Emmerdale actors Zoë Henry and Mark Charnock, who play Rhona Goskirk and Marlon Dingle, have spoken about the soap’s harrowing coercive control storyline.
Over a long period in the beloved ITV show viewers have watched in horror as Tom King (James Chase)’s behaviour towards wife Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) has become increasingly more abusive.
And tonight’s special episode of the soap, which focuses attention on a dinner party thrown by the couple for his vet colleagues and their partners, including Marlon and Rhona, is set to lift the lid on the terrifying reality of Belle’s life with Tom.
Teasing about what to expect from the special, which showcases two different viewpoints of the same dinner party, Mark said the second half will ‘plunge into darkness.’
On today’s Good Morning Britain, he said: ‘The second half really plunges the episode into a darkness that the other characters don’t know is there.’
Speaking more generally about the storyline, he said: ‘It’s a very difficult storyline to take on and I think the way [Eden] is doing it. so subtle and so small, almost invisible to the naked eye, is all too common in those contexts.’
Zoë also said that the Emmerdale team worked with domestic abuse charities ‘very closely and every step of the way’ and read scripts concerning the storyline ahead of the cast.
As for Marlon and Rhona’s role in the dinner party, Zoë said: ‘We’re there as the red herring in a way. We’re actually the “normal” couple of there is such a thing and we’re quite openly dysfunctional.
‘What it does is it gives the audience to see how we are and also see from the flipside which is where Tom and Belle are. ‘
In the episode, viewers will watch Tom become critical of Belle and ask her to change while Marlon and Rhona have a fight which leads to the guests making excuses to leave.
The first half of the special will focus around the perspectives of Rhona and Marlon while the second part of the episode will rewind to the start of the dinner party to capture the events from Belle and Tom’s point of view, offering a glimpse into Tom’s controlling behaviour.
Speaking previously about the episode, Mark said: ‘It’s a one-off in terms of structure and it’s a very different sort of episode where you kind of go back and forth in time during the dinner party.
‘What it’s really cleverly done is it’s got what’s happening on stage, which is the dinner party, and what’s happening off stage, which is in the kitchen between Tom and Belle.
‘So we see two charming hosts hosting these different couples and then when the hosts go back into the kitchen we see the darkness of what’s going on between them. Meanwhile on stage you’ve got these happy couples – Mandy and Paddy and Vanessa and Suzy.
‘And then there’s Rhona and Marlon who appear to be completely falling apart in front of everybody.’
Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 7.30pm on ITV and STV.
