Furious Emmerdale fans vow to boycott soap as controversial ‘distressing’ storyline announced

Fans aren’t happy with Emmerdale’s storyline

Fans of Emmerdale have been left furious over the latest controversial storyline on the long-running ITV soap.

A sickening Tom King twist was confirmed as he plans to harm pet dog Piper in a bid to target and control estranged wife Belle Dingle. But fans have not taken well to the storyline and have vowed to boycott the soap.

Taking to social media, a number of viewers vented their anger at such scenes, which are set to play out tonight (August 16). As the show’s official Instagram page told users Tom’s manipulative behaviour takes a further sinister twist on the Friday evening episode, fans flooded the comments section with their dismay.

Fans aren’t impressed with the storyline involving the dog ( Image: ITV)

One user fumed: “This is the final push I needed to stop watching for a while. Yes I know abuse happens but I don’t want to see it on my tv every night.” Another blasted: “Can we stop showing animals being hurt.. yes it’s not real but doesn’t make it any easier to watch.”

A third said: “Don’t know if I can watch now. Why include the dog in this, storyline is upsetting enough,” and another pleaded: “Anything but animal abuse please,” followed by a distraught emoji face.

However, some fans defended the show and praised them for not shying away from such storylines. One user wrote: “All these comments are typical of what’s wrong with society turning a blind eye to abuse. For all the people saying they are not watching well who cares. Those people can’t possible begin to know what it’s like to be in an abusive relationship or to go grow up in an abusive family. Well done Emmerdale for highlighting this taboo abuse.”

Describing the upcoming scenes, Emmerdale explained in the post: “Tom, played by James Chase, is seen deliberately revving his car in the direction of the beloved animal.”

The announcement continued: “This deliberate act, although horrifying, is Tom’s way of getting back in Belle’s life. He knows her reaction to Piper being injured will mean he can then be the one to comfort her and get close to her again.”

Veterinary Director at Dogs Trust, Paula Boyden, described the storyline as “incredibly distressing” but admitted it was a reflection of sad incidents that do happen in real life. Paula said of the show: “The recent storyline involving Belle, Tom and Piper is incredibly distressing, but sadly it is reflective of what we too often see through our work.”