Liam left to die, April's cruel trick and Cain's vow
Ella's really gone and done it this timeThere’s more juicy stuff coming up in Emmerdale spoilers for this week as Liam once again fights for his life – for the second time in a matter of weeks. This time it’s courtesy of Ella, but can he really survive a second head injury so soon after his first?
Elsewhere April is on the warpath and wants to punish Marlon. So she goes about doing so in a really nasty way. Will it make him change, though?
Here’s our pick of the plots for Emmerdale this week – March 31 to April 4.
Ella’s complete meltdown in Emmerdale spoilers this week
Well, we’ve been saying for a while Ella needs to completely lose it and this week she completely does! Despite everyone thinking Ella had left the village, she is in fact bombarding Liam and Chas with messages and calls.
John’s advice to switch their phones off only goes so far as Ella changes tack – and tries to cancel their wedding! Liam calls the police and when one of the pub windows is smashed and Ella is lurking nearby, it seems certain she’s behind it.
Ella then confronts Mandy and holds her against her will. She forces Mandy to call Liam to get him to come home. He does and she begs him to believe she’s being framed.
Despite Liam’s attempts to trick her into confessing she sees through it and grabs a knife. Ella runs off with Liam in pursuit and a confrontation in the woods results in her pushing him and he hits his head. Ella sobs believing she’s killed Liam, but has she?
April teaches Marlon a lesson
As Marlon continues to show he doesn’t trust April, the truth about him framing Dylan for stealing the ketamine comes out. Marlon then shows her the letter to prove Dylan still cares, but all it does is prove to April that Marlon has betrayed her time and time again.
She then steals some more ketamine from the vets and Marlon is horrified to find his daughter unconscious next to the empty vial. However it’s all a trick to teach Marlon a lesson.
But it’s a lesson he clearly doesn’t learn when he then puts a tracking device in April’s coat. Rhona is the one who finds it and she begs Marlon to loosen his grip and let April have some freedom. Will he listen?
Cain and Caleb reunite in Emmerdale spoilers for this week
With Caleb in hospital, Ruby is by his side every second. But the police don’t have enough evidence to charge the man they arrested for the stabbing, so Caleb vows to get him locked up himself.
Cain decides to do his own investigation into what happened to his brother and it’s clear their relationship is thawing at last.
Ross is also looking into things, suspicious as to how Joe was there at the right time to save Caleb.
Cain and Caleb share a beer as they vow to not take family for granted again and confess they will support each other’s families if anything should happen to either of them. Aw, shucks, don’t you just love a happy ending?
Nicola on a mission
We all know when Nicola gets a bee in her bonnet she really gets a bee in her bonnet! And this time she is determined to get herself and Jimmy on that cruise.
Brenda soon bursts her bubble when she reveals she is going to take the prize after all, but she’s going alone. Nicola still sees an opportunity and cuts Jimmy out of the plan, wanting to be Brenda’s plus one.
But Jimmy thinks Pollard should go with Brenda and encourages him to realise there might still be a chance. Is there really though? Or is Brenda’s announcement going to let him down and leave him heartbroken again?
How Marian Keyes’ books have been changed for The Walsh Sisters TV series
Becoming international bestsellers, The Walsh Family book series had millions of readers falling in love with Maggie, Rachel, Claire, Anna and Helen, as well as their mammy and daddy.
Irish author Marian Keyes was keen to make sure the five sisters and their unbreakable bond amid their troubled lives was done right. After all, her own experience of addiction inspired her to write Rachel's story, with her real-life family connections providing influencing the ones in her stories.
As a result, Keyes was a writer for the series, joining forces with Kefi Chadwick, as well as Stefanie Preissner, who plays Maggie on screen. But key things have changed that may surprise some viewers.
Here's everything you need to know about the difference between The Walsh Sisters and the books they're based on.
**Warning: Contains spoilers for The Walsh Sisters and Marian Keyes' books**
[caption id="attachment_35099" align="alignnone" width="1720"]
Troubled Rachel's story will play out differently from the books (Credit: BBC)[/caption]
How many novels are in the Walsh Family series?
To date, there are seven novels based on the Walsh family, particularly the sisters. Released over a span of 30 years, each book sees a different sister take centre stage to tell their story.
In order, the novels are:
- Watermelon (1995) – focusing on Claire
- Rachel's Holiday (1997) – focusing on Rachel
- Angels (2002) – focusing on Maggie
- Anybody Out There? (2006) – focusing on Anna
- The Mystery of Mercy Close (2012) – focusing on Helen
- Again, Rachel (2022) – returning to Rachel
- My Favourite Mistake (2024) – a new story with Anna
Watermelon was previously adapted into a TV movie in 2003, with Anna Friel starring as Claire.
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Anna's story on screen is tweaked from Marian Keyes' books (Credit: BBC)[/caption]
What stories does The Walsh Sisters TV series adapt?
This is where things get tricky. While The Walsh Family series is the basis for the show, the series is not a direct adaptation of Marian Keyes' books. So fans of the novels – be warned. It's quite a different tale, although very much with the same heart.
Instead, the series uses two novels – Rachel's Holiday and Anybody Out There? – as a foundation, with key moments in Anna and Rachel's tales becoming story points the world revolves around.
In Rachel's Holiday, Rachel goes to rehab after a wild night out results in her having an accidental overdose. She returns to Dublin from New York to get treatment, and starts her three-week stay in denial. Over time, she learns how her behaviour as an alcoholic and drug addict has impacted those around her.
In Anybody Out There?, Anna is living with mammy, daddy and Helen after a horrendous car accident. When she returns to her home in New York, we find out that her husband, Aidan, died in the crash. Consumed with grief, she tries to find a way to contact him one last time – and instead discovers a secret that upends what she thinks about the relationship they shared.
The show grabs the main elements of their stories to lay down something new. In Rachel's case, it's heading to rehab, or "on holiday" as her family tell others. For Anna, it's the death of Aidan, now her fiancé, in a car accident.
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The Walsh Sisters stick together through thick and thin (Credit: RTE)[/caption]
What is different in The Walsh Sisters TV show?
There are some massive differences between Marian Keyes' books and the show. For starters, in the novels three of the sisters are based in various parts of America – though they're still Irish, with their family home in Dublin.
In the series, all five sisters live, work and party in Dublin, not too far from their Mammy and Daddy. Anna and Rachel live in a flat together, not in separate apartments in New York. In Rachel's Holiday, Rachel gets help after her housemate, Brigit, calls an ambulance and Rachel's family after discovering her passed out. In the series, it is on/off boyfriend Luke that calls 999 for her after finding her unresponsive, though she wakes up and cancels it.
Ultimately, it's Anna that urges her to go to rehab after another wild night ends with Rachel in A&E. Refusing to acknowledge she has a problem, she hits another bar, before calling Anna to pick her up. As Aidan and Anna drive to get her, they wind up in the car accident that kickstarts Anna's story.
The family then navigate the fallout of both together. At the same time, we see Maggie trying to start her own family, Claire struggling with being a single mum now her divorce is through, and Helen trying to find her own path while at college.
While elements of the two books weave through the show, they are ultimately two different beasts.
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The sisters' stories plays out differently on screen than on the page (Credit: BBC)[/caption]
What have The Walsh Sisters cast said about the changes?
The cast and creators are aware the show is not what fans of Marian Keyes' books are expecting to see.
Aidan Quinn, who plays Daddy Walsh, felt the pressure was on to get it right, but was aware adaptations needed to be made to make it a more modern story.
He told Irish Independent: “I always get nervous. People are so religiously devoted to Marian Keyes’ books. They have to realise that her books that this is based on, were in the 1990s. There were no cell phones, there was no this [waves].
“Stefanie had to update it completely. So this is going to be very different.”
Writer and actress Stefanie Preissner told The Times: “The job was not to adapt verbatim, but to keep that sense of what Keyes does so well, which is that feeling of when you’re laughing and crying in the same scene, hiding the vegetables in the sauce, so to speak. Life isn’t genre-true. It’s not a comedy or a drama.”
Louisa Harland, who plays Anna, sees the series almost as a 'love story' between sisters Rachel and Anna, telling Image IE: “Even though it’s an adaptation, I still think the characters are the same at their core, and Marian thinks that too, which is the most important thing."
While Caroline Menton, who plays Rachel, added to the publication she was aware of the "pressure and responsibility" and said: “You want to do the characters justice and honour the world she’s created, even though it’s our own interpretation. There’s always that hope that you’ve managed to fulfil that responsibility.”
Read more: Lord of the Flies BBC cast includes Harry Potter’s new Draco Malfoy and unexpected cameos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNqwp_1RYxE
The Walsh Sisters starts Saturday 21 February on BBC One. It will also be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer.
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
What are you looking forward to in this week’s Emmerdale? You can let us know @emmerdaleinsider for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers and let us know what you think! Or find us on Twitter @emmerdaleinside
