Nate’s murder case is reopened as Emmerdale spoilers show John and Aaron prepare to leave the village
Will John's crime be discovered?
John got a scare in tonight’s Emmerdale – but it wasn’t seeing his husband in bed with Robert Sugden, instead he received the news that Nate’s murder case is being reopened.
Viewers know that John Sugden was responsible for Nate’s death last year, after Nate reacted to the injection John administered on him.
John threw Nate’s body in the lake. But earlier this year, the body was discovered and John subsequently set up newcomer Owen Michaels for the crime.
John thought he was home and dry, but Cain was the bearer of bad news in Monday’s episode.
John received a shock in Emmerdale tonight
With John sure he was in the clear over Nate Robinson’s death, he continued to hound Robert. John told his half brother: “You’ve got no job, no friends. Victoria is this close to giving up on you. Even Aaron thinks you’re a waste of space.”
The last line in particular proved to not be the case as Aaron later comforted Robert. The two reminisced about old times and quickly gave into temptation, ending up in bed together.
Meanwhile, after speaking to daughter Debbie on the phone, Cain received a visit from DC Cole, who wanted to update Cain on Nate’s murder.
As John was about to enter Keepers Cottage to check up on Robert on Victoria Sugden‘s behalf, Cain called out to him. Cain told John that DC Cole isn’t convinced that Owen killed Nate, especially as new evidence has come to light.
John was shocked to hear this latest development and insisted to Cain that Owen was obviously guilty, they were just finding it difficult to prove it. However, Cain didn’t seem too convinced as he said: “Yeah, or whoever did it is still out there.”
John aborted his plan to check on Robert – and thus didn’t catch him and Aaron – and walked off deep in thought, no doubt to come up with a new plan.
Spoilers reveal Aaron and John plan to leave Emmerdale
Spoilers for the week ahead reveal that John and Aaron plan to leave the village.
John’s stressed by the police developments and at the surgery, police tell Liam Nate’s murder investigation has been reopened due to an inconsistency with Owen’s supposed suicide note.
John is in a panic and when he sees grieving Tracy, he starts to feel even more guilty.
After cheating on John with his ex, Aaron also feels guilty – especially when Robert insists it’s him Aaron should be with, not John.
With John struggling to hold it together, he is ecstatic when Aaron suggests the two of them should get away from the village.
The couple make plans and say their goodbyes to Chas, who is sad to see them go. John later makes a chilling phone call…
Spoilers for the week also reveal that Mack finds a big clue in John’s vehicle. So will John and Aaron get away before Mack can reveal what he has found?
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns
Grace series 6 ending explained: Shocking cliffhanger left Cleo's life in danger, and what this means for series 7
Just when it looked like Roy Grace would get his happy ending, his mortal enemy Roel Albazi flexed his proverbial muscles. Although he was supposedly being held captive in Munich, Albazi proved that he still had ALL the power – namely an army of loyal (or scared) heavies ready to do his dirty work.
In shocking scenes, one of Albazi's men infiltrated Roy and Cleo's wedding. Although Bruno was most likely the intended victim, it was Cleo who suffered an ill fate.
Here's what happened in the Grace series 6 ending, and what it means for next year's (anticipated) series 7.
***Warning: spoilers from the Grace series 6 ending ahead***
[caption id="attachment_45042" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
Cleo and Roy's wedding day ended in tragedy in the Grace series 6 ending (Credit: ITV)[/caption]
What happened in the Grace series 6 ending?
Fans of the ITV detective series know that tensions ran high in East Sussex CID this series as, several months on from the arrest of ACC Cassian Pewe, Grace's team was in the midst of an anti-corruption inquiry. Reeling from Cassian Frewe's painful betrayal, Grace wrestled with whether he could trust Cassian's intel about Sandy's murder and the threat to Bruno's life...
And, we soon discovered that Cassian's warnings were 100% based in fact. He wasn't just "twisting the knife" after all. While solving four tricky cases – a missing persons case, a university campus plagued by a stalker, a tragic death on a council estate, and a fatal car crash – Grace also attempted to pursue the truth about Sandy's murder.
As he unearthed old wounds in order to see justice done, the journey came with truly devastating consequences for Roy...
Of course, the penultimate episode of Grace saw Albazi firebomb the house of DS Glen Branson's family. This meant they were getting "closer to the truth". But he wasn't finished yet.
Police arrested Roel Albazi but it didn't stop him
Although, Roy Grace and Cleo Morey DID get married in the Grace series 6 ending, the celebrations were cut short when Roel Albazi launched a devastating attack.
Of course, we'd known all along that Roy's son Bruno was a potential target for Roel Albazi. But Roy finally felt he was safe after police arrested the criminal. They just needed something to make the charges "stick". That's why Glen and Roy were trying to find anything to link him to Sandy's murder.
And in the final episode of Grace series 6, entitled One of Us Is Dead, they finally managed to pin Sandy's death on Roel Albazi. The footage from the hospital in Munich where Sandy died clearly showed Albazi on camera walking away from Sandy's room. He may have been wearing a surgical mask, but his neck tattoo was clearly showing in the shot.
Munich Police subsequently agreed to open Sandy's death as a homicide, and the prosecutor was "confident they had a case".
Understandably, Branson was relieved. He told Roy: "We've got him. With Albazi and [Kamran] Elin off the streets, that's the head of the snake chopped off. Benchdale are done for."
But Branson couldn't have used a more perfect analogy. Just like a snake, Roel Albazi still had plenty of venom left.
[caption id="attachment_45039" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
Benchdale's Roel Albazi was finally behind bars, but he still managed to control Roy Grace (Credit: ITV)[/caption]
Grace series 6 ending: Roy and Cleo's wedding ruined by Roel Albazi
In the closing minutes of Grace series 6, Roy and Cleo got married and celebrated with friends and colleagues afterwards.
But the party ended abruptly when DC Nick Nicholl received troubling news – that one of Albazi's guys was on the loose. He told Branson: "Munich police have tracked one of Albazi's top guys to the UK. He got a job for a temp agency doing catering. He's working at a wedding in Brighton tonight."
Of course, this could only mean one thing. Albazi's henchman was at Roy and Cleo's and that Bruno was in danger. As Roy frantically started to search for his son, he was relieved to see him in the crowd. But he was shaken as he revealed Cleo was gone.
He said: "A man in a van tried to grab me. Cleo stopped him. He took her."
The final scenes showed Cleo's phone and wedding necklace laying discarded in the grass. At that moment, Roy received a call from Albazi. Roy watched in horror as a short video played of Cleo tied up in the back of a van.
Albazi once again had the upper hand. And Roy faced the very real prospect of losing another wife at the hands of Albazi. With no power left, Roy asked Albazi: "What do you want?"
Who is Benchdale?
After Roy Grace exposed Cassian Frewe as a dirty cop, Frewe starting spilling some alarming truths. He was being coerced into working for an Organised Crime Gang (OCG) called Benchdale. Benchdale was run by Kamran Elin, with Roel Albazi as his second in command.
Benchdale is an infamous organised crime group involved in serious criminal activity, including the murder of Roy Grace's first wife, Sandy. In the show's 2025/2026 storylines, corrupt officials helped cover up the group's actions. They subsequently targeted Roy's son, Bruno, making them a central threat.
But Team Grace had so far been unable to pin anything on Benchdale. Elin and Albazi were elusive and smart. They groomed lower-tier members of the organisation to do their dirty work, making sure the evidence never traces back to them.
Cassian was working for Benchdale because they were blackmailing him. He admitted he had an affair with Sandy, who was drowning in debt as a result of her gambling. She owed £200,000 to Kamran Elin and Roel Albazi. They were threatening to kill her and her unborn child (Bruno-to-be).
They subsequently murdered Sandy and made it look like suicide. But he debt remains unpaid.
[caption id="attachment_44167" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
Grace is expected to return for a series 7 in 2027 (Credit: ITV)[/caption]
What all this means for series 7 of Grace
Although ITV hasn't officially confirmed there'll be a series 7 of Grace, there's a wealth of material to draw from in the future.
And all the team are keen for the series to continue. Series producer Kiaran Murray-Smith told us he already has other stories in mind.
He said: "There are many Peter James novels for us to draw upon as Peter is such a successful and prolific author. We've put some novels aside just in case we get an option of going further. And then, what we have done within the last few years, is develop producer-led stories that have the backing of the Peter James DNA. We have a conversation and we have everything approved by Peter."
He continued: "I speak to Peter probably once every couple of weeks, at least. But he's very on board with the stories that we come up with, especially in this last series. Everything that you see on screen that isn't specifically adapted from a Peter James book will be adapted from either a kernel of his ideas or built around the characters he has created. So the show is always, always going to have that DNA."
Of course, if it's recommissioned, Grace series 7 would follow on from series 6's shocking cliffhanger. What would Albazi ask of Roy Grace in order to get Cleo returned safely? And would her life be saved?
Read more: Start date confirmed for unmissable drama A Taste for Murder on ITV with Warren Brown as DCI drawn into a 'web of deception'
