Emmerdale’s Marlon Dingle and his daughter April Windsor are set to be torn apart in upcoming scenes as a horrible Christmas twist looms for the Dingle family

Emmerdale’s Mark Charnock, famed for his role as Marlon Dingle, has hinted at “unimaginable horror” set to rock one family this Yuletide, with a heart-wrenching plot twist in the pipeline for the ITV soap.

Marlon and his daughter April Windsor (played by Amelia Flanagan) have been through the wringer after she was snatched and faced death threats, only to learn her mum had taken her own life.

The drama cranked up a notch when Marlon found out the full extent of April’s ordeal at the hands of the sinister boxing promoter Jade (Twinnie-Lee Moore).

However, things between father and daughter are set to hit boiling point in upcoming scenes as Marlon catches April trying to score some weed. He confronts her, but things escalate rapidly.

April will leave her dad Marlon devastated on Christmas Day (Image: ITV)

As Christmas morning arrives, Marlon is blindsided by a revelation that could flip their world upside down, reports Leicestershire Live.

In a chat with the Daily Star and other media outlets, Mark, who’s been a staple on the show since ’96, revealed that in a forthcoming episode he discovers April’s room empty, indicating she’s disappeared.

He shared: “I was very upset reading the scripts. Obviously it’s hopefully going to be a moving story but the scripts were so strong, you could see the writer’s personal investment in a lot of this stuff.

“I was speaking to the producers and everybody’s like… it’s huge, isn’t it? It’s a huge thing. It’s the most unimaginable thing. Horrible, horrible.”

Mark hinted at drama for Marlon when he realises his daughter is missing, saying: “So he’s checking her texts because she’s behaved outrageously to family members, she’s been really uncharacteristically rude and a little mean-spirited and just not her.”

Mark Charnock has teased a dramatic plot for his character Marlon on Christmas Day that is ‘terrifying'(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)

He revealed the dad’s shock as he delves into her messages: “So he’s going through these texts and he begins to discover information that he had no idea about. She’s trying to get weed and stuff like that, which has shocked him a bit.”

Mark explained Marlon’s protective nature might be part of the issue: “Part of the problem is he’s this very protective parent. I don’t think he’s over-protective but he’s missed the bit where she’s not in cotton wool any more, he’s missed the jump that she’s made and that, coupled with the fact she’s found out about Donna, has just made it a bit more volcanic.

“This disastrous Christmas Eve where she’s got absolutely annihilated, she has this terrible Christmas where she causes all sorts of issues and problems and they’re just not meeting on a level playing field.”

Mark then shared a touching moment between father and daughter: “The next morning he opens a present, April’s still in bed, and she’s got him this mug that he dropped not long after he had the stroke.”

He added the poignant detail on the gift: “The handle had come off and she stuck the handle back on. They turn it around and there’s a thing on the bottom of the mug that says ‘Things that are broken can always be mended.”

Marlon Dingle will make a horrifying discovery about April on Christmas Day (Image: ITV)

Wrapping up the tale, Mark said: “He goes up – and she’s gone. There’s that moment that I can only imagine, that blank space where she’s supposed to be on that day of all days. It’s not a building horror.”

Mark revealed, “There’s nothing right about that picture, her empty room on that day, no matter what they’ve been through there’s no way that room could or should be empty. And she’s gone.”

He then detailed the anguish his character Marlon faces, pondering if his daughter is once again in peril: “He wonders whether she’s been kidnapped again. Obviously your brain goes everywhere.”

He concluded with a hint of suspense, adding: “But that’s as much as I can say right now. He goes to Bob first and goes to see other family members. Ross. There’s an instant little circle of panic that doesn’t help. It escalates, this storyline, so this is just the beginning.”

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX