Emmerdale’s Robert Sugden returns after 6 years as star Ryan Hawley speaks out

Emmerdale delivered the biggest of all twists as Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) staged an unexpected return, gatecrashing the wedding of one true love Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) and his new flame John (Oliver Farnworth).

It was a moment years in the making and one that certainly didn’t disappoint, proving to be a truly classic soap comeback.

Robert, as viewers know, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the d.e.a.t.h of rapist Lee Posner. He subsequently cut all contact with soulmate Aaron and filed for divorce.

Aaron struggled to process the loss but ultimately he moved on, finding love with John – who happens to be a long-lost sibling of Robert’s but that’s a story for another day.

John, as fans are aware, has what appears to be God complex in that he puts the lives of those around them in danger and plays the hero, swooping in last minute to rescue them.

Nate Robinson (Jurrell Carter) fell victim to such a thing and unfortunately for him, it proved fatal, with John failing to ‘rescue’ him in time.

The k.i.l.l.e.r disposed of Nate’s body in a lake but has been suffering nightmares all week, believing that someone will gatecrash the ceremony and expose his secrets.

While the motive might not exactly be to expose his secrets, John’s theory was pretty spot on, as his half-brother – and more importantly his lover’s ex-husband – stormed through the doors just in time to stop the ceremony.

No, you’re crying.

Enter Robert

‘Robert’s back after six years!,’ exclaim actor Ryan Hawley, discussing his comeback. ‘And a lot has happened during this time in the village and for Robert.

‘Two very different worlds, the village and Robert’s reality in prison. And out of the blue, just in the nick of time, Robert turns up at Aaron’s wedding to John.

‘It sets up a fantastic few episodes to finish off the wedding week which shows how the incident of Robert turning up will resolve itself.

‘It’s a massive dilemma for Aaron, who’s found John as a new love in his life and then he’s got Robert, who used to be the love of his life, turn up! He’s got a massive decision to make.

‘I guess all the weight is on Aaron’s shoulders. What’s Robert doing there, has he got ulterior motives, does he know something about John? How has he even found out that this wedding was taking place? There’s a lot to unpick and so much to be revealed over the next few nights. It’s a great few episodes and I’m really excited to see them.’

Back for good?

When asked if Robert is back for long, Ryan had this to say: ‘Well Ryan is back, but Robert is still technically in prison so we shall have to wait and see how that works out!’

Consider us intrigued.

The actor, however, was quick to brand his return to Emmerdale ‘fantastic’, revealing that it’s ‘more fun’ that he thought it was going to be.

‘We’ve been filming some great stuff, there’s a lot more to Robert’s return than just the value of opening the door.,’ he enthused.

‘I’ve been having so much fun, everyone’s been lovely, and there are a lot of familiar faces and loads of really positive energy about the place. There’s lots of drama, lots of conflict. There’s the dilemma for Aaron and John and also his return affects so many other people in the village.’

The excitement is real.