"One night will change everything..."
The Big Night Out was a major event in Emmerdale that occurred in late April 2019, when several characters went on a group night out that started going terribly wrong.
The episode left many questions still unanswered which didn't become clear until two weeks later when three flashback episodes aired which revealed what really happened that night.
Plot[]
The Night[]
On 25th April 2019 and a group of villagers decided to go on a night out to a club but had no idea how badly the night would end.
Teacher Maya Stepney appears in her student and current step-son, Jacob Gallagher's bedroom as he's packing to visit his mother in Portugal. Jacob reveals that his father, David Metcalfe is planning to propose, much to Maya's horror. Meanwhile, Bernice Blackstock and Kerry Wyatt get ready for the night out and Amy Wyatt persuades Victoria Barton to join her on the night out as well. When Rhona Goskirk appears in the pub, Amy invites her along too, who desperate for some escape from her rocky relationship with boyfriend Pete Barton, agrees. The villagers pile into taxis and head off into Hotten for the night out.
Maya witnesses Tracy and David kiss
At the club, Amy tries to set Victoria up with Ellis Chapman, while David is ready to propose to Maya. As he goes to get down on one knee, Maya orders him not to propose and a hurt David walks off. His ex-wife and friend Tracy Metcalfe sits down next to a devastated David and questions why he proposed. Meanwhile, Max Garrick, the enemy of his brotherBilly Fletcher, watches as Ellis orders another round of drinks. Back in the village, Billy receives a text from Max with a picture of Ellis in the club and worries for his brother's safety. David talks to Tracy about Maya as they down shots. As Tracy tells David that if he and Maya are over it isn't such as bad thing as she thinks that he can do better, David comments he already did do better resulting in he and Tracy kissing which is witnessed by Maya. The pair instantly regret their kiss and Maya storms over and confronts them, making a scene before storming off again.
Victoria and Amy talk to a couple of men to make Ellis jealous. After Ellis walks away, Amy tells John and Lee that they can leave now. Meanwhile, Ellis remains unaware that Max is watching his every move. Latecomer Priya bumps into Leyla Harding and Maya in the toilets and asks what's happened when Tracy appears and reveals she and David kissed. She apologises to Maya, insisting it was just a kiss and then suggests Maya has a go at David rather than her but Maya declares she'd rather go home. As Kerry and Bernice bust some moves on the dance floor, Rhona is chatted up by a man named Nate Robinson and enjoy some flirting despite being in a committed relationship. At the same time, as Ellis is washing his hands in the toilets, Max appears from one of the cubicles. Ellis tries to leave but the altercation becomes physical and security gets involved. Max tells Ellis they aren't finished then walks off. Moments later a frantic Billy appears at the club and asks Ellis what's happened.
Priya spots Maya and Jacob kissing
Maya receives a text from Jacob and exits the club. Later, Priya heads out of the club looking for her purse which the Doorman had picked up and spots Jacob arriving in a taxi. Maya greats Jacob with a hug then leads him down an alley where they kiss, unaware Priya is watching. Priya cannot believe her eyes as Jacob and Maya continue to kiss. Inside the club, as Kerry is dancing, she accidentally sets off the fire alarm with a flailing arm. Security begins to clear the club. Rhona walks out with Nate and Amy walks out with her arms around John whilst Billy and Ellis stay behind and argue. Ellis tells his brother that he belongs in prison as that's all he's good for then walks off. Later as he leaves, Billy checks the knife in his sock then walks down an alley with intent.
Priya finds Leyla and Tracy outside and explains how she witnessed Jacob getting out of a taxi then he and Maya kissed like two people who can't get enough of each other. Leyla texts Maya offering her a lift home. Maya accepts although she isn't happy to see Tracy sitting in the passenger seat and comments it'll be a fun journey home. Leyla coldly warns Maya that Tracy is the least of her worries.
Flashbacks[]
Billy hides from the ambulance
On 7th May, as Billy is getting ready to leave the village he is caught by Ellis and agrees to tell him everything that happened that night at the club. While the club is getting closed down, Ellis is approached by a girl named Keira who he agrees to help her get her phone and jacket back from inside the club. Ellis manages to convince the doorman to allow him and Keira back into the club to retrieve the Keira's belongings. Meanwhile, Billy also tries to get back into the club and heads around the side of the building and re-enters the club via an unguarded fire exit. Later, Billy is pinned up against a wall by one of the two men following him. Billy assumes they're Max's minions although the men reveal they're actually the brothers of Riley - the man Billy viciously attacked which resulted in him being sent to prison, Kaiden and Tyler. Billy admits to attacking Riley and declares he wishes he would've finished him off as he was racist, drug-dealing scum and recalls how his best mate, Ben, killed himself at eighteen because he was so scared of Riley. He tells them that when and his mates bumped into Riley whilst on a night out, Riley racially abused him so he put his head into a wall and then his mates joined in. When Billy declares Riley deserved every punch he and his mates gave him, Kaiden goes for him and knocks the knife out of his hand. Billy makes a run for it and manages to lose them. Outside the club, Ellis and Keira are kissing when Keira's brother calls for her. She meets up with her brothers, revealed to be Kaiden and Tyler, and is disappointed to learn they didn't exact their revenge on Billy and orders them to go after Ellis instead. At the same time, Billy calls Ellis to apologise and as the brothers are talking, Billy hears muffling sounds and realises Ellis is in trouble. As a frantic Billy searches for Ellis, he runs into Kaiden and Tyler who tell him they're even now. Billy discovers Ellis lying unconscious with blood pouring from his side. As instructed by the 999 operator, Billy puts pressure on Ellis' stab wound, but when he sees the blue lights of the ambulance approaching, he scarpers.
Meanwhile, at Tug Ghyll, an emotional Leyla apologises to recently returned Jacob and starts recalling what happened at the night at the club. Outside the nightclub, whilst Rhona flirts with Nate and pair starts kissing behind a bin, Maya isn't best pleased to find Tracy in the passenger seat of Priya's car, although Leyla tells her Tracy is the least of her worries as Priya witnessed her kissing Jacob. Maya denies it and instead claims the teenager tried it on with her, questioning if she'd rather have her reporting him for sexual assault. However, Leya doesn't buy it and orders Maya to get in the car. In the car, Leyla asks Maya if she slept with Jacob. Maya labels the suggestion as ridiculous. Suddenly, Maya jumps out of the moving car and rolls across the road. Priya slams on the breaks then she, Leyla and Tracy get out and head into the woods after Maya whom they eventually find her sitting in a shed. Maya begs them to take her to a hospital but Leyla refuses until she tells them what she did to Jacob. Maya admits to having a relationship with Jacob and sleeping with him, but assures them it was only after Jacob turned sixteen. However, she denies being a predator as it was consensual. Maya insults the trio, calling them "the stripper, the bulimic and the prostitute", insisting that none of them cares for Jacob. Priya puts her scarf around Maya's leg to stem the bleeding and who then begins to lose consciousness. Maya escapes the shed as the friends pop out for a bit to discuss the situation. She stumbles through the woods with Priya's car keys in hand. But as Maya unlocks the car door, Leyla insists she doesn't get to walk away from this and lunges at Maya, pushing her to the ground and the pair proceed to fight. When Maya taunts Leyla about how Jacob couldn't get enough of her, Leyla clobbers her over the head. A terrified Leyla shoves Maya's lifeless body off her which causes Maya to roll down an embankment and into a stream. Moments later, Tracy and Priya find Leyla, and they return to the village, fearing they caused Maya's death. However, moments later, Maya comes around to the sound of her phone ringing. It's Jacob and she answers, telling him to find her. Later the two head to a hotel where Maya fears she'll be arrested in the morning, resulting in Jacob suggesting they run away and reminds Maya that everyone thinks he's in Portugal.
Victoria after being raped by Lee
On 8th May, Victoria finally opens up to her former mother-in-law, Moira Barton, after being unreachable and refusing to leave her house for days, and tells her what happened that night. After pushing Nate off her Rhona joins up with Victoria, Amy, Kerry and Bernice who agrees to let her share a taxi, but as there's already four of them, Victoria decides to find her brother, Robert Sugden and get a lift home with him instead. As a drunken Victoria sits on a wall eating a kebab, John approaches her and tries to chat her up. When John refuses to leave her alone his friend Lee walks over, and tells him to leave. John refuses so Lee throws his kebab at his friend and Victoria joins in, also shoving hers in his face. As Lee is about to get into a taxi, Victoria runs over and kisses him then joins him in the taxi. The taxi driver points out the no eating or drinking sign but Lee ignores it which results in the taxi driver dropping he a Victoria off in the middle of nowhere, causing the pair to walk home together. As they are walking, Victoria and Lee get talking about themselves. When Victoria removes her shoes as they're hurting her, Lee offers her a piggyback and carries her all the way back to Emmerdale where Lee asks Victoria to invite him into Keepers Cottage which Victoria reluctantly does. After talking for a while, Victoria wants to call it a night so asks Lee to call a taxi and heads upstairs to get ready for bed. Lee follows Victoria upstairs and closes her bedroom door, telling her he knows they both want this. Victoria tells Lee she wants him to go. Instead, Lee forcibly kisses her resulting in her pushing him off her then opening her bedroom door, ordering him to get out of her house. However, an increasingly aggressive Lee ignores her wishes and slams the door shut and tells Victoria he's not going anywhere, insisting she invited him in for a reason. Victoria begs Lee to go but again he refuses. Victoria tries to escape but Lee grabs her by the hair and throws her onto her bed then climbs on top of her, violently raping her. Later that night, he leaves Victoria alone in her bed, bruised and crying.
Aftermath[]
At Smithy Cottage, following the night out a guilt-ridden Rhona heads up to bed. She later reveals her infidelity to Pete, putting a strain on their relationship and almost causing Nate to get fired from his new job at the farm Pete co-own. At Tall Trees Cottage, Billy wraps the knife that was used to stab Ellis in his bloody shirt then hides it under the oven. Following their conversation, Billy and Ellis grow closer and after getting rid of the evidence and decide to put all of this behind them.
After realising Maya is still alive, Leyla finally reveals the true nature of her and Jacob's relationship to David. The two parents are devastated as Jacobs starts pulling away from them, blaming his parents for him not being able to be with the person he loves. They eventually report Maya to the police and on 20th June 2019, she is sentenced to a year in prison, leaving Jacob devastated.
After Victoria reveals her rape ordeal to Moira she eventually persuades her to report it to the police. She soon realises she is pregnant and decides to keep the baby despite constant harassment from Lee and his mother, and decides to not take the matter to court.
Background information[]
On 12th April 2019, a 1-minute long promo was released on the Emmerdale youtube channel to advertise the dramatic episodes to come later that month. The trailer shows several characters getting ready for a night out in front of their mirrors. Each of their reflections foreshadows what is to come. Whilst applying lipstick, Victoria Barton's reflection appears cold and distressed. Billy Fletcher looks on to see his half-brother Ellis Chapman staring back at him, petrified. Maya Stepney's reflection is seen kneeling on the ground, bleeding and visibly shaken. Leyla Harding is the last to be seen, admiring herself in the mirror. Suddenly, her reflection turns violent and shatters the mirror to pieces.
The episodes were well received among audiences and critics. At the 2019 Inside Soap Awards "Victoria's rape" was nominated as Best Showstopper while "Flashbacks to The Big Night Out" won as Best Shock Twist. "Maya attacked on Big Night Out" was also nominated as OMG Soap Moment at the Digital Spy Reader Awards.