Newcomer John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) is set to send shockwaves through the village when he makes his first appearance next week, as it’s revealed he is the long-lost half-brother of Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins).

He is the secret son of her late father Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby), who had a brief relationship with a character called Barbara (Angela Down) back in 1988, who it turns out later fell pregnant with his child.

ITV is now teasing John’s arrival in ads airing across the network, which feature John, Victoria, and most interestingly, Aaron.

It has already been confirmed that John is gay, so the inclusion of Aaron – who is the village’s only other gay adult male – in the video appears to support theories that the pair will strike up a relationship.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk ahead of his debut, actor Oliver Farnworth – who previously played Andy Carver in Coronation Street – teased that John would catch someone’s eye.

‘We find out quite quickly that he’s got a military past, he’s openly gay,’ he told us. ‘He does ruffle a few feathers, and he does kind of, you know, catch the eye of the odd person.’

‘At the moment, relationship-wise, that’s not fully realised, but we’ll see,’ he added.

Oliver also admitted he is ready for the fans’ reaction, given how invested they were in Aaron’s marriage to ex Robert Sudgen (Ryan Hawley), who also happens to be John’s half-brother.

‘I welcome it. I welcome it,’ he smiled. ‘Absolutely no problem.’

Actor Clive Hornby played Jack from 1980 until 2008, having taken over from original actor Andrew Burt.

Clive sadly passed away shortly after his last appearance in Emmerdale, aged 63.

His character was given an on-screen funeral in 2009, after he died in Spain while visiting beloved mum Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier).