ITV Emmerdale's Robert and Kev stars confirm 'pivotal' twist in prison flashback episode

Emmerdale is gearing up to broadcast a thrilling flashback episode that delves into the backstory of Robert Sugden and Kev Townsend, promising viewers a captivating twist.

The ITV soap will air a special standalone episode on Wednesday (November 5), unveiling Robert's previous life in prison, including his love affair with his current husband, Kev.

The flashback will cover Robert's six-year stint in prison, where he was serving a 14-year sentence for the murder of Lee Posner (Kris Mochrie), allowing viewers to finally uncover what transpired during his incarceration.

In recent Emmerdale episodes, Kev arrived in the village as Robert's secret spouse just as he was reigniting his romance with his ex-husband and soul mate, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller). The trio have been entangled in drama since then.

Discussing the upcoming episode with The Express and other media outlets, Robert actor Ryan Hawley and Kev star Chris Coghill admitted they were unaware of the plot until they received their scripts.

The co-stars also confirmed it was "nice" to learn about what occurred between Kev and Robert before their reunion in the village, reports The Daily Star.

Ryan, 40, elaborated: "So I didn't know I had a husband in prison, and then someone on set was just like, 'Yeah, so your husband is coming into it', and I was like 'what!'. To have this flashback, it's lovely to have that whole episode to kind of tell a story.

"There is one particularly very nice little twist that neither of us knew about until we read the script. I remember reading it and I was like 'whoa', because no one had told me that there was something that had happened. And it is massively pivotal in the relationship."

Ryan then hinted: "As far as we know, no one finds out about it, so there are some interesting things that they are sewing in this episode for things potentially leading forward."

Chris, 50, continued: "It explains a lot. It explains a lot about my thinking towards, what I expect, from him."

He added: "There's a thing that leads into that flashback episode which explains a lot about our relationship in the first place."

Ryan also disclosed the episode will showcase various time periods during the standalone instalment, including maintaining consistency with his hairstyle.

He said: "There are different time periods. The episode goes from 2021 to all the way up until right before Aaron and John's wedding. It's at several different points throughout that time period.

"There are some different looks. All me. It's all me. There are no hair doubles or wigs. I do all my own hair. So yeah, it's like, there's a couple of different hairstyles, I think."

Hinting at how matters could conclude further ahead, Ryan said: "I think it's leading to a climax..." with Chris adding: "Something very dramatic. But we can't say what it is."

Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX