Emmerdale airs sad scenes for Bear Wolf next week, with no release from his ongoing ordeal over the festive period. While many of the villagers celebrate Christmas with family and friends by their side, it’s a very different story for Bear on Celia Daniels’ farm.

Bear has been carrying out unpaid labour on Celia’s land for several months and has been brainwashed by the villain’s manipulative son Ray Walters. Although Bear recently had a chance to escape with two of the other workers, he ultimately stayed loyal to Ray by tipping him off over their intentions.

Since then, Celia and Ray have briefly considered killing Bear after discovering that he’s Paddy Dingle’s missing father, which felt too close for comfort. Celia backed down when a confused Bear once again proved his loyalty, asking whether he could stay on the farm.

When Christmas Day arrives in the village next week, Paddy continues to ponder over how much he misses his father.

There has still been absolutely no word or clue over Bear’s whereabouts, so Paddy doesn’t know what to think about his ongoing absence from the village.

Over on Celia’s farm, Christmas Day is as bleak as any other for Bear and the other forced workers. Celia certainly won’t be showing any leniency on such a special day…

Jaye Griffiths, who plays Celia, recently explained: “Celia doesn’t mark Christmas. And this year she is planning on them leaving the area, as it has all got too complicated.

“April’s family are an irritant to her and things are also getting complicated business-wise, as Moira is becoming troublesome by asking too many questions.

“But more alarmingly Ray has gone and fallen in love. So she’s extricating them to another area. It is clear that this is something they have done before: find another farm in another location and set up their enterprise again.”

If Celia and Ray go ahead with the move, what will this mean for Bear? Will they leave him behind, or take him away somewhere he can never be found by his loved ones in the village?