Mark Charnock Reveals All on Marlon & April’s Emotional Emmerdale Episode: “I Cried When I Read It!”
After nearly three decades in the role, Emmerdale veteran Mark Charnock has faced countless emotional storylines — but the actor admits the recent Marlon and April episode left him in tears. Speaking candidly in a new interview, Charnock opened up about the heart-wrenching script, describing it as “one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever been part of.”
A Fragile ReunionThe episode, which has already been hailed by fans as a standout moment for the Dingle family, follows a fragile reunion between Marlon and his daughter April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan). After a turbulent year marked by April’s disappearance and emotional distance, the pair finally reconnect — but under the surface, heartbreak brews.
“It’s been a really dark year for them,” Charnock admitted. “Marlon’s just so relieved to have her back that he’s trying to overcompensate. He’s desperate to make things right, but he has no idea how deep her pain goes.”
In one particularly tender moment, Marlon and April prepare for Bonfire Night together. Marlon surprises her with a witch’s costume — the same kind she wore as a child — in an effort to recapture their lost bond. “It’s this wonderful reconnection,” Charnock said softly, “but also bittersweet, because the audience knows something he doesn’t.”
April’s Deadly Secret
Behind April’s fragile smile lies a devastating truth: she is hiding the fact that she killed a man in self-defense. The emotional weight of that secret drives the episode’s tension, creating what Charnock describes as “a knife-edge of love and fear.”
“April is protecting her dad,” he explained. “She’s terrified that if she tells him what really happened, it will destroy him. It’s such an extraordinary conflict — she’s doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.”
The Astonishing Twist
Written by Emmerdale’s Carol Mitchell, the special episode is structured as a blend of intense thriller and intimate family drama. Charnock revealed that the tone shift halfway through took him completely by surprise.
“The writing is incredible,” he said. “It starts off as this delicate story of reconnection, and then — bang — two-thirds of the way through, something happens that absolutely pulls the rug out from under you. I cried when I read it.”