‘Extreme’ Emmerdale storyline confirmed to be finished after fan backlash

Caleb Miligan’s (William Ash) feud with Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) reached new heights – or depths, given where Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly) ended up last week – in Emmerdale, and fans were sickened.

Joe’s unquenchable thirst for vengeance against the Miligan’s came after the death of Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) in the aftermath of the explosive car crash that annihilated their wedding marquee.

Dawn had only returned to Joe after discovering she’d been lied to and manipulated by her ex, Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle), himself a pawn of Caleb, who’d been conspiring to destroy Joe’s entire life.

The day before the wedding Caleb, could barely contain his glee and prematurely revelled in success of his plot, letting Joe know exactly what steps he’d taken and how he’d never see the woman he loved, or his unborn baby, ever again.

With Dawn dead in the aftermath of the crash, Joe buried Ruby alive, and, in a grotesque display of mirroring, taunted Caleb with how his wife was trapped in a coffin underground, fast running out of oxygen and ultimately suffocating.

Only the intervention of Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) saved Ruby, and in the days following the terrifying display, Caleb confirmed to Graham that their feud was now over, if only for the sake of deeply traumatised Ruby.

Caleb Miligan’s feud with Joe Tate has gone to extremes (Picture: ITV)

The fans – particularly those on Metro Soap’s Facebook page were less than impressed with the horror-esque twist.

Brian Manning said: ‘Could have done this a bit differently, do the producers realise how many people are absolutely terrified of being buried alive? They will cause a lot of anxiety amongst some viewers, it’s something you expect in a horror movie not a soap’.

Carol Ann Wood replied: ‘Think this is a horrible story line making me feel quite anxious’, while Elaine Stevens also agreed with Brian: ‘I agree, I felt physically sick and panicky seeing Ruby in the coffin. I know she was perfectly safe and it’s all pretend. I can’t watch I’m a celebrity when they put people in ‘coffins”.

John Collins said: ‘This soap is getting more like the House of Hammer films gruesome to say the least’, with Maria Sharpe agreeing: ‘I couldn’t watch it, I have a absolute terror of being buried alive after watching a film years ago. It’s a soap not a horror movie’.

Mary O’Callaghan added: ‘It’s a soap not a horror, so don’t make it one’ and Glenda Baker also chimed in with: ‘Yes i agree it’s much too dark for an early evening show, no wonder there is a lot of mental health issues nowadays especially with children, it’s a step too far pack it in’.

Too far? (Picture: Amy Brammall/ITV)

When Metro spoke to William Ash at the Cure Usher Ball, he agreed that things got ‘a bit extreme’.

‘I think it’s kind of gone as far as it can go now, hasn’t it? You never know what the writers have in store, but it was pretty drastic, I think, that end bit,’ he said.

‘Burying her alive and then not taking her to hospital afterwards – it’s a bit extreme.’

While it sounds like this may be the end of Caleb and Joe’s escalating feud for now, Will did admit that things won’t be completely plain sailing for Caleb and Ruby going forward.

‘We’ve got some conflict coming up, I think,’ he teased, admitting that that’s the most fun to play as an actor.

‘It gets a bit dull when everyone’s getting on and everybody’s having a nice time with each other. Hopefully real life is like that, but with Emmerdale you’ve got to have the conflict there, and that’s the best stuff to play.’

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