Emmerdale viewers were left hiding behind their hands tonight as fan-favourite character Sam Dingle appeared to be killed off in the soap’s most brutal stunt yet.
It comes as Harriet Finch was ‘confirmed’ dead by Kim Tate, with Dan finding her in the woods and crying over her lifeless body.
Sam, played by James Hooton, was forced to jump out of the way of a herd of stampeding cows as the 50th anniversary storm continues to batter the village and its farmland.
And as the episode drew to a close, things weren’t looking good for Sam, who was pierced directly through the chest by a huge metal spike – more like something from a SAW film than an evening soap.
READ MORE: Emmerdale Marlon Dingle exit fears as Mark Charnock address his future on ITV soap
Covered in blood and grazes, Sam’s iconic khaki coat was smeared with red where the spike stabbed right through him.
Though Belle and Nate managed to get out of the way of the cows, will they be able to save Sam’s life, or is he already a goner?
Taking to Twitter, a series of shocked fans condemned the stunt, with one penning: “Noooo, Sam! This is absolute chaos!”
“Sam Dingle impaled by a tractor!” another echoed, while a third wrote: “Jesus @emmerdale what a way to kill off Sam. Little bit unnecessarily graphic before the watershed.”
“They did not just kill off Sam Dingle?!” someone else wailed, as another social media user said: “Kinda saw it coming, but blimey. Hope Sam will be okay.”
Spoilers have already confirmed that Sam’s wife Lydia is set to receive some terrible news, with pictures showing her turning up at the hospital looking frazzled.
And fans have been sharing their theories online about whether the Dingle favourite will make it, with one viewer penning: “‘I’m starting to really not like that lad’… Please don’t let these be the last ever words Sam says to Samson!”
Someone else said: “Final predictions ahead of #Emmerdale big 50th death count tonight: Liv, Rhona, Naomi, Sam Dingle, Will and possibly Harriet.
“They will have to go big for such an anniversary (to stress it’s just a guess and I’d prefer none died)!”
Does this mean Sam loses his life after all? Only time will tell.
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7:30pm on ITV.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
