Episode 9879 (2nd January 2024)

==Plot==
Part One:
At the hospital, Wendy informs a shell-shocked Bob that Brenda and Eric are taking Cathy home with them. Bob can't believe that only a few hours ago, they were looking forward to the new year as a family but now his son is dead due to his daughter. Bob is also hurt that he's not allowed to see Heath and asks Wendy if she can do anything. Back in the village, news of Heath's death has spread and everyone is in shock. Marlon and Rhona wonder how they're going to break the news to April. The accident has made Tracy realise how lucky she is to have Nate and Frankie. A memorial for Heath has sprung up outside the B&B. At Victoria Cottage, Jimmy and Nicola are reeling from the crash. Nicola insists they need to focus on getting Angelica through this the best they can. A police officer arrives at Victoria Cottage and arrests Angelica for death by dangerous driving. A second officer knocks at Pollard's Barn and also arrests Cathy. April blames herself for stopping Cathy, Heath, and Angelica taking the car and for not telling anyone what they were up to sooner. Brenda acts a Cathy's appropriate adult as she is interviewed under caution about the crash. The police officer asks Cathy if it was her idea to take the vehicle without consent. Cathy admits it was. The police officer then asks what made her think she could drive the vehicle so Cathy explains her brother Scott taught her on a track near his house. The police officer states driving on a track is very different to driving on a public road with headlights glaring at you and comments it must've been overwhelming. Cathy states they barely saw another car, everything was fine. When the police officer brings up her losing control of the vehicle, Cathy insists she didn't. She wasn't even driving when the car crashed - Angelica was.
Part Two:
In another interview room, Angelica is being interviewed. The police officer reveals Cathy has said it was Angelica who was driving the car when it crashed. A defensive Nicola insists that's ridiculous, whilst Angelica unconvincingly claims she wasn't the one behind the wheel as she doesn't know how to drive. Marlon and Laurel offer each other support following the crash. Charles visits Bob at the hospital to offer him support. Wendy informs Bob she's spoken with the bereavement team and they're going to liaise with the police, but it may be some time until he can see Heath. Bob refuses to go anywhere until he does. Amit approaches Jai and Laurel in the pub hoping to reconcile as the crash has made him realise how fragile life is. Jai can't believe Amit is using the accident to guilt trip him and storms off. Nicola is furious that Cathy is blaming Angelica for the crash. April and Arthur visit Heath's memorial to pay their respects to their friend. When April sees Marlon and Rhona walking up Main Street, she runs towards them and hugs Marlon then bursts into tears. The bereavement team have agreed to let Bob see Heath before the post-mortem. Wendy offers to go with him but Bob wants to do it alone. At Pollard's Barn, a teary Brenda stares at a photo of Cathy and Heath. Eric wishes he could take her pain away. Cathy comes downstairs and asks Brenda if she's spoken to Bob and told him it was Angelica that was driving. Brenda hasn't yet. An emotional Cathy asks Brenda if she believes her. Brenda assures Cathy she does and promises she'll make sure Bob knows what happened. Cathy doesn't know what she's going to do without Heath. Brenda doesn't know either but she promises Cathy she'll stick with her through thick or thin. At the hospital, Bob is in pieces after viewing Heath's body and questions what he's going to do without his son.
==Cast==
===Regular cast===
*Bob Hope - Tony Audenshaw
*Wendy Posner - Susan Cookson
*Marlon Dingle - Mark Charnock
*Rhona Goskirk - Zoe Henry
*April Windsor - Amelia Flanagan
*Tracy Robinson - Amy Walsh
*Frankie Robinson - Eden Ratcliffe-Knights
*Nate Robinson - Jurell Carter
*Chas Dingle - Lucy Pargeter
*Laurel Thomas - Charlotte Bellamy
*Charles Anderson - Kevin Mathurin
*Jimmy King - Nick Miles
*Nicola King - Nicola Wheeler
*Angelica King - Rebecca Bakes
*Cathy Hope - Gabrielle Dowling
*Brenda Walker - Lesley Dunlop
*Caleb Miligan - William Ash
*Amit Sharma - Anil Goutam
*Jai Sharma - Christopher Bisson
*Arthur Thomas - Alfie Clarke
*Eric Pollard - Christopher Chittell
===Guest cast===
*Police Officer 1 - Gail Kemp
*Police Officer 2 - Leo Turner
==Locations==
*Hotten General Hospital - A&E corridor and mortuary corridor
*Smithy Cottage - Kitchen and living room
*Tug Ghyll - Living room/kitchen
*Main Street
*Victoria Cottage - Living room/kitchen and front garden
*Pollard's Barn - Living room/kitchen and front garden
*Hotten Central Police Station - Interview rooms
*The Woolpack - Kitchen and public bar
==Notes==
*Viewing Figures: UK broadcast - 4,615,000 viewers (20th place). This was the most-watched episode of the year.
Category:Emmerdale episodes
Category:2024 episodes