Emmerdale's Marlon faces worst nightmare as April goes missing
The powerful storyline will last weeks.
Last night on Emmerdale (Christmas Day), viewers saw the devastating moment Marlon (played by Mark Charnock) realised his beloved daughter April (Amelia Flannagan) had run away.
Marlon and April's relationship had been distant for a while now, but her running away shows just how deep the misunderstanding was between them.
As Marlon starts to unravel the decisions she made, he soon discovers she was living a life he simply had no idea about.
The village will have to rally together in the coming weeks to help find April, but for Marlon and Rhona (Zoe Henry), they're living every parent's worst nightmare.
Will April return safely?
Emmerdale has worked closely with Missing People to ensure the storyline is realistic and authentic.
Producer, Laura Shaw, commented on the storyline: "Marlon has recently been struggling with his relationship with April but never imagined he would be in such a heartbreaking situation this Christmas.
"In the coming weeks, as the search for April intensifies, we explore the emotional turmoil a family faces when a young person goes missing. We are so grateful to the charity Missing People for their invaluable help and support with this storyline.
Kate Graham, Head of Communications at Missing People, said: "It has been an amazing experience to work with Emmerdale on this important storyline. The researchers were clear from the start that they wanted to ground the storyline in reality and in no way glamorise it.
"Everyone at Emmerdale, including the actors, have impressed us with their understanding of a very difficult subject matter, meeting with our team of experts, asking very relevant questions and really immersing themselves in the experience of both being missing and homeless, and also being the parents of a missing teenager.
"We hope that as viewers watch this story unfold they are able to gain some understanding of what families with a missing loved one go through and why our charity exists to support those families, as well as anyone thinking of being missing, or anyone already away from home."
Those who need help and support on issues raised within this article should head to the Missing People website.
Read more:
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- Emmerdale exit revealed for killer Ella Forster as actress Paula Lane set to leave soap
- Emmerdale confirms return of iconic character, 6 years after violent exit
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.
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Authors
Helen Daly is the Associate Editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.
