Who is Emmerdale’s John Sugden? Unveiling His Dark Past and the Threat to Jack Sugden

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After the most recent episode of the ITV soap opera, viewers could be attempting to piece together the romantic past of the original Emmerdale character Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby).

Before we get into it, Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) had a very emotional start to the day as he got ready to go to an old friend named Barbara’s funeral.

Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) was persuaded to drive Pollard to the funeral after Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) and Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) offered justifications for the postponement of Pollard’s vehicle servicing, which covered up the car’s theft while under Aaron’s supervision.

Naturally, Aaron was unaware that the man with whom he had a passionate meeting on the side of the road the previous day was actually John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), who made a reappearance at the church and identified himself as Barbara’s son.

Vic was shocked when Jack revealed his entire identity, so Pollard had to break the news that Jack had been close to Barbara in 1987 or 1988 and that it was quite possible that they had a brief affair that led to John’s birth.

When Victoria presented herself to John during the burial, he showed no emotion at all towards his long-lost half-sister. John clarified that although Jack might not have known he had another kid, his mother was a very truthful person who gave him the Sugden surname.

John did mention that he and Barbara were locals, so Jack might have easily learned about him. When Vic told John about the jailed Robert and their other adopted brother Andy (Kelvin Fletcher), he was shocked that John did not express any emotion. Vic argued that their father would have taken action if he had known.

Victoria promised herself that she would track down John when he left, but John had already shown up at the garage with Pollard’s vehicle, Aaron’s money, and his own broken-down van.

In Emmerdale, Oliver Farnworth played John Sugden and Isabel Hodgins played Victoria.

When Vic arrived, she didn’t take long to introduce her brother John to an astonished Aaron. She then informed John that Aaron had been married to Robert! Mack mocked Aaron about the coincidence, making him wriggle in embarrassment and begged with his friend not to tell Victoria.

Aaron was certain that John had ulterior motives since, upon receiving an invitation to Victoria’s home, he was observed perusing the framed pictures of her family.

Vic demanded that John spend the night, and when Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) disclosed that the restoration of his vehicle would need many days, he was not impressed.

John was informed by Aaron that he was observing him during a chance encounter. Then John struck Aaron, warning him not to meddle with him!

See how John’s mother fits in and go back in time to Sugden patriarch Jack’s rural romances while we wait to see how the drama plays out.

Jack Sugden’s love life explained as son John arrives in Emmerdale

When Jack got to know Marian Wilks (Gail Harrison) in 1972, his common-law wife Lynn (Jenny Lee-Wright) came from London.

Afterwards, Tommy, Jackie (Ian Sharrock), Sandie (Jenny Mayors-Clark, Jane Hutcheson), and abusive husband Tom (Casper Van Dien) arrived in the village with Ruth Merrick (Lynn Dalby, Helen Weir).

Jackie’s biological father was identified as Jack, but the Merricks moved on before Ruth made her comeback in 1980 under the new name Pat.

Jack and Pat started dating and were wed in 1982. Jack had an affair with reporter Karen Moore (Annie Hulley), but he decided to stay with his wife after Pat gave him an ultimatum. Jack became a single parent after Pat passed away in a vehicle accident a few months after the couple had their son Robert in 1986.

Following a protracted mourning period, Jack fell in love with librarian Sarah Connolly (Alyson Spiro, Madeleine Howard), who raised Robert as her own starting in 1988. When Jack’s son Jackie was unintentionally shot in 1989, Sarah was Jack’s pillar of support.

1994 saw Sarah give birth to their daughter Victoria, and that same year, Jack and Sarah were married when the baby’s cries awakened Jack’s mother Annie (Sheila Mercier) from her aircraft accident coma.

After reconciling with Sarah, Jack had an affair with Rachel Hughes (Glenda McKay), his former step-niece. They then adopted Andy, a problematic child.

Sarah had an affair with their lodger Richie Carter (Glenn Lamont) amid arguments and financial difficulties. After Jack gained custody of the boys and Sarah gained custody of Victoria, the Sugden family divided.

Andy accidentally murdered Sarah when he set the barn on fire in an attempt to support Jack’s insurance claim.

After falling in love with Diane (Elizabeth Estensen), Jack married her in the midst of Diane’s colon cancer diagnosis. Together, they raised Andy’s biological half-brother Daz Eden (Luke Tittensor).

Diane began to feel something for Daz’s father Billy (David Crellin) and Andy, but she eventually came clean and made amends with Jack. When Jack paid Annie a visit in Spain in 2008, Annie informed her that Jack had passed away the following year.

Although it doesn’t seem that Barbara, John’s mother, was ever shown or discussed on television, it’s likely that Jack had relationships with Barbara throughout the same period as Sarah did, starting in 1988. After all, Jack was quite the womanizer!

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