Emmerdale star Bill Ward - James is left fighting to stay alive

But events this evening see the situation spiralling further out of control. "It's a bit nuts. It's got lots of wedding dresses, chickens, meat cleavers and general misbehaviour," says Ward. "James is definitely in fear of his life."

Fans have been left worried that James isn't going to make it through this situation in one piece, what with his broken leg and Emma's warped idea of patient care. And Wednesday's instalment of the ITV soap will see things getting a whole lot worse.

"Yes, James knows he's in trouble when Emma walks through the door in her wedding dress with blood on it, a chicken in one hand and a meat cleaver in the other. At that point, he's tied to a seat with cable ties with his wedding vows stapled to his tie. So he's in a pretty powerless position. His fight is to stay alive."

New pictures released today by the ITV soap see Emma lying unconscious on the floor, but it remains to be seen whether a captured James will be able to make the most of the opportunity and escape.

"James is stuck in this house with a woman who's gone off the rails. They love each other, but that's not enough," says Ward. "What you'll see is James trying to get himself into a position of control because it's a matter of whether he lives or dies."

And if it were to be James who ends up dying as a result of the drama in Emmerdale's super soap week? "Well, it's not a bad way to go, is it?" he adds.

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of Emmerdale below.

And visit our dedicated Emmerdale page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.