Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) had been to an auction at the start of tonight’s Emmerdale and he’d bought some gifts for Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop). The first, a very large vase, left her distinctly underwhelmed because they have a house full of vases, apparently.
Eric kept the next gift as a surprise, which he presented to Brenda over lunch at the Woolpack. It was an engagement ring, which Brenda was delighted with.
Although the couple have lived together for a long time they only just got engaged after Eric went down on one knee to propose. They’re planning a Christmas wedding as Eric doesn’t want to wait – even though Brenda quite fancied a summer wedding with lots of time to plan the big day.
The proposal came after some worrying signs that Eric’s health may be declining. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a year ago, but recently a change in medication saw him experience tremors, and he had a frightening experience where he was unable to get out of bed because he couldn’t make his legs work.
Caleb Miligan (William Ash) found him wandering in the village in a state of confusion, and took him to see Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson), who told him that his medication was the cause of the temporary paralysis.
There have also been signs that his behaviour is becoming more erratic. Brenda mentioned to Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) in this episode that his granddad was ‘being ever so odd.’ She said he was cutting her out of all the wedding planning and she thought he was keeping something from her.
At the Woolpack after he presented her with the ring, Eric told Brenda that he’d bumped into some old chums at the auction who were doing well financially and it had made him think he should make his money work for him.
If that happened they could go travelling and go to Canada to see Brenda’s granddaughter Molly and her dad Nikhil Sharma (Rik Makarem).
‘We have a new life to live as a married couple,’ he told her. ‘New adventures.’
With Lesley Dunlop reported to be leaving the show soon, it looks like the couple could be leaving together for their new adventures away from the Dales.
Lesley has been on the show since 2008, and in real life she and co-star Chris Chittell have been married since 2016, after meeting on the Emmerdale set. Chris is currently Emmerdale’s longest-serving cast member, having joined the soap in 1986.
A Christmas wedding and a happy honeymoon exit would be a lovely way for two such iconic characters to end their time in the village, but as always with soaps nothing is guaranteed and weddings often end in disaster.
Could Brenda’s feelings of foreboding about Eric’s erratic behaviour be correct? Is there more drama ahead for the legendary couple?
