ITV Share By Kerry Barrett Oct 24 2025 By Kerry Barrett Oct 24 2025 'Ray's losing control and that makes him desperate' Joe Absolom explains why things are about to get even more dangerous for Dylan and April Will the teens ever escape Ray's grip? Joe Absolom Ray Walters Share By Kerry Barrett Oct 24 2025 By Kerry Barrett Oct 24 2025 Ray Walters in Emmerdale has troubled teens April and Dylan firmly in his grip, as he pushes them to take more and more risks to support Celia’s evil empire. But though it seems bleak for the teenagers, they are starting to show a bit of backbone! And next week their determination to escape Ray’s clutches goes a step further. Dylan’s worried about getting to work at the depot on time, so he does a handover with Ray in the street. But when he sees a police officer – DS Carter – in the village, a worried Ray ditches the backpack. We sat down with Joe Absolom, who plays Ray, to find out what happens when his teenage minions begin to fight back. Is Ray losing control? (Credit: ITV) Who’s got Ray’s bag? With the bag hidden, Ray is stuck when DS Carter watches him leave and he can’t go and pick up his belongings. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers “He knows the police officer, DS Carter,” explains Joe. “I sense that there was a history there. But there’s lots of incriminating evidence in that bag, as well as money.” Somehow, the bag ends up at Dale View, with Ray determined to get it back. Though obviously, he first tries to get Dylan to sneak in and pick up the backpack. Dylan tries to convince Vinny to let him in, but when his charm offensive doesn’t work, he’s forced to resort to nicking his keys instead! While Dylan’s trying to get his mitts on the bag, Ray’s busy setting up another ‘meeting’ for April with another sleazy client. She realises she has no choice and things look bad for the teenager. And it’s not good for Dylan either, because when he finally gets into Dale View, he can’t find the bag! With Ray forced to try to track it down, he comes face to face with Ross. Which doesn’t go well for Ray. “Ray is scared of Ross,” admits Joe. “Ross is the big man, you know.” So Ray’s showing some signs of weakness already, when Dylan finds the bag. What Ray doesn’t know, though, is that he pockets the £3000 he finds in there before he returns it. He and April are planning to use the money to escape. But has it just made things more dangerous for them? Are the teenagers in danger? (Credit: ITV) Are April and Dylan in danger from Ray? “Well,” teases Joe. “He’s lost the money, even though he’s got the backpack and he’s been double crossed. So it’s a real moment where he realises he may be losing a grip on these two people and that he has to get the money back and get them back on the side. So it’s a risk of losing everything really.” Just how far would Ray go to get Dylan and April back under his control? “You can’t lose good assets,” says Joe. “Though it’s hard words softly spoken. There is a moment where he gets a bit angry at Dylan and holds him against a wall, but you never really see Ray rough them up or do anything.” Are things beginning to fall apart for Ray? “Eventually, those things come back and bite you,” says Joe. “The more it spirals and the more Dylan and April start realising that it’s wrong, the more control Ray loses. So he’s more desperate, I guess.” There’s a spark between Ray and Laurel (Credit: ITV) Ray and Laurel Ray’s also showing weakness in another way, thanks to his growing fondness for Laurel! “When he meets Laurel, she brings a side out of him that he didn’t know! He’s becoming more human. She does bring out the softness in him, and he seems to quite like having that escapism of going and just having a cup of tea with her!” But despite Laurel bringing out Ray’s nicer side, Joe doesn’t think he feels at all guilty about the way he’s treating April and Dylan. “He doesn’t care about these two kids, really,” Joe admits. As we all know, every secret in soap gets discovered eventually. So what will happen when everyone finds out what Ray and Celia are up to? “Well, April’s a Dingle, which will eventually leads to scenes with Cain where he starts to know what’s happening,” teases Joe. “So, yeah, people start twigging that this isn’t just a sort of mother and son set-up. They’re not just people who are new to the village – these people are bad news, and there are strange things that are afoot…” We can’t wait to see it! Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns Share Good to Know Share By Kerry Barrett Oct 24 2025 By Kerry Barrett Oct 24 2025 Previous Story Next Story
