Last week, fans of Emmerdale saw the tables turn for Robert Sugden when a mystery assailant shot him in the chest and left him fighting for his life. Robert's shooter – and two more secrets – will finally be revealed in a special hour-long episode.
While an exact airing date has yet to be released, show bosses have said the attacker will be unmasked in an episode at the end of October, to coincide with Emmerdale's 43rd birthday.
The long-running soap will break from its usual way of storytelling to reveal what really happened on that fateful night.
© Photo: ITVRobert Sugden's shooter and two more secrets will be revealed in a special episode
"This won't be the first time Emmerdale has broken its 'house style' of storytelling but it will be the first time we've told a story in a non-linear way," said series producer Kate Oates.
"What makes this 'rewind' episode special is that we won't just learn who shot Robert, but two other big secrets that will propel the show into an exciting, emotional and dramatic winter."
Emmerdale, which airs weekdays at 7pm on ITV and has an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays, first hit screens in mid-October 1972. The soap revolves around the Tate, Sugden, Dingle and King families, who are all based in the Yorkshire Dales.
© Photo: Getty ImagesNatalie Anderson left Emmerdale earlier this year after five years on the popular soap
Earlier this year HELLO! Online blogger Natalie Anderson revealed that she would be leaving the show after five years of starring as Alicia Metcalfe.
The 33-year-old actress, who has a three-year-old son Freddie with her husband James Shepherd, wrote in September: "Bidding farewell to Emmerdale was extremely hard as I've made some wonderful friends there and it has been such a huge part of my life over the past five years and so the build up to it was really strange.
"On the one hand I was extremely excited to be able to spend more time with my family alongside taking on new challenges, but on the other I was very nostalgic about it all. The last two weeks seemed to be on a countdown and filled with thoughts of 'that's the last time I'll work with that person, the last time I'll be on this set, the last time I'll wear that' etc.
"I’ve had an amazing time at Emmerdale and am so incredibly proud to have been part of such an iconic show and one that I've been a fan of since I was a child. There's absolutely no doubt that I will miss my friends there but I'm also very much looking forward to the next chapter now."
