Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale has confirmed that Jacob Gallagher has a new love interest on the horizon, as sparks fly between him and another village resident over the festive period.
Jacob has been single since he split from Victoria Barton in the spring, and he has since been focusing on his work as a medical student.
However, as Christmas week arrives, Jacob finds himself enjoying an unexpected new connection with Sarah Sugden as the pair flirt with each other.
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The following week, Jacob arranges a proper date with Sarah. Unfortunately for the potential new couple, Jacob's mum Leyla Harding tells Jacob that she wants to go for lunch with him instead, and she won't take no for an answer.
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Is Leyla deliberately trying to sabotage Jacob's new romance?
Despite the setback, Jacob is determined to pursue his connection with Sarah and he later tries to make it up to her by rescheduling their date.
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Could Jacob and Sarah become the latest village couple, or will they face too many obstacles?
Jacob's new romantic story will lead up to his special one-hour episode in early January, which will focus on a stressful day that the medical student experiences as he starts his placement in a busy hospital A&E department.
Emmerdale producer Sophie Roper has teased that the episode will take place entirely in the hospital as we follow Jacob through his difficult day.
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"Accident and Emergency is a place many of our characters end up in, but seldom by choice," she said. "As the episode unfolds, Jacob will encounter some challenging situations that also affect some of our Emmerdale villagers, pushing Jacob to his limits both professionally and personally."
Joe-Warren Plant, who plays Jacob, has said that he feels "honoured" to have been given this dedicated storyline, saying that he wanted to "really knuckle down and get it right".
"Tackling this storyline scared me at first, but I feel honoured to know they trusted me enough to tell it," he said. "That means such a lot and I feel very honoured."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
