Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb on Mack's downfall in baby story

Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale's Mackenzie Boyd looks set to face the wrath of his wife Charity Dingle next week as his baby secret is finally exposed.

Mack spends the next few days paying secret trips to the hospital following the sad news that his newborn son Reuben is seriously ill.

In upcoming scenes, Charity makes her own visit to the hospital and is confused to see Mack spending time with Reuben and Chloe Harris. Suddenly, the truth dawns on her – and Mack's life may never be the same again.

Lawrence Robb, who plays Mack, recently caught up with us to share details of what's in store.

chloe, charity dingle, mack boyd, emmerdale

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What can you tell us about filming the scene where Charity stares through the hospital room window and finds out the truth?

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"Jessie [Elland, who plays Chloe] and I were in the room because Emma [Atkins, who plays Charity] wanted us there to help her so that she'd have something to react to, which was great.

"We heard what was going on outside. We were obviously sat in silence as Charity reacted and it was harrowing.

"Later on, there's a big 17 or 18-page scene with Charity and Mack together – and that was a learning experience for us all. Hopefully we've done it justice."

Is it a relief for Mack once Charity knows?

"It's definitely not a relief! There is a scene in the week after where Mack mentions that it kind of is a relief, but at that point, his world is crashing down.

"Mack doesn't want anyone to know, really. You've obviously seen him to-ing and fro-ing, wanting to tell Charity for the last few months, once he found out that Chloe was pregnant.

"People have intentionally or unintentionally advised Mack and prevented him from doing so at various points, including himself – so he obviously doesn't want Charity to know.

"I think in an ideal world, Mack would want Charity to know and to still be with her, but he'd still have the child and do everything that he wants to do in terms of being a dad, because that's what he wants to be.

"It's not a situation that I would wish on anyone. I've been asked: 'What would you do as his friend?' I'm like: 'I don't know, don't do what you did nine months ago!'"

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What has the reaction been to Mack?

"It varies. There are some people who are very, very displeased with his behaviour and then there are others who... I don't know if 'understand' is the right word, but they can see the situation and they can see why he has done what he has done. He made a mistake."

Is Mack going to face the wrath of the Dingles?

"I think that goes without saying! Yes, in a word. We all know that it will come to a point where as soon as Charity does find out, obviously all of the Dingles will too.

"It's almost like they're all psychic! As soon as Charity finds out, everyone else finds out almost immediately – the Dingles do anyway.

"There is a scene coming up. Have you ever seen Home Alone where Kevin pushes his brother Buzz and then causes absolute havoc in the kitchen? I think Uncle Frank says, 'Look what you did, you little jerk' and the camera pans round and you just see all of the McAllisters looking at Kevin.

"There's a scene where all the Dingles are just looking at Mackenzie with utter disgust. I felt like Kevin McAllister in that moment!"

Is Mack going to have Moira in his corner?

"Moira's a Dingle now. Let's cut to the chase here, he's done a bad thing and he's not gone about amending it in the right way, so he does need to deal with the consequences of his actions.

"Mack's sister is not proud of him in this moment, and she's done some naughty things in the past as well, but she's pretty cross. I think eventually, Moira will not necessarily fight his corner but she's his sister and she will be like: 'You screwed up, it's fine'. But initially, she's pretty cross as well."

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Does Mack deserve a big downfall?

"Absolutely he does! He's been a very naughty boy. I think he gets off lightly with the vengeance. But it's good – we really enjoyed filming it."

What is Mack's priority once Charity finds out? Is it to win her back, or be a father?

"I think initially, Mack definitely wants to be with Charity. He loves Charity – he wouldn't have married her if he didn't. Initially, his priority would be to try and get Charity back, but he very quickly realises – and rightly so – that it's not on the cards.

"So he goes and helps Chloe out and helps out with the fathering. Obviously, he's got a lot to deal with, with his baby in a lot of trouble. I think that is what exacerbates the entire situation and pushes Charity to eventually find out about the entire situation.

"Mack's priorities are all over the place, and he's juggling a lot of different things. He's at a crossroads with four or five different endings, and it's a horrible position to be in."

Should Mack and Charity get back together?

"Where there's harmony, there's no drama, so I think each thing will eventually run its course. That's not to say that down the line, Charity and Mack don't rekindle something. We don't know, but I don't think we're working together as much as we were."

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Will Mack's bad boy side return?

"He's definitely got that in him and I think that's probably what drew Mack and Charity together initially – their love of spontaneous mischief. He does go off the rails a little bit, especially with having this great life that he's built in the village and then having to deal with potentially losing his son who he now wants.

"He will, I think, have moments of getting up to no good again. How far that goes, I don't know. But yeah, there's definitely stuff coming."

How have you found working with the baby?

"He is an absolute dream. He is the most professional baby! He cries on cue, he's quiet when he needs to be. Working with Jessie and him is quite funny. We did a scene the other day where we weren't sure who was going to hold Sebastian, who plays Reuben, and Jessie was like: 'Bagsy me, I'll do it!' It's become like a little game of pass the parcel – 'I want him in this scene, it's my turn!'"

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.