New whodunnit for Emmerdale as Robert Sugden is shot

Tense scenes will see Robert take a bullet and then flatline in hospital as he's rushed into surgery. But which villager hates him enough to want to end his life?

"At the point when he's shot, everyone has made it clear that they don't like Robert," admits actor Ryan Hawley. "Chas has told him to drop dead, his relationship with Andy is irreparable, Aaron has made it apparent that he doesn't like him and Lawrence finds out that Robert orchestrated the raid at Home Farm. So all of Robert's relationships are at the end of their tether."

In the run-up to the shooting, Andy will be seen raging at Robert after discovering the truth about his brother's involvement in Katie's demise.

At the Woolpack, Chas finds out that Aaron helped Robert cover up Katie's death and makes a shock outburst that she feels like killing Robert. And Aaron himself wastes no time in branding Robert a pathetic money-grabbing coward.

Over at Home Farm, the list of potential suspects increases further when Lawrence is told the truth about last year's break-in and also that Robert recently set him up with rent boy Connor. With Chrissie vowing to make things right for everyone who Robert has hurt, the stage is soon set for one aggrieved villager to take revenge.

But how does Hawley feel about Robert being the one in the firing line? "Playing a character who's so conniving and scheming is a lot of fun. It means I'm always central to the conflict. I've been very lucky that the show has had such faith in me and given me all this stuff to do."

And does he think that viewers will be wanting Robert to pull through or die a horrible death? "Well, I hope there are people who empathise with him and don't just see him as a monster. I think Robert probably divides people. Some will absolutely hate him, others might love to hate him, and maybe some feel sorry for him. I'd like to think that there are people who'll be hoping he doesn't die!"

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of Emmerdale below.

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