Fans of the ITV soap were thinking the character’s time in the Dales was up after he came face-to-face with secret killer, John Sugden

Emmerdale star Emma Atkins has said there’s “so much more” to come after Mackenzie Boyd’s fate was finally confirmed.

Fans of the ITV soap were thinking the character’s time in the Dales was up after he came face-to-face with secret killer, John Sugden.

It started when Mack’s relationship with Charity Dingle, played by actress Emma, hit a snag when she offered to be her granddaughter Sarah Sugden’s surrogate.

With him recently confessing that he wasn’t really on board with the surrogacy plan, despite Charity now being pregnant, Mack was told to leave his home and stay with his sister, Moira Dingle, by Charity.

Wallowing, Mack was seen deciding to take the train to London for a party. He accepted a lift to the train station from John and while in his van, Mack looked at a photo album and saw John pictured with the guy who was hired to remove the late Nate Robinson’s belongings.

The penny soon dropped for Mack, as fans know that Nate was revealed to have been murdered – but only they know that it was John who was responsible for his tragic death.

Things then weren’t looking good for Mack after he was chased and attacked by John. There was a moment of relief when it appeared that Mack might just get away. But as John quipped that he’s “always one step ahead”, in violent scenes, John shot a crossbow through Mack’s chest.

Pleading for his life, Mack promised not to expose John’s secret, but fans saw John seemingly hit Mack with a rock. It was later revealed that John hadn’t killed Mack, but instead had him chained up in a bunker in the woods, with his condition worsening.

Since then, Mack attempted to escape but his freedom was short-lived, as he was once again caught by John. He ended up back in the bunker but at the same time, John’s husband, Aaron Dingle, eventually figured out that John had been drugging him, and soon connected more dots after finding Mack’s phone in John’s pocket.

On the hunt for his best friend, John intervened and confessed every single one of his harrowing crimes to Aaron. Robert Sugden then showed up, but John’s jealousy overruled his actions as he called the police to frame Robert before throwing himself and Aaron over the edge of the gorge.

Since then, Aaron was put in an induced coma and John – with less severe injuries – was trying to figure out what to do next to keep his secrets buried. But in the end, the pressure was mounting and collecting Mack from the bunker, he left him outside a hospital before fleeing.

During a particularly emotional scene during Thursday’s (September 18) episode of the show, Charity waited by his bedside before he finally opened his eyes, with Charity kissing the top of his head with relief.

But while Charity and Mack have been reunited, Emma has teased that there are more twists and turns to come, while she also addressed her character’s surrogacy drama and promised “brilliant” months ahead.

Talking about filming the moment Mack woke up and Charity realised he’s going to be okay, she told the Mirror: “It was touch and go. It’s an enormous relief to Charity.

“She is by his bedside, like a vigil and she’s hoping he will pull through after the torture and the horrendous experience he has been through.” As for John, she added: “The truth always prevails!”

But the drama isn’t over for Charity and Mack, with Emma teasing there’s plenty more surprises ahead with the surrogacy plot. Charity agreed to be a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah Sugden, and when Charity learned she was pregnant it was believed the baby was Sarah’s.

But flashbacks confirmed she slept with her ex Ross Barton after a row with Mack, and now Charity doesn’t know if it’s actually her and Ross’ child she is carrying. Emma told us: “There’s so much more on the horizon and so it is gonna be a brilliant few months for Charity and Mack.”