Episode 7544 (4th July 2016)

Plot
Pregnant Laurel wakes up with a hangover and snaps at Arthur and Ashley. Ashley spots the empty bottle of wine from the night before and questions if he can drink on his medication. Laurel bites Marlon's head off in the street. In the café, Pearl gets the wrong end of the stick after she overhears Pierce telling Rhona she should come out and witnessing Rhona joking with Vanessa. Marlon follows Laurel to the footbridge where he listens in as Laurel talks to someone on the about having a drink. He confronts his former wife about her hangover and invites her back to Tall Trees to talk. Laurel questions how Marlon can be happy now, but she is stuck with Ashley and a baby. Laurel shouts that he should have stopped her getting back with Ashley in the first place and explains Ashley called her 'Harriet' and offered her a glass of wine, which she drank because she needed it. Lisa shows Charity the front cover of Hotten Courier which has Jermaine on it. Lisa wonders if they can keep it from Belle, but Charity struggles to see how as it'll be all over the internet. She remembers she took Belle's phone off of her last night, so she hides the device in her bra. Laurel asks Marlon for a drink. She places his hand on her baby bump and asks if he can feel the baby moving, as she is unsure if she is imagining it. He confirms her unborn daughter is kicking, but Laurel asks him if he ever thinks about her as they were happy once. She quizzes him if he ever thinks about them sleeping together and tells him he could take her upstairs. Marlon declines and warns her he'll have to tell everyone if she has a drink. Ashley suggests that Doug could help Jimmy by taking Angelica and Elliot to school when he drops off Arthur. Marlon orders Laurel to stay at his house and decide. Harriet, Sandy and Ashley plan meals they can cook for Jimmy and the kids when Pearl arrives and reveals to them that she suspects Rhona and Vanessa are in a relationship. Pierce is amused as he overhears Pearl's theory. Charity tells Marlon he'll have to break the news to Belle, who still hasn't seen the front page of the Hotten Courier. Rhona and Vanessa arrive in the pub and they protest that they aren't an item. Pierce is disappointed when Rhona hurries back to the surgery without telling Pearl she is really with him. At Tall Trees, Laurel places a bottle of wine on the coffee table. Charity interrupts Marlon telling Belle about Jermaine to show her the front page of the paper. At the surgery Rhona admits to Pierce that she isn't ready to go public with their relationship and explains that she and Vanessa were only involved when she was addicted to painkillers and were never in a proper relationship. Belle worries Jermaine will be ripped apart, and decides to stay strong for him, despite Charity trying to make her see she doesn't need Jermaine. Pierce questions if Rhona still loves Paddy and suggests they end their relationship before someone gets hurt. Marlon returns to Tall Trees to find Laurel slumped on the couch with the bottle of wine on the table. Laurel admits she poured a glass of wine, but didn't drink it. Laurel tells Marlon she was thinking about her mum as it's been nearly a year. She explains that Ashley wants her to make sense of the world for him, but she can't. Laurel admits to Marlon she was never really prepared for looking after Ashley, and the pressure is causing her to want to drink again. She realises love isn't enough and she'll need to chose between being sober and being with Ashley. She thanks Marlon and tells him she'll have to be there for her kids, as she isn't strong enough to do it all.

Regular cast

 * Laurel Thomas - Charlotte Bellamy
 * Arthur Thomas - Alfie Clarke
 * Ashley Thomas - John Middleton
 * Diane Sugden - Elizabeth Estensen
 * Marlon Dingle - Mark Charnock
 * Rhona Goskirk - Zoe Henry
 * Pearl Ladderbanks - Meg Johnson
 * Vanessa Woodfield - Michelle Hardwick
 * Charity Dingle - Emma Atkins
 * Lisa Dingle - Jane Cox
 * Jimmy King - Nick Miles
 * Dan Spencer - Liam Fox
 * Sandy Thomas - Freddie Jones
 * Belle Dingle - Eden Taylor-Draper
 * Harriet Finch - Katherine Dow Blyton

Guest cast

 * Pierce Harris - Jonathan Wrather

Locations

 * Mulberry Cottage - Downstairs rooms
 * Main Street
 * Café Main Street
 * Footbridge
 * Gennie Walker Memorial Playground
 * The Woolpack - Backroom and public bar
 * Tall Trees Cottage - Living room
 * Victoria Cottage - Downstairs rooms
 * Emmerdale Veterinary Surgery - Reception and treatment room
 * Smithy Cottage - Exterior
 * Hotten Road