Emmerdale
JESSIE UNVEILS HER SECRET WEDDING PLANS...
There’s double reason for the Dingles to celebrate this Christmas Day, as the clan gathers for Jessie and Marlon’s wedding! There’s just one twist – Marlon has no idea that Jessie has been organising the secret ceremony.
When he finally realises the big day is all about him, the gobsmacked groom-to-be faints! So after Marlon comes to and the big news sinks in, will he be delighted – or horrified?
“It’s a massive shock for Marlon when he realises – he thinks it’s Sam and Lydia getting married!” reveals Sandra Marvin, who plays Jessie. “The Dingle barn is all done up, and everything is beautiful – it’s Lydia’s version of a Caribbean wedding for the couple. When Marlon collapses, though, everyone’s left wondering: will he go through with it?”
The entire wedding party – not least Jessie – is left on tenterhooks while wobbly Marlon takes in the scene. Jessie has gone all out in her bid to make Marlon her husband – and there are plenty of hiccups in the lead-up to the event.
“Marlon is Jessie’s knight in shining armour,” grins Sandra. “She’s decided that life is too short, and she wants to prove just how much she loves him. So she goes for it! Her son Ellis and Marlon’s daughter April are her wedding squad, and they keep her on track.
“It’s Lydia who tells Marlon that it’s her and Sam’s wedding, after he gets
Marlon is Jessie’s knight in shining armour…”
SANDRA
suspicious about all the weird questions she keeps asking him,” adds the star. “So to keep him out of the way, Jessie suggests Marlon take Sam on a stag night – even though it’s really Marlon’s stag. And the two of them get in a right state!”
Indeed, disaster ensues when the drunken pair sneak into the back of a booze van delivering to the Woolpack, and get locked in. They wake the next morning miles from anywhere – while back in the village, Jessie is distraught.
“Marlon and Sam get obliterated in the pub,” explains Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon, as he takes over the story. “They’re thrown out of the Woolpack because
Charity catches them swigging out of the beer taps, and then they find the delivery van outside. They end up in the middle of nowhere, and Marlon is so desperate to get Sam back home – because he still thinks it’s Sam’s wedding day – that he tells Sam he’s getting married! So Sam is left feeling all emotional and excited about the prospect of his own wedding!”
Later, while the guests assemble – as oblivious as Marlon regarding the true nature of the day – Jessie and Lydia are convinced their plot is foiled. So it’s a relief when hungover Marlon finally arrives – till he keels over! Although Mark is sworn to secrecy about whether or not Marlon and Jessie will end up with a festive happy-ever-after, he does admit these scenes were a joy to film.
“Marlon is so overwhelmed – and very light-headed because he got so hammered the day before,” he chuckles. “Yet it was a real treat for me, because I get to throw up twice on British television on Christmas Day! It’s a lovely festive story, though – and also really funny…”