Viewers beware: tonight’s episode of Emmerdale is set to feature traumatic scenes of Piper the dog in peril as monstrous Tom King drives at her in his latest attempt to control Belle.
Last night’s episode of the soap saw Tom grow frustrated when Belle rejected his latest attempt to get back with her. Tom tried to win her over with a brand-new car, but Belle was having none of it – and told him that she had no intention of reconciling.
“The reason I won’t accept [the car] is because I don’t want to get back together. I need space, Tom. I need you to stop contacting me,” she told him.
Tom tried his hardest to manipulate his wife. However, Belle stood her ground, even as he attempted to imply that he’d end his own life.
“I have to put myself first,” she told him. But what will spurned Tom do next?
Emmerdale spoilers: Tom tries to run Piper down
Tom’s horrific behaviour is set to worsen in tonight’s episode, as he attempts to harm Piper in an attempt to get Belle back under his thumb.
“Tom is well aware of the control he can exert by using his dog in his abuse of Belle,” said James Chase, who plays Tom King on the soap.
He continued: “This deliberate act, although horrifying, is Tom’s way of getting back in Belle’s life. He knows her reaction to Piper being injured will mean he can then be the one to comfort her and get close to her again. It’s a desperate act, but Tom is clutching at anything at this time.”
Emmerdale producer reveals ‘desperate measures’ for Tom
Producers at Emmerdale consulted with charities Refuge and The Dogs Trust in creating the storyline. Emmerdale producer Laura shaw said: “Working with the charities and hearing first hand stories from domestic abuse survivors it’s clearly all too common that domestic abusers will use the family pet as a weapon.
“In upcoming scenes Viewers will see Tom go to desperate measures to try and keep control of his imploding marriage to Belle, which puts Piper in great jeopardy. Could this terrible act be the motivation that finally urges Belle to report her husband as an abuser?”
This isn’t the first time that Tom has used Piper to get to Belle. In previous episodes, he poisoned the poor pup so as to try and convince Belle to stay at home and look after her.
More recently, he locked her out overnight as he and Belle stayed in an isolated cottage in Wales.
Viewers were so outraged that regulator Ofcom had to sift through 850 complaints in the aftermath.
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2024? Cast exits, arrivals and returns.
Emmerdale usually airs on weekdays at 7:30pm, with an hour long episode on Thursdays.
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