Charity fears IVF failure in Emmerdale — spoilers confirm baby joy and a possible shocking twist
Charity was left in tears on Wednesday nightCharity is bracing herself for disappointment after believing her IVF journey hasn’t been successful in tonight’s Emmerdale. But spoilers for next week show that a twist is coming — and it could bring the baby news she never expected.
Here’s what we know so far…
Charity’s surrogacy journey so far
After Sarah Sugden had an emergency hysterectomy during cancer surgery, her dreams of becoming a mum were destroyed. However grandad Cain Dingle suggested surrogacy and the family went hell for leather to make it happen.
Unfortunately, due to Sarah’s Fanconi Anaemia it means her life is limited, so no professional agency would touch her.
Charity approached Victoria Sugden, Sarah’s aunt, to carry the baby. But having gone through her first pregnancy after being raped, Vic felt she couldn’t do it again in such circumstances.
As Sarah was ready to throw in the towel, Charity offered to do it instead. Obviously the risks were huge, given Charity’s age and previous ectopic pregnancy. But she miraculously passed all the tests, and despite it threatening her marriage to Mackenzie Boyd, Charity went through with the implantation.
Now everyone is waiting patiently and hopefully (some more hopeful than others: we’re looking at you, Mack) to see if it has taken.
What happened in Emmerdale tonight and why does Charity think the treatment has failed?
After taking a fall on Tuesday night (August 5) Charity was worried, but didn’t confess to Sarah. On Wednesday, Charity was unable to sleep and wanted everyone to stop fussing. She distracted Sarah and Jacob with an engagement party idea.
The bash, organised at the last minute and thrown just after lunch, was a bit lacklustre. But it was clear something was going on with Charity. She was quiet and then she rushed off to the bathroom.
Vanessa sensed something wasn’t right (which is more than Mack did!) and went after her. Charity confessed she was bleeding and Vanessa gave her a big hug.
When Mackenzie did find out, he wanted her to tell Sarah, but Charity refused. Instead she went home to be alone.
Sarah however, followed her and Charity admitted she had been bleeding: “I don’t think it’s taken,” she cried. Sarah protested it might still be all right, but Charity told her: “I know my own body. I’m so sorry.”
Spoiler twist: Baby joy ahead for Charity and Sarah in Emmerdale
All is not lost, however, because spoilers for next week confirm Charity is pregnant.
With Charity convinced she’s not carrying a baby, she and Mack sit down to discuss where they go from here. Charity is surprised when Mack gives her his blessing to try again.
Cain is also keen to help and offers to pay for another round of private treatment using a secret stash of cash Moira doesn’t know about. Er, let’s hope she doesn’t find out eh as she might be a tad annoyed he didn’t use it to pay her fines!
In the end Cain doesn’t need to part with any money because the results from the clinic confirm that Charity is pregnant.
The positive news comes as a complete shock for Charity and Mack and Sarah and Jacob.
Sarah wants to tell everyone the news and makes a big baby announcement in the middle of The Woolpack. But does Charity really want the whole village knowing she’s expecting?
What fans are saying
However, viewers are sure there’s a twist in the tale ahead…
“So next week Charity is pregnant but she’s hiding something I bet it’s Mack baby and she’s going to lie to him and say it’s Sarah’s and Jacob’s,” mused one on X.
Another questioned: “Charity’s already pregnant!!! Is it Sarah and Jacob’s embryo, or what?”
“Why do I have the feeling Charity is going to get pregnant but not with Sarah and Jacob’s baby but with Mack’s?” added one more.
A fourth said: “Charity is actually going to be pregnant with Mack’s child isn’t she??”
Missed Call on Channel 5: Filming locations include historic European village with pesky drawback for cast and crew
Channel 5's Missed Call follows British teenager Katie Gleason who vanishes during a school exchange in southern France, but what filming locations were really used?
The five-part series stars TV favourite Joanna Scanlan as Katie's mother Sarah, who rushes to Saint-Michel in a desperate bid to find her daughter – and get answers.
However, once there, she is met with evasive police and hostility from Katie's powerful host family, the Morvans. Fraught mum Sarah launches her own investigation alongside local detective Lieutenant Virginie Taylor... And they subsequently exposed "buried secrets, abuse, corruption, and trafficking within the tight-knit town".
But does the Channel 5 thriller Missed Call really use France as a filming location? Here's everything you need to know about the "iconic natural settings" used by cast and crew.
[caption id="attachment_44274" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
Joanna Scanlan's character Sarah in the quiet coastal town of Saint-Michel, which is actually Manufacture Royale de Villeneuvette (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
Where is Missed Call set?
New Channel 5 thriller Missed Call is set in the "quiet coastal town of Saint-Michel". We're told a "disturbing scene unfolds deep in the woods" after teenager Katie Gleason goes missing during a school exchange in southern France.
Meanwhile in England, single mother Sarah Gleason awaits news from her daughter. However, late one night, Sarah misses a call from her daughter. When Katie suddenly stops answering messages, Sarah's concern turns to alarm. The host family, the school, and the supervising teacher all insist that Katie is simply out with friends. But something about their explanations feels wrong.
Unable to shake the feeling that her daughter is in danger, Sarah flies to France. Once in Saint-Michel, she finds a town reluctant to answer questions...
The events are set against the backdrop of picturesque French village Saint-Michel. But what filming locations were actually used in Missed Call on Channel 5?
[caption id="attachment_44394" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
A DFDS ferry navigating the Port of Dover in Missed Call (Credit: C5)[/caption]
Where was Missed Call on Channel 5 filmed?
Unlike most Channel 5 dramas recently, Missed Call was actually filmed where it's set! Well, sort of. Although the village of Saint-Michel isn't actually real, cast and crew did film in the South of France. Specifically the historic Manufacture Royale de Villeneuvette in Hérault (more on that below), although they stayed in nearby Montpellier.
The recent series The Teacher was set in Sheffield, but actually filmed in Northern Spain. And it's not unusual for thrillers such as The Game, The Couple Next Door, and Girl Taken to be set somewhere completely different to where filming took place.
However, Missed Call WAS filmed in France. In fact, every single scene moment was filmed in France, even the bits that are supposed to be British.
Cast and crew shot near Montpellier, where there are some very beautiful villages and towns. Filmed in summer 2025 with a largely French cast, Missed Call will also air in France with Joanna Scanlan's voice dubbed.
[caption id="attachment_44272" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
A panoramic view of the Château Saint-Martin-de-la-Garrigue, a historic French estate used as a filming location in Missed Call (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
Is the village of Saint-Michel real?
Although the village of Saint-Michel is not real, cast and crew of Missed Call stayed in and around Montpellier. Montpellier is described as a "vibrant, sunny city in southern France" specifically the Occitania region.
It's known or its medieval, pedestrian-only city center L'Écusson, world-renowned medical university – one of the oldest in Europe – and a blend of historic charm with modern architecture.
Montpellier is located 10km from the Mediterranean, and has close access to beaches. Its Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters, makes it an ideal filming location all year around.
Talking about filming in South France, President of Pernel Media Samuel Kissous said: "Missed Call is not your typical 'kidnapped girl' story. It has extremely surprising twists but all the clues are hidden in plain sight early on, giving a chance to astute viewers to decipher the truth!
"Filming in the actual location where the story is set, in some of the most iconic natural settings in the South of France, makes the story grounded in reality while providing viewers with a proper escapist pleasure."
[caption id="attachment_44393" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
The stunning Missed Call filming locations in the South of France (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
'Beautiful locations that have such deep, dark mysteries'
Missed Call is a five-part thriller series produced by Pernel Media for Channel 5. Pernel Media is a leading European production company established in 2009, headquartered both in France and in the UK.
Actor Rupert Graves told us about the perks of filming in France, saying: "The wine and the food were amazing. I love Montpelier where we were staying. We had the best bakery in France one block from the hotel, which did the most amazing croissants."
Talking about the series, he added: "Saint-Michel seems like a very quiet, sweet place but it's teeming. It's a bit like the beginning of David Lynch's Blue Velvet. You've got the white picket fence and the guy with his garden hose; he has a heart attack, and you go down beneath the lawn and it's teeming with worms. This is the same sort of thing."
[caption id="attachment_44273" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
The iconic bell tower of the 12th-century Church of Saint-Martin-de-Londres (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
Missed Call on Channel 5 filming locations
Joanna Scanlan, who plays distraught mum Sarah Gleason, loved filming in France with French actors, and believes it adds to the drama's atmosphere.
She said: "I think it adds a layer of class and sophistication to our mystery. I'm a huge lover of French cinema. It is probably my favourite. I thought it might also give oneself an inferiority complex but, as it turned out, we had much more in common than I expected. You had to just work the scene for what it was. What the beats were in the storytelling and how the characters related to each other. That is nicely done between the French and British actors."
Talking about the beautiful filming location and the "claustrophobia" of Saint-Michel, she added: "Director Sheree Folkson was very keen to create that. She didn't want it to seem like A Year in Provence. Behind this seemingly attractive medievalism lies something that just doesn't sit nicely in the gut."
Meanwhile, Joanna's co-star Robert Lindsay agreed, saying: "There is that whole thing of beautiful locations, like Don't Look Now in Venice. Beautiful locations that have such deep, dark mysteries."
[caption id="attachment_44396" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
The 'Honneue au Travail' arch in the historic Manufacture Royale de Villeneuvette features in Missed Call (Credit: C5)[/caption]
The challenges of using France as a filming location for Missed Call on Channel 5
If you think all that sounds idyllic, there were some pesky annoyances for the cast and crew. And it's something we can all relate to - mosquitoes.
Joanna said: "There were so many mosquitoes."
While Robert added: "The most challenging days were the ones with the heat, the mosquitoes, and the costumes. We weren't really dressed accordingly. My scene in episode one with Sarah, I remember sitting there and I only had one line, 'Bonsoir, madame'. I sat there for hours. I thought I was going to die. It must have been 40 degrees. Then when they turned over and said 'action' I forgot what I was supposed to say."
[caption id="attachment_44334" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
Missed Call features stunning filming locations, including this medieval street in southern France (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
Missed Call filmed in the Manufacture Royale de Villeneuvette in France
Much of Missed Call on Channel 5 was filmed in the historic Manufacture Royale de Villeneuvette in France. There are multiple scenes of Sarah in the cobblestone square within the village. Viewers see the exchange students driving under the iconic 'Honneue au Travail' arch, which means 'Honour to Work'.
The Manufacture Royale de Villeneuvette is a former royal manufacturing village established in the 17th century. It is known for its well-preserved industrial architecture and traditional Provençal stone buildings.
The area is now a popular destination for tourists exploring the Hérault hinterland. It's located near other notable sites like Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert and the Vaison-la-Romaine area.
Described as "one of the most beautiful villages of the Hérault", the other name for this former industrial village is "la belle endormie". It begins with an avenue of centuries-old plane trees, and leads to the former royal cloth factory.
The shady Place de Louis XIV is a square featuring a central fountain and drinking trough, a major feature of the former factory. Today, the former Villeneuvette Royal Factory is a tranquil, preserved historic site and village in southern France with charming, restored buildings.
[caption id="attachment_44402" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
The Cimetière Marin (Marine Cemetery) located in Sète, France, features in episode 1 of Missed Call (Credit: Channel 5)[/caption]
Key filming locations for Missed Call on Channel 5:
Specific filming locations used in the Channel 5 thriller Missed Call, include a historic French estate, famous cemetery, and a 12th century church...
- Château Saint-Martin-de-la-Garrigue was used as the "mansion" Katie stays in until her disappearance. Her exchange student Emma is "seriously loaded". The building is a historic French estate, situated in Montagnac in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of Southern France. Its origins date back to 987 AD, and it is a prominent example of Renaissance-style architecture. The estate covers approximately 160 hectares (400 acres), and features extensive vineyards that produce local wine. Today, the château operates as a luxury venue offering accommodations, event rentals, and wine tastings.
- The 12th century Church of St Martin de Londres in Herault, Southern France, is also featured in the C5 thriller. Specifically, dramatic aerial shots of the bell tower. Listed as a historical monument, this Romanesque church is known for its central dome with Byzantine influence, and its close resemblance to the famous Abbey of Gellone. It is situated in the heart of the village of Saint-Martin-de-Londres, near the Pic Saint-Loup and north of Montpellier.
- In episode 1, a drone captures footage of a DFDS ferry navigating the Port of Dover, a key shipping hub connecting the UK and Europe.
- Viewers also see teacher Neil on the phone in the Cimetière Marin (Marine Cemetery) located in Sète, Southern France. The historic graveyard is situated on the slopes of Mont Saint-Clair, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Sète is known as the "Venice of Languedoc" and lies on the Mediterranean coast about 30km southwest of Montpellier.
Read more: Channel 5 confirms series 4 of The Good Ship Murder and Catherine Tyldesley's final episode as First Officer Kate Woods
Missed Call airs on Channel 5 from Monday, April 13, to Friday, April 17, 2026 at 9pm.
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns
