😱💣 Emmerdale confirms “darker” direction for Caleb in big story!

Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale star Will Ash has teased that his character Caleb Miligan will be involved in a “darker” storyline as he faces financial worries. The businessman is short of money after being victim to a scam, and sets about earning some quick cash.

Last week, Caleb was conned out of £5,000 after falling prey to a scam, which was orchestrated by Archie Breckle. The teenager fleeced him via a sophisticated scheme, where he used AI to mimic the voice of Steph, Caleb’s daughter.

While Caleb will soon narrowly avoid a second scam, he notices that Kerry Pollard (who is working with Archie) is sporting a knock-off handbag, and then has the idea to start an operation selling counterfeit goods.

“It comes out of the humiliation that he feels after the scam,” explains Ash. “He’s feeling that he might be losing his edge – it feeds his ego of wanting to be the one who does people over. So, there’s a seed of it there when he spots Kerry with a fake handbag.”

Of course, with Kerry teaming up with Archie, the bag itself could be real, with Kerry pushing a story to avoid suspicion. Either way, Caleb’s mind is set on his new business idea given his lack of funds.

Naturally, Caleb will have to keep any shady business away from the prying eyes of Jai Sharma, who himself will face trouble when he catches wind that Archie and Kerry have been up to no good.

Caleb first suggests the idea to Billy Fletcher, with Ash teasing: “Because Jai’s away in Canada and refuses to help, Caleb recruits Billy to help him out in the office because the company loses a few contracts – they’re not trusted anymore.

“Caleb feels like the business could go to the wall, as it were, so he drags in Billy as a last resort. He doesn’t think he’s going to be much cop at the job. But Billy starts doing really well as he’s brilliant with customers.”

The plan is soon set in motion, with Caleb feeling a lot better about himself as he has a dodgy new scheme. With Ash already noting that criminality fuels Caleb’s ego, the actor said that it could be the beginning of a “darker” journey for his character.

“He loves it. He’s always treaded a fine line between playing things legitimately and going under the radar by doing things sneakily,” says Ash. “I think it’s a big part of what makes him tick. It’s just part of him. He loves that buzz and excitement.

“He realises that they can make a bit of money from it, and he’s probably dodging tax on it too. He wants to maximise his profits. So another avenue opens up for him and he starts going down that darker route. He’s pursuing it rather than it pursuing him.”

Caleb will initially keep the shady venture a secret from his wife Ruby, as Ash notes that it would merely “open a can of worms”. It’s this “duplicitousness”, as the actor puts it, that makes Caleb such an intriguing character.

“It’s always fun when it gets a bit more complex and complicated,” he says. “That compulsion to push the boundaries all the time, as well as his duplicitousness, is always fun to play, because he hides a lot of it.”