with Mackenzie? I absolutely do think so. If John were to fall into that kind of spiral of being a serial k.i.l.l.e.r, Mackenzie would be right at the top of that list. So on that basis, Mackenzie’s life is in jeopardy.’
He added: ‘I don’t think Mackenzie has seen the threat that John is, at this stage, so if there is a warning from John it’s not heeded by Mackenzie. If anything, it spurs him on. I don’t think anybody really knows how dangerous John is. If Mackenzie did, I think he would probably tread more carefully.’
Disaster will strike for the entire village soon when Moira (Natalie J Robb) finds a leak in the slurry tank and the finger is immediately pointed at Mackenzie.
The family are then told the main water supply has been impacted and the lake has to be dredged – the same lake John put Nate’s (Jurell Carter) body in when he k.i.l.l.e.d the man last year.
‘John is the harbinger of his own doom in that respect, just to get one back on Mackenzie’, Lawrence noted.
‘That’s basically John just trying to have a go back at Mackenzie, because at that stage Mackenzie is thinking he’s won, kind of. He certainly outdoes him at the stag do. It puts even more wind in Mackenzie’s sails knowing that John used to be in the army and Mackenzie outdoes him in paint-balling. That spurs John’s actions on to try and get one back at Mackenzie.’
‘We didn’t use real paint balls and that was disappointing’, he laughed reflecting on filming the stag do strand of the story.
‘I would have loved to have used real paint balls, but apparently it was a continuity nightmare so we didn’t do it. It was great. It didn’t feel like we were shooting Emmerdale for the day. I had a costume change whereby everyone’s in camo gear and Mackenzie sneaks off and changes into a ghillie suit and comes out of the bushes in a ghillie suit, looking like a big green yeti.
‘That was brilliant. It was also quite a hot day, I remember, so it was spicy under there!’.
