Emmerdale's Caleb has 'axe to grind' with Cain: 'There's simmering resentment'

Speaking to press including RadioTimes.com at a recent event, Ash hinted that Caleb could cause a lot of trouble when he arrives.

"[Caleb is] complex and layered because he comes in having this dark backstory having been adopted and put in care as a child. When he was in his teens, he finds Cain and tries to reconnect with his family.

"He's told by Cain that his mum's dead and to steer clear basically. Caleb spends most of his time growing up in care. So when he finds out that Faith wasn't dead, he comes into it on Christmas Day with a lot of anger and has an axe to grind with Cain."

"There's a lot of bitterness that he's holding on to, as you'd expect from growing up without a family, not knowing his mother and missing out on the opportunity to get to know who he is. There's a lot going on."

Nevertheless, while tensions are undoubtedly fraught, Ash confirmed Caleb does want to reconnect with his family, having grown up without them.

"Even though he's got an axe to grind, he does want to connect and needs to connect with Cain and with Chas as well, even though there's this simmering resentment and bitterness."

Ash continued: "He does want to start a relationship, as it were, but Cain's not keen on that. Whether it will end up going that way or not..."

As for how Cain takes it, viewers can expect him to be as sceptical as you'd think.

"He doesn't trust him because he's thinking, 'I've lied to him in the past and he's going to want to do something to me'," Hordley explained. "That's the way my character thinks. And that's because of the short history they had which we'll see in the flashback episode which explains an awful lot.

"It's also to do with the fact that Cain was looking after Chas on his own and it's like, 'Do we want to bring another person into this equation?' He was probably better off without us. So it's kind of a protection thing."

As for what the future will bring, fans will simply have to keep watching Emmerdale to see if a relationship can be forged between the pair.

Read more:

• 7 Emmerdale spoilers: Will Chas Dingle's affair be exposed at last?
• Emmerdale's Chas "panicked" about Belle spilling affair secret

Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV and ITV Hub. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our Soaps hub.

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