Christmas Day will no doubt be a day Carl King will never forget. But will it be for all the right reasons? As his wedding to Chas (Lucy Pargeter) fast approaches, Carl remains in the dark about her knowledge of his affair and plot for revenge. Will she bottle it at the last minute? Could Carl forgive her if she comes clean? We caught up with Tom Lister to find out...

How do things continue to develop between now and the big day?
"Well Carl is obviously absolutely over the moon since Chas proposed. Although he had been messing around with Eve, I don't think he was ever really going to leave Chas for her. He was just enjoying the whole thrill of the chase and the affair as it played out. Then Chas obviously came with this bombshell asking him to marry her and saying that she was pregnant. In a sense, I think he thought, 'Oh, that's fantastic'. It was a great excuse to get out of the affair with Eve because it was all getting a little bit complicated. She was becoming too much hard work. In a sense, he has got everything he wanted really and is quite a lucky boy. Little does he know..."

Do you think Chas comes to fully regret her decision to seek revenge?
"Well Carl was obviously playing away but there's something about those two - they are an absolute nightmare when they are together because they either fall out or one of them does something that jeopardises the relationship. But they always keep coming together, back to one another. They are destined to be together. As she has been planning the wedding, she is losing confidence in the whole revenge plan because she realises how much she would actually love to marry him and would love to have a family with him. They have always wanted that but have never been able to get their act together and decide to do it, so she realises that this whole fantasy future is created before her eyes and sees how much Carl is absolutely all guns blazing for it. She starts to realise, 'I would really love that, but can I get past what he has done to be able to make it a reality?'"


Has there been a defining moment for Chas realising that she doubts her plan?
"It's a few small moments really, as she actually sees how Carl is so excited about the baby and can't wait to settle down with him. She starts to see how he completely brushed Eve aside and how it's totally over. She sees Eve in tears and it's clear that Carl has called it off between them. Then there was dinner at the Dingles' where Carl stood up and said, 'I know I've been an idiot and that I haven't always been the best boyfriend in the world, but from this point on that's going to change. He promises to be the best dad and husband that he can be. At that point she really started to think, 'Can I go through with this?'"

Has he won the Dingles over?
"I don't think they are ever going to particularly like him and I don't think he feels like the Dingles are ever going to be like family to him, but it's Chas's family and he is going to make an effort. I don't think he can abide Charity or Cain or Zak... but they are part of Chas's package so he is like, 'Well they come with you so...' Sometimes you have to make an effort with them!"

If Chas goes ahead with the plot, how will it affect Carl?
"I think if she does go through with it and he doesn't ever suspect that anything is going on, I think he will be absolutely sidelined by it. He just won't ever believe that Chas could do something like this - that she could pretend that she was pregnant, that she could do all this stuff basically just to bleed him dry of all the money. He's been with all the psycho bitches like Chloe and all those kinds of women in the past. The one thing about Chas is that she has always been nuts, but she has always been honest and kind of had some morality to her. For her to take him to the cleaners, I think he would be so gutted and completely ashamed for it to be revealed like that in front of everybody."

Do you think they could make it work if Chas was honest with Carl about her plot before the ceremony - and explained that she regrets it?
"I think that he is so absolutely up for the whole wedding and for the whole baby that if he came clean and explained what was going on and tried to make good, that I think he would forgive her. Basically, he has cheated on her and deserves what's coming to him. I think he'd be shocked and gutted but he would be able to get over it and say, 'What the hell, let's just get married anyway, because you're the one I want'."

Is Carl happy with the idea of settling down, having a wife and baby?
"He is genuinely happy! He's always seen Chas as the answer to all of his problems. She was like the one who he could get his life sorted with. He killed his dad and he was racked with guilt over that, then his brother died and his life has been in absolute turmoil and he is full of shame and guilt - but Chas has always been the shining light in the midst of that. When they finally got back together and moved in together, I think he saw that as his chance to get his life right. When she said that she wanted to marry him and have his baby, that was even better. This is his chance to do it right - except for the fact he's been having an affair on the side!"

Is Eve going to give up on Carl?
"I think Eve has a hand to play yet. As it gets nearer to the day, she is convinced that Carl loves her and is too chicken to say that he doesn't. So you start to think, is she going to blow the whistle on the whole thing? Is she going to tell Chas what has been going on? She is not just going to go down quietly…"


How badly is the weather affecting things for you all recently?
"The snow has been a nightmare for filming. We're supposed to have been filming this big episode in the village over the last week or so but it kept getting called off because it started to snow really heavily. So it's like, 'Abandon ship! Everybody get out of the village!'."

Chas isn't the only Dingle who likes to seek revenge - will Cain or Aaron be coming after Carl?
"Quite possibly! You would think that wouldn't want to let him get away with this lightly. But Aaron is at the point where he doesn't even want to give Carl the time of day. Plus he has loads of things on his plate, what with Jackson and stuff like that. I think Cain might be there though, with a big smug grin on his face - waiting to lay one on me whenever he gets a chance!"

Why do you think Carl and Chas are such a popular couple?
"I really don't know! It's one of those things that I think is to do with the chemistry on-screen and the fieriness of their relationship. When they are together, it works. The chemistry is great and the passion is obviously there between the two of them. But then they can go to the other extreme when they are screaming at one another and wanting to smack each other's heads in. It's a really turbulent relationship. It's really fun as people have been hollering things at me over the last few month as this affair has been going on - wanting Chas to get her revenge but also wanting them to work it out. They want them to be together. It's quite funny how these things work out!"


What did you think when you found out about the twist with Chas finding out and plotting her revenge?
"Oh I loved it! I loved this storyline. Quite often affairs in soap go really quickly - they happen, someone finds out, they split up, there is a big argument and it's all over. It's a storm in a teacup. But this has gone on for months. It's played out really slowly and it's taken time for Carl and Eve to grow really fond of one another, so it's not even about sex. Then it has taken time for Chas to find out and plot her revenge. I've loved the fact that they have taken their time with the storytelling so that we've all got really involved in it. I've really enjoyed how the storyline has evolved, so I'm thrilled with the climactic Christmas episode."

Did you ever imagine that several years after killing Tom, Carl would be centre stage on Christmas Day?
"No, it's crazy! I'm absolutely thrilled by it. To be, like you say, in the middle of the storyline on Christmas Day again is an absolute privilege and I just think the last year has been fantastic. The storylines that have been told and the way that the show has gone from strength to strength. I believe that the episode we filmed a couple of weeks ago, which will be shown on Christmas Day, is a fantastic finale to what has been a really strong year for Emmerdale."

And next year kicks off with the fire...
"That's what we've been filming...it's been ridiculous [with the snow]. Doing stunts and running around, trying to put out fires and this, that and the other, and there's been smoke and ice. Crikey, it's been a nightmare - but all good fun!"

We're going to see a list of potential arsonists drawn up - could it be Carl?
"Carl's in the frame. He's in there...."


What can we expect for the Kings when Kelly arrives back in the village?
"I am a little bit in the dark on that yet but I've heard that she is coming back, which is great. Kelly is such a great character and it's going to be really interesting because her and Jimmy worked really well in a bizarre way, but Jimmy and Nicola are just an absolute magical pairing, so it's going to be really interesting to see how that whole reappearance puts the bomb under their relationship and how they react to that now that they've got the perfect family life with baby Angelica. Kelly will come in and put the cat among the pigeons for the King - especially with Jimmy. Carl will be in there, trying to be the pacemaker for a change, instead of the being the one who is creating all the trouble."

Can you give us any hints as to what else might be coming up for Carl in 2011?
"Well, I would give you some if I had a clue myself. I know that there is stuff going on and I think it's going to be interesting to see over the coming weeks and months how Carl and Chas develop. Are they just going to go their separate ways? Are they going to keep together? Is Carl and Eve over for good? We'll have to see about that!"