EMMERDALE fans have hit out at one character and suggested she is becoming as bad as the wickedly cruel Tom King after her recent behaviour.
Fans have been left appalled by recent scenes of the ITV soap involving Tom and the continued abuse of his wife Belle.
Sickening scenes have seen Tom murder their pet dog Piper by running over her and then failing to save her in order to keep control over Belle.
In the wake of Belle attempting to expose her abuse to her family, many of the Dingle clan were quick to shoot her down as Tom continued his master manipulation.
He had led Sam and Belle Dingle to believe that Belle's mental health was in decline and that was the reason she was lashing out and blaming him for Piper's death.
Lydia and Sam ultimately chose to believe Tom without giving a second thought to Belle and what she was saying.
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It came as a particular shock given that just weeks ago Lydia was left fearing all was not right between the pair when she staged an intervention along with Charity and Chas.
Viewers were also saddened that Lydia was failing to show compassion and support for Belle given the ordeal she suffered at the hands of her ex Craig less than a year ago.
Fuming at Lydia's quick dismissive nature of Belle, it did not take long before fans were left ranting online.
Taking to X - formerly Twitter - one fan slammed Lydia as they said: "Lydia is so patronising & annoying."
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Someone else went on to add: "Oh god Lydia after your experience with that horrible rapist I find it hard to believe you’d be so gullible and unable to spot the signs of gaslighting and control."
A third shared: "I could punch Lydia's lights out."
Before a fourth harshly stated: "Oh, f*** off Tom, and patronising Lydia as well.
"Fed up of this now. Bring back Meena to deal with this."
Lydia's reaction to the situation has proved unforgivable to many Emmerdale viewers who have been left sickened by her lack of compassion.
Despite having been by Belle's side, her personality transplant has seen public opinion on her waiver.
Belle has been insistent she won't take Tom back but another angry confrontation saw her quaking after her evil husband threatened her once again.
Forgotten soap storylines
The nation's soaps have had many gripping storylines play out over the years. However, some plots proved to be far less memorable. Here are some forgotten stories from Weatherfield, Walford and more...
- Ken and Audrey's romance (2015): After the death of wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), Coronation Street original Ken Barlow (William Roache) started to move on in his life. He started to develop a spark with old friend Audrey (Sue Nicholls), with then-Corrie boss saying it would be like "Ross and Rachel". In the end, nothing ever came of it and the two remained platonic pals.
- Beth's bigamy (2016): Despite being happily married to Kirk (Andrew Whyment), a troubling secret came to light about Beth Tinker (Lisa George). It transpired that she had never divorced from her first husband, Darryl (Paul Loughran), father of her son Craig (Colson Smith). Although Craig and Kirk were shocked - and Beth was arrested - the storyline didn't didn't go much further.
- Kat Slater's secret son (2017): Capitalising on the popularity of Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie (Shane Richie), the two received a spin-off back in 2017. Titled 'Redwater', it saw the two travel to Ireland where they met long-lost son Luke, now called Dermott Dolan, played by Oisín Stack. Despite the high-tension events during Redwater, Kat seems to have put the experience behind her as Dermott's not been mentioned since.
- Alfie's brain tumour (2015): Having learned in 2015 that he had a brain tumour, Alfie kept the news from Kat until their trip to Ireland. At the time, actor Shane Ritchie revealed fans would see a change in Alfie as he battled the illness. It would appear that at some point after leaving the Square, was told the tumour was non-malignant. By the time Alfie returned in 2022, fans were left confused over what had happened to the storyline.
- Kathy and Buster's affair (2016): In 2016, Walford legend Kathy Beale ( fell into the arms of convict Buster Briggs, played by Karl Howman. Buster was the long-time lover of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and fathered both her sons - Mick (Danny Dyer) and Dean (Matt Di Angelo). When Buster left, he begged Kathy to join him, but she refused for the sake of her family. Meanwhile Buster didn’t even stop to say goodbye to Shirley before exiting with a broken heart. Fans expected a showdown between the two women, but this never came to pass.
- Jacob's OCD (2016): After his dad, David (Matthew Wolfenden), was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This manifested in the form of cleaning. Jacob's OCD made a brief return one year on, after David had another scare after finding a lump. Jacob frantically searched the bins for a “lucky coin” that had accidentally been thrown away. Despite stressful situations - such as being groomed by his teacher Maya, losing his fiancee Leanna to a serial killer, dealing with mum Leyla’s drug addiction, and surviving a stabbing - the condition doesn't appear to have returned.
- Marlon and Charity's fling (2003): Few fans would likely remember few will remember the one-night stand between Charity (Emma Atkins) and Marlon (Mark Charnock) in 2003. The pair slept together when Charity was staying with Marlon while still under suspicion for husband Chris's supposed "murder".
- Alex Browning's revenge plot (2014): Fans expected a confrontation when Dr Browning’s son Alex (Ojan Genc) mer stepmum Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). After all, Mercedes, with Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) and Lindsey Butterfield (Sophie Austin) had murdered Alex’s dad, double-murderer Dr Paul Browning, after he kidnapped and attacked his new wife. In fact, the soap teased Alex would seek revenge for his father's death upon arriving. However, he instead gave Cindy's son Hilton (his half-brother) a life-saving transplant, became his godfather, and leaving the village soon after.