With husband Ashley Thomas' vascular dementia worsening by the day in Emmerdale, Christmas storylines will see the whole Thomas family struggling to cope with the enormity of such a heartbreaking - and completely relatable - situation.
Last year, viewers watched in awe as actor John Middleton took on the storyline and played out the harrowing portryal of a man living with stroke-related early on-set vascular dementia, a condition that is only becoming more relatable in today's society.
His character, vicar Ashley Thomas, has seen his dementia rapidly worsen in recent months and viewers have watched as his wife Laurel has struggled to cope with his condition.
And in a special one-off episode, viewers will see the world from Ashley Thomas' point of view. Producers, writers and John Middleton himself have undergone a careful and staggering research process to try and get everything true to a dementia sufferer's state of mind.
On Tuesday 20 December, Ashley will be seen venturing out onto the streets of Hotton alone and in a confused state - with passers by becoming worried about his state of mind.
Here, actor John Middleton opens up about the 'remarkable' storyline and reveals that despite over 20 years on the soap, this is the most 'incredible' thing he has ever been involved in.
"The writing is extraordinary for it. I mean, quite extraordinary, and the people coming into it. I'm working, and the first thing they said is: 'God almighty, this is well written, isn't it?,' and it is. Our standard of writing generally speaking has gone up over the past few years, I think."
We couldn't agree more. When asked if this storyline was one of the hardest things he's ever had to play, John didn't hesitate in saying it definitely is.
"Yeah, I would actually, but it's a challenge, as I say, you look forward to.
"People say it must be difficult to play, and most drama has that sort of challenge because that's what drama is about. It wouldn't be drama otherwise. It would just be everyday life in a bit of a documentary, which would be very boring, but most drama is actually about people in a hell of a mess. There's no bigger mess than this."
Emmerdale are keen to keep the rest of Ashley's storyline firmly under wraps until his storyline comes to an end in 2017.
John - who has been on Emmerdale since 1996 - also wants to make sure viewers understand the importance of the storyline arc and explaining that this story will not have a happy ending.
He said: "Also, the thing that is very important to remember about this is that this is a story about two people. It's not about one person, and then a family, and then the people that are around the family. Then about the village. It's a resounding story, but principally it's about two people.
"It's a love story with an inevitable and very tragic ending."
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