Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Mark Charnock has spoken about the dramatic Christmas storyline coming up for his character Marlon Dingle.
Marlon's life is turned upside-down next week as he discovers that his teenage daughter April Windsor has gone missing on Christmas Day.
Upcoming episodes see April start to rebel as she struggles to process her recent kidnap ordeal and the revelations over her mum Donna's death.
Marlon tries his best to keep April in line as she starts drinking and even tries to buy cannabis. However, the troubling situation escalates on the morning of December 25 when Marlon realises that April has disappeared.
Related: Best streaming services
What to Read Next
Speaking to Digital Spy and other press about the storyline, Mark explained: "There's a disastrous Christmas Eve where April has got absolutely annihilated. She has this terrible Christmas where she causes all sorts of issues and problems and they're just not meeting on a level playing field.
"The next morning, Marlon opens a present. He thinks April's still in bed, but she's got him this mug that he dropped not long after he had the stroke. The handle had come off and she's stuck the handle back on.
"They turn it around and there's a thing on the bottom of the mug that says: 'Things that are broken can always be mended'.
"He goes upstairs and April has gone. There's nothing right about that picture – her empty room on that day. No matter what they've been through, there's no way that room could or should be empty – but she's gone.
"Marlon makes an initial panicky run around the village. We're at that point where it's unimaginable horror."
Related: Emmerdale airs dark warning over mystery Christmas Day arrival
Mark added that Marlon will fear the potential involvement of Jade, who previously kidnapped April at the start of this month.
He said: "Marlon wonders whether April has been kidnapped again. Obviously your brain goes everywhere. But that's as much as I can say right now!
"Marlon goes to Bob for help first and he goes to see other family members. He also goes to see Ross. There's an instant little circle of panic, which doesn't help.
"There are search parties that happen almost immediately. Everybody rallies round very quickly. It's one of those good village moments where everybody's differences are set aside completely. There's a missing kid – let's all go.
"Ross goes too. There's a village-wide concern because they all know April really well and it's so out of character."
Asked whether the police are involved, Mark replied: "Not at this stage. It escalates, this storyline, so this is just the beginning…"
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
