Emmerdale star Danny Miller is currently embroiled in one of his most talked-about storylines to date, as his character Aaron Livesy remains in a secret relationship with married man Robert Sugden.
The pair have another rocky patch ahead over the next few weeks, but with Robert's hold over Aaron ever-strong, it's surely only a matter of time before they end up back in each other's orbits.
In real life, Danny's work on the high-profile plot has been rewarded with a nomination for Best Actor at the British Soap Awards 2015. Here, he chats to Digital Spy about the recognition and the drama to come.
How does it feel to be up for Best Actor again?
"I honestly never, ever thought that I'd be given the opportunity to be in the longlist again. It's touching, because everybody works so hard on Emmerdale all year round to make the storylines work so well, and as actors we just portray them. It's always nice for the people behind the scenes to be rewarded with an award as a gesture to them, because it is a team game and that's something I've always said.
"The Soap Awards are something that we'd always love to win - Best Soap would be great. We'll see what happens, but I'm overwhelmed with it because I never really expected it to happen again."
Are you hopeful of making it to the shortlist?
"Kelvin Fletcher and Mike Parr are also up for Best Actor and hopefully one of us is going to make it through to the shortlist, as it'd be great for someone to be there and represent Emmerdale. Of course I'd love to be there for the team and to accept it on behalf of them, but it's all in the hands of the public - there's not a lot you can do other than to say 'please vote'!
"It'd be great to make it further, but it's something that I wouldn't so devastated about if it didn't happen. It just means a lot that everybody is loving the current storyline and because of that I'm up there in the longlist."
Emmerdale fans would love to see the show get more recognition at the awards, so do you think the show is in with a good chance in general?
"I hope so as it would be great, but you can never really call these things. People vote for who they want and we've got no idea of finding out how it's going - all we can do is tweet the link to make sure that people know about it.
"People have always said to me in the past that Emmerdale does deserve a few more awards and I agree with them. Hopefully this time people will vote and help to make it happen."
Aaron tells Robert that Donny owes money to someone called Charlie.
© ITV
Robert and Aaron
Which storylines from the other cast have you enjoyed watching this year?
"There's been a load of different storylines, but I've particularly enjoyed Kelvin's story. It's something that I was very touched by because Kelvin was fantastic when Katie died - I just thought that was fantastic.
"Charlotte Bellamy is also up for Best Actress, and rightly so because she's been fantastic with Laurel's alcohol storyline. There are so many storylines out there at the moment, and it shows that Emmerdale is up there with the best soaps. Kate Oates and her team have put the show in a fantastic place."
What is coming up for Aaron over the next few weeks?
"Aaron decides to keep his head down a little bit after his attack on James, so there's a quiet period there which gives his storyline a bit of a break. There will be a lot more stuff to come, though - particularly with Robert. There's still unfinished business there. The Robert storyline has been Aaron's main port of call this year, so his future is obviously going to involve Robert quite a bit. I think you'll probably start to see Aaron stand up for himself a bit more!"
We know that Aaron does end things with Robert again soon, so why is that? Is it really the end?
"There's definitely more stuff to come, but it's very much a case of Robert continuing to play the puppet with Chrissie and with Aaron. Eventually Aaron has just had enough. In the next couple of weeks, you'll also see Chrissie find out more about Robert. She doesn't find out about the affair with Aaron, but she discovers some of the other things that her husband has been up to.
"Aaron ends it with Robert because they obviously can't go on as they are. Aaron is constantly feeling guilty about the relationship and going behind Chrissie's back. It's really difficult for Aaron, which you'll see in the weeks to come. With his bad background when it comes to love, he never picks the right one! With a bit of luck he'll stand by his guns and kick Robert out of his life for good - but love's a crazy thing, so you never know!"
Robert confronts Aaron
© ITV
Aaron keeps being drawn back to Robert
Is Aaron worried when Chrissie learns that Robert ordered the raid on Home Farm? Obviously he was involved too and it could open a can of worms...
"Aaron is very streetwise, so he knows that Chrissie doesn't have any proof that he was in there. It was a long time ago and it's more than likely that what happened is never going to be proved. Aaron is quite panicked at first when Chrissie finds out about the raid, but I think Chrissie is just shocked that it was Robert who instigated it all."
Do you think the Aaron and Robert storyline can run for a good while longer?
"Well, Robert is so conniving and I genuinely haven't ever seen a character like him before. He's connected to that dark world, like we saw recently with Chas and the hitman. He's just got so many different sides to him, so I personally think it can run and run because there's so much depth to the story and lots of opportunities for people to find out certain things about Robert. For example, we haven't been told yet if Chrissie will find out about the affair.
"Personally I think it can run for as long as they want it to. People are really getting involved with it and seem keen to know what will happen next. The writers will sometimes give it a little bit of a break on screen, but then they'll come back and do even more to it. I think that's why the fans are always wanting a bit more of it!"
Will Aaron's self-harm be explored further?
"There are no imminent plans to bring it back at the moment. I think when Aaron broke his ankle and lost consciousness, he was out there in the cold all night and it hit him mentally rather than just physically. I think Aaron genuinely felt quite scared about how far he'd pushed himself.
"Aaron's self-harm through training is finished, but whenever anything goes wrong in his life, he always turns on himself. It depends if there's more grief to come for him, but there's no more imminent plans for him to self-harm again - although we'll see what happens in the future."
Aaron is trapped
© ITV
Aaron's recent accident took its toll on him
Have you been told whether you'll be involved in Emmerdale's big summer storyline?
"No, we haven't been told anything yet! I'm guessing they'll tell us when they're able to, but they genuinely haven't said what's going to happen yet. What I will say is that the show has got a great team, so whatever they decide to do, I'm sure it'll be great. But I've been off work for a few days so I wouldn't know much because I'm not really in the quick of it at the moment!"
Were you sad when you heard that Paula Tilbrook would be retiring from her role as Betty?
"I was gutted. I only briefly saw her when she came in and we knew that it was going to be her last filming block. It was actually very emotional because when I joined Emmerdale at the age of 17, she was always the one who sat you down and gave you the advice, but never in a way that was patronising or a way that ever made you feel intimidated. She just wanted to pass her many years of experience on.
"Paula always came onto set with a bag of sweets for everyone to share - the crew and the cast. She's so polite. By rights she could have had a throne in her dressing room, but she never did! She's a credit to Emmerdale and it just shows you how characters can develop in a show over that length of time. Unfortunately I missed her leaving party because I was away, but I think she'll just enjoy her retirement now and by God she deserves it. I wish her nothing but the best and I hope to see her again."
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Originally Posted by Telly Watcher
