‘There’s never been a case in the UK’ – Emmerdale’s Mark Charnock addresses divisive controversy on baby embryo story

**Mark plays Marlon Dingle (Picture: Getty)**

When Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry)’s ex-husband Gus (Alan McKenna) visited the town earlier this year to ask for permission to utilise the embryos he and Rhona had frozen in an attempt to have a child, it sparked off a contentious plot in Emmerdale.

Rhona declined, but we recently learned that Gus had taken her passport in order to use the embryos against her will. After becoming pregnant, his wife Lucy passed away shortly after the baby was born.

The next event is that, upon noticing that Gus is having difficulty adjusting, Mary (Louise Jameson) brings Gus and the infant to be with Rhona and the family during the Christmas season.

It’s an intensely emotional scenario that begs many questions for all parties concerned. For Rhona, it’s really simple: she wants to be close to baby Ivy since she feels that she is a part of the child because she shares her DNA.

The situation is more complicated for everyone else, and Mark Charnock—who portrays Rhona’s husband Marlon Dingle—told Metro.co.uk that he has been loving the challenge of delving into a topic that hasn’t really been done before.

“I don’t think this version of the story has been told before,” he remarked. We seem to be at the beginning of something. The ice will split into a variety of directions when it cracks. There are genuinely countless ways this tale may go.

Being a part of it and seeing where it could go is kind of exciting. It’s going to be one of those stories where people will argue moral points of view—both the audience at this point and myself as a performer with every screenplay. When a fresh ethical or legal perspective is revealed, you’ll say to yourself, “Oh, I feel a bit differently about it now.” That is going to occur frequently. It will be fascinating to see how it divides into men’s and women’s categories and how each responds to it. I believe that the story is excellent.

**Marlon has been trying to support Rhona, who is Ivy’s biological mother (Picture: ITV)**

Mark explained that the performers tackled this tale quite differently than they would typically work because the circumstance is so odd that there isn’t much previous knowledge to go on.

“I had to show it properly, so I did a tonne of research for the stroke storyline,” he said.

As an actor, I’m not aware of a lot of public info available regarding this plot. However, my character is unaffected by that in any manner. I can’t play the shock of everything that happens with every new script if I know too much about it beforehand. Every new development should, in my opinion, stun you more than anything else since otherwise, it will appear planned.

**Lucy died shortly after Ivy was born (Picture: ITV)**

According to Mark, the cast members are relishing the challenge of following the plot as it develops from one screenplay to the next.

“From a storyline standpoint, everything’s possible right now,” he exclaimed.

It’s simply an interesting place to be. You approach every new screenplay with the question, “Where has he gone today?” in mind. Rhona can only see this infant, and she is completely subjective. However, Marlon is aware of the significant ethical and legal repercussions since he has taken a step back. This is a really perplexing circumstance.

Mark also thinks that the viewer will become fully engrossed in the action.

He noted, “When you jump in, the online arguments about the baby are already happening and this is like before it’s started.”

“I believe that it will be a point of contention for people, which is the best kind of plot,” It’s the perfect kind of plot for a programme like this one. Individuals debating them and taking issue with the personalities they have grown to love.