Emmerdale’s Christmas Day storyline “impressed” support charity Missing People, with it saying it hoped the episode would help people to gain an “understanding” of the plight of those who have lost touch with loved ones.
On Christmas Day, the ITV soap saw Marlon Dingle, played by Mark Charnock, find out that his teenage daughter April, played by Amelia Flanagan, had run away from home.
He finds out that she was living a secret life he was unaware of and further episodes in the coming weeks will see April’s family and the Emmerdale community try to find her alive.
For the episode, Emmerdale worked with the Missing People charity, which offers support for family and friends of the 170,000 who go missing each year.
Speaking about the soap’s festive episode, Kate Graham, head of communications at Missing People, said: “It has been an amazing experience to work with Emmerdale on this important storyline.
“The researchers were clear from the start that they wanted to ground the storyline in reality and in no way glamorise it.
“Everyone at Emmerdale, including the actors, have impressed us with their understanding of a very difficult subject matter, meeting with our team of experts, asking very relevant questions and really immersing themselves in the experience of both being missing and homeless and also being the parents of a missing teenager.
“We hope that as viewers watch this story unfold they are able to gain some understanding of what families with a missing loved one go through and why our charity exists to support those families, as well as anyone thinking of being missing, or anyone already away from home.”
Emmerdale producer, Laura Shaw, added: “Marlon has recently been struggling with his relationship with April but never imagined he would be in such a heartbreaking situation this Christmas.
“In the coming weeks, as the search for April intensifies, we explore the emotional turmoil a family faces when a young person goes missing.
“We are so grateful to the charity Missing People for their invaluable help and support with this storyline.”
Those in need of support from Missing People can contact the charity on its helpline by calling 116 000.
