We’re still not over yesterday’s huge Emmerdale twist. Not only did we discover that Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) was alive, but also that he was the one who killed twisted Ray Walters (Joe Absolom).
His reign of terror may be over, but the turmoil continues for Paddy Dingle (Dominic Brunt) and Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle), who witnessed the murder.
In the moments prior, Ray had grabbed Dylan and dragged him into Tenant House, before launching a vicious attack on Paddy. Little did they realise, presumed dead Bear had made his way to the village from captivity.
Enraged, he employed some of his old wrestling moves to tackle the crook to the ground, before squeezing the life out of him.
Paddy and Dylan cried out for him to stop, but it was too late.
In today’s episode, Bear was in disbelief at his actions, and seemed genuinely distraught about Ray’s death. After all, he’s suffering with Stockholm Syndrome, and believed that Ray and Celia were helping him, keeping a roof over his head, and giving him a job on their farm.
Paddy wanted to call an ambulance, but Dylan warned that it would only land them in further trouble – they would have to dispose of the body instead.
Compared to most soap characters, Paddy mostly keeps himself on the right side of the law, so this was a completely wild suggestion to him. Dylan suggested using a van from the depot – that was conveniently parked outside – to commit the act, and they headed outside to check out the vehicle.
To their horror, Bear emerged from the backdoor dragging Ray’s body across the ground, and they quickly ushered him inside after placing the corpse among some boxes in the van.
During their absence, Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) jumped in the drivers seat and headed in the direction of Manchester.
Of course, as we know, he didn’t make it to his destination due to a multi-vehicle pile-up, and Ray has since been found.
But what about Bear?
A series of further flashbacks showed us that Paddy pretended not to be aware of his dad’s whereabouts, even following along with police investigations into what might have happened.
We then saw that Bear is living in a much more comfortable environment, but Paddy has decided to lock the door behind him after each visit to ensure he doesn’t run to the police about his murderous actions.
Will the plan work, and how long will Bear be hiding away?
- Emmerdale Full Episode | Tuesday 27th January
- Emmerdale Today (26 January 2026) Secrets Resurface and Dangerous Truths Come Out
- Next week 26th to 30th January on Emmerdale Kim and Joe are faced with a ghost from the past, Paddy continues to protect Bear and Ruby comes to a horrific realisation.
- Bradley and Lisa React To Brand-New Emmerdale Trailer
- Emmerdale reveals yet another Bear Wolf twist after Ray Walters murder in ITVX release
- Today’s Emmerdale episode 23 jan 2026: Tensions Explode as Dark Secrets Push Everyone to the Edge
