Emmerdale has suddenly become an even more dangerous village to live – as previously promised to Metro by iconic TV star Jaye Griffiths, sinister farmer Celia Daniels’ true colours have been laid bare, and she’s about to get much worse.
Previously warning me in an interview that fans would soon go off their love for Celia when they discovered what she is truly capable of, Jaye has exclusively broken her silence with Metro on what lies ahead now that we know the villain is the head of the drug ring operation being carried out by Ray (Joe Absolom).
We saw Celia deliver a stinging slap and a vicious warning to April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan), warning her not to mess things up.
And, later, we learned that Celia found Ray on the streets and groomed and trapped him into her world, adopting him as a son to carry out her orders and help in her running of the operation.
It’s a twist that has left viewers reeling and lights the fuse for the next phase on what is a deep, complex and harrowing saga for several villagers.
And Jaye is delighted that she can finally talk about the secret, having known about Celia’s dark world from the moment she joined the show.
‘She’s the boss, there’s no one else, it’s her domain,’ the Casualty and The Bill actress confirmed when we caught up.
‘She has overseers who do the actual work and she just runs everything. When I was told that there would be a woman of colour being the ultimate drug queen – fab.
‘Everyone assumes it’s Ray. Good-looking white bloke, everyone assumes he’s the boss, but actually he is a child compared to Celia.’
It’s been a hard secret for her to keep but Jaye adds that it’s important to have played the build up slowly for the real meat of the story to be so effective – and it’s just the start.
‘I don’t want to play the end at the beginning,’ she reasoned. ‘Keep the beginning, stay where you are, because it’s coming anyway. Let it come, but relish and revel in where you are now and in these scenes on this day.
‘Those scenes I’m just in the middle of reading, and they’re coming! So be where you are now and enjoy it because, well, I nearly blew the storyline then! I can say no more!
‘Other than, if you cross Celia, write a will! She does not like or accept failure. Mistakes are something she has very little patience or tolerance for.
‘There is many a merry-go-round to navigate. Oh my goodness [laughs], there’s so much more to come. It’s so delicious! I know I shouldn’t enjoy it this much, but I’m afraid I do. I’m just going to say there’s a stunts coordinator, that’s all I’m going to say.’
Very intriguing! Up until now, fans have been piling the praise on both Celia and Jaye, enjoying the campness of the villainy and the catty, shameless one-liners.
But Jaye reckons things might change now the full dark truth is out.
‘I’m a little bit scared!’ she said. ‘I want people to remember it’s just pretend. I am looking forward to the [gasps] moment. Sometimes it’s difficult to believe how far Celia will go.
‘However far you think she’ll go, she’ll go further, and that’s what makes her so scary. Where our line would be, there are no lines for Celia, never has been and never will. She will go that far, so be careful…’