Emmerdale ‘confirms’ another character won’t return 20 years after debut

| Soaps Reporter Published October 15, 2026 10:29am Updated October 15, 2026 10:29am Sam’s son is being released from prison (Picture: ITV) The following article contains spoilers from the episode of Emmerdale dated October 15. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX and YouTube. Amid the news that Samson Dingle (Sam Hall) is being released from prison, Emmerdale’s Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) has suggested there’s now a chance he won’t be able to come home. Samson was sentenced to prison in 2024 after lying about Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano) stabbing him. As a result of the lies, Matty was sent behind bars. With Matty in an increasingly dangerous situation in prison, desperately trying to protect his identity as a transgender man and living in sheer terror, Samson kept his mouth shut for months. Eventually, he confessed all to his family and the police. Earlier this week, Matty told his mum Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) that he was finding things difficult at Emmerdale Farm now Sarah and Jacob Sugden (Katie Hill and Joe-Warren Plant) had moved in with baby Leyla. Moira immediately suggested that he moved in with the Dingles. The plan was for Matty to take Samson’s old room, but Moira had no idea at the time that the teen was due to be released. Matty moving into Wishing Well has caused conflict (Picture: ITV) When Moira found out, she immediately stuck by Matty, arguing that Samson didn’t deserve to move back in with his family. Lydia and Sam Dingle (James Hooton) obviously didn’t agree. In this evening’s episode, a probation officer arrived at Wishing Well to assess Samson’s living arrangements. Determined Lydia told the woman that while Matty had moved in, his history with Samson wouldn’t be a problem as they’ve both moved on. She even went as far as saying they were now friends. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Moira piped up and made it clear to the officer that she didn’t agree with what Lydia was saying. As soon as the woman left, Lydia unleashed her anger at Moira and said that there’s now a very real chance Samson won’t be able to come home because of the difficult dynamic. A probation officer arrived to assess the environment Samson would move into (Picture: ITV) Once Matty realised that moving into the Dingle home was causing a lot of problems, he told Moira that he’d just look for somewhere else to live. Matty wants a quiet life, and he definitely wasn’t going to get that with the Dingles. It’s not been completely confirmed if Samson will come back to the village. If the probation officer believes the bad vibes between Moira and Lydia will impact his efforts to readjust to the outside world, there is a chance he will live elsewhere. Will we see him again? Deals of the Day My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Cold mornings are coming and this is the dressing gown I want to live in Most of us aren't getting enough fibre – this easy supplement could change that Arrow MORE: Samson nightmare and Cain forced to intervene as Emmerdale spoilers reveal what happens next Arrow MORE: Emmerdale casts Angela Hazeldine for Samson story and it’s her sixth soap role Arrow MORE: Big Emmerdale return causes mayhem and Sadie and Joe seek revenge as spoilers reveal what happens next The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.