Emmerdale producer promises to revisit Dingle history in ‘hugely important’ rape story

Next week, beloved villager Lydia will be attacked by Craig Reed (Ben Addis). As Lydia's trauma is explored, we can expect references to late Dingle matriarch Lisa (Jane Cox), who was raped by work colleague Derek Benrose (Stephen Bent) back in 2011.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other media, Shaw tells us: “The story that we played with Lisa’s going to impact everything here that happens with the Dingles. We know from that story that Lisa never really got the justice that she deserved,” she says. “And while Derek did go to prison, it wasn’t actually for the attack on Lisa.”

“So this is going to inform how the Dingles react, let’s face it. Sam in particular, he’s got that first hand knowledge of how the criminal process works, and so how difficult a conviction can be. That’s going to affect everything that he does going forward.”

Reflecting on different experiences, Emmerdale will also recall Rhona Goskirk's (Zoë Henry) ordeal. When Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather) was found guilty of raping new wife Rhona in 2017, Lisa poignantly thanked her for speaking out, as seeing justice served had helped Lisa find some closure.

“Rhona’s going to be very important to Lydia,” promises Shaw. “She had a very different outcome and her support, that’s going to prove to be valuable to Lydia as she starts to open up to people going forward.”

So, why choose to take Dingle anchor Lydia down this devastating route? “We’ve had a lot of people [behind the scenes] going ‘Oh no, not Lydia, you can’t do that to lovely Lydia.’ So many people have said that to me, and I think it made me realise that’s why it’s so important to play it with somebody like Lydia, because rape isn’t something that happens to bad people," Shaw explains.

"It was absolutely character-led, and it came from exactly that, that Lydia is such an anchor in the Dingle family. She’s solid, she works hard, she’s moral, she looks after everyone. Since Lisa’s death, I think we’ve seen Lydia’s kind of become the glue that holds that family together, really.

"[We wanted] to explore how Lydia copes when something out of her control changes everything for her, and how this affects the rest of the family and the community when that glue isn’t there anymore and can’t function in the same way. So it was absolutely a story for Lydia, and not necessarily just a story we wanted to play.”

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The charity Rape Crisis England and Wales has been working with Emmerdale every step of the way, and Shaw talks us through just how important their input has been. “It’s been totally invaluable, they’ve been involved since the very first stages.

“They’ve provided us with countless case studies; they’ve given such a huge amount of time to read every draft, every single scene involving Lydia and all those people around her. Just giving us that real insight, they really helped us shape the story. They’ve given us the point of view of the rape survivor, her partner, friends, the community around her.

“And also, interestingly, some context for the behaviour of the rapist, too, which can be really difficult to navigate your way through, because it’s totally alien to us. It just felt really reassuring to know that they were looking over absolutely everything, and just guiding us to make sure that everything felt authentic and real.”

Jayne Butler, CEO of Rape Crisis, adds: “Most of our advice was about how a survivor of rape might feel and react in certain situations after going through a traumatic event. I think the scripts, from the off, [were] already handling it really sensitively, and you could see the work that the team had done to make sure of that.

"But we were mostly able to affirm the ideas that they had around how Lydia might react; and particularly taking into account that people react differently. Everyone has a different experience to this, there isn’t one way in which people behave. We were able to talk to the team about how Lydia might have options to report, [and] if that was going to be the case, what kind of options were going to be available to her."

Butler also explains her hopes for Emmerdale's portrayal of such a distressing subject: “First and foremost, showing people who’ve experienced this that they’re not alone, and that it’s not their fault. There’s still so much stigma around rape; people are scared to talk about it, they feel shame and humiliation.

"There’s a lot of concerns with people feeling that it’s their fault, and that somehow they caused this. I think by being open about it, and talking about its impact in the way that this storyline allows us to do, it helps to break some of that stigma.”

Anyone affected by Lydia's story can find support by visiting Rape Crisis, or calling our 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222.

Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. 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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