Emmerdale star James Hooton responds to huge Sam cliffhanger

Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale has aired another shock cliffhanger, with Sam Dingle's life now hanging in the balance after a cow stampede.

Monday's episode saw the cows at Moira Dingle's farm become spooked by the ongoing storm, leading to a dangerous situation as they escaped.

When Sam and Nate Robinson tried to flee from the out-of-control animals, Sam jumped over some hay bales.

Sam's bold move had terrible consequences as he fell and found himself trapped on some farm machinery.

James Hooton, who plays Sam, recently spoke to Digital Spy and other media about the worrying turn of events.

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embargo 2000 17102022 sam dingle injured in emmerdale

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Some soap stories get repeated, but this must be a first for you!

"It is, yes! I always wanted to take up the javelin, but it didn't quite pan out the way I imagined it when I watched Fatima Whitbread win gold all those years ago.

"It was interesting and obviously a bit of a break from the norm. You never know what this show is going to throw at you.

"When I was told this was happening, obviously you don't know what the outcome is going to be of a story such as this. We, and the viewers, don't know at the end of the episode whether Sam lives or dies."

How was it to film?

"It was good. It was interesting, as the costume department went all-out to try and find the best way of dealing with this spike scenario. It looks ultra realistic on screen. It was made of foam – it's basically one piece sticking out where the normal tractor piece would be.

"Costume developed a sling I put over my shoulder, I had a little bit sticking out and part of the spike sticks into that. On the other side, they'd ripped through the jacket to create the hole of the back – the exit wound – and stuck another piece of foam on that.

"It looked great and it was really interesting to film that stuff. I spent a whole day pretty much on one scene. It's unheard of in soap territory to spend such a long time preparing and shooting just a single scene."

How was your back after filming?

"I was alright! They were good to me in-between takes. They put something to support my knees, so I was pretty much in that position slumped over a spike for about two or three hours."

from itvstrict embargo no use before 0001hrs monday 17th october 2022emmerdale ep 9496 monday 17th october 2022belle, sam dingle james hooton, rhona and nate robinson jurell carter prepare themselves to battle the elements as they head out into the storm shortly after, a part of the barn collapses and a swell of cows break out sam and nate turn in horror to see what has happened horrified belle watches on as nate trips and is engulfed by the stampede of cows picture contact davidcrookitvcomphotographer mark brucethis photograph is c itv plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or itv plc once made available by itv plc picture desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission tx date and no reproduction fee will be charged any subsequent usage may incur a fee this photograph must not be manipulated excluding basic cropping in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by itv plc picture desk this photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of itv picture desk full terms and conditions are available on wwwitvcompresscentreitvpicturesterms

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The episode also featured a cow stampede. How was that filmed?

"That was brilliant. We did it as a plate shot. We set up a number of different cameras in a fixed position. Myself and Jurell Carter, who plays Nate, had to play the stampede as if the cows were in the same shot as us, but there was nothing there.

"The camera stayed in that fixed position and when we'd shot all of our angles running, they sent out the cows. Then they married up the two shots in the edit.

"It looks fantastic. We had so many different angles to cut to. The cow-cam was on a cow head they had specially designed and made for a specific shot with a camera on the back.

"They covered all angles and it was a joy to shoot. It was really interesting to see how they put these two elements together to create the stunt."

Has Sam had troubles with animals in the past?

"There was a cock story many years ago – a cockerel Sam had an encounter with that ripped his hand to shreds. I think that's the only injurious scenario he's seen with the animals over the years.

"There's quite a good rural element still on the show. I think this is a [executive producer] Jane Hudson special – she wanted to do a stampede of some description for many years and she finally got her wish."

Is there a special vibe around the anniversary?

"Yes, it's a great landmark for the show. I'm sure you could speak to anybody involved in the production – cast, crew and everyone will tell you how much we enjoy working on this show.

"It's great to celebrate this mega milestone and what a way to do it. We've got a massive storm and have really pushed the boat out with some of the things that happen in and around the storm. It's a great way to mark this momentous occasion for the show."

lydia, samson and sam dingle in emmerdale

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If Sam survives the spiking incident, there's sure to be more fallout in the Samson and Amelia story.

"Sam Hall, who plays Samson, has played my son for many years and is coming into his own now. He's been given this huge responsibility with this storyline where he becomes a parent. He doesn't want that responsibility, so it's a great juxtaposition with the Dingles.

"Sam and Lydia are all about family and looking after each other, while Samson is the opposite end of the scale. He doesn't want this baby or the responsibility.

"It's just been a joy to see Sam flourish as an actor and portray this particular perspective as well as he has done – he's just been incredible. It's been really interesting to play."

You've been on the show since 1995…

"I have – man and boy! I was brought in for eight episodes as a young jobbing actor. I think I was 20 when I started on the show. I was rubbing my hands together thinking: 'Eight episodes, that's brilliant. I'll get a few quid in the bank and can get down to London for some more auditions. This is going to be the making of me!'

"Well, it has been the making of me but in a different way. I originally shot 13 episodes, was written out, then invited back. The mainstay of my adult career has been working on this show.

"I've loved it and continue to love it up to this point. It has been fantastic."

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, and streams on the ITV Hub.