Emmerdale spoilers: Natalie J Robb reveals all about the attack on Moira and Adam Barton

In scenes to be shown on Thursday 5 December, local thug Marcus (the man whose line of work recently resulted in Ross Barton getting a gunshot wound) and his gang head to Butler’s Farm, where they quickly make their presence felt by setting upon Adam and locking Moira in her refrigerator van.

“It wasn’t nice at all shooting those scenes because I have to witness my screen son getting beaten up in front of me,” explains Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira. “In fact, Moira is fearing that they could even kill him because they’re big guys. They also trash the farm and burn all the equipment from the food-processing factory. It’s devastating for Moira because it’s everything she’s built up and worked for when she was married to John.”

When Cain and Ross arrive back, they are met by a scene of sheer devastation. “They’re too late. Moira is still locked in the van when they show up. But once she’s freed, it’s a case of hunting for Adam because she doesn’t know where they’ve dragged him off to. She thinks he might even be in the fire.”

And does Moira blame Cain for what has happened – after all, these are his shady business contacts? “Yes, she does feel that Cain is to blame. Even though she’s said that she doesn’t want to change him, she realises that she’s in way too deep. At that point and in that moment, she does feel that she could walk away from him. But she knows that she still loves him and that’s the problem. She’s in love with a bad boy.”