Emmerdale fans have been left reeling after learning that Caleb Milligan and nanny Nicky are father and son.
The pair have both been acting shady since they arrived onto our screens, with Caleb - played by Will Ash - joining back in December last year as Cain's long lost brother. Since then, he has caused quite a lot of upheaval for the Dingles but it looks like the Tates are next on their list as the pair's real plan for the residents of the Yorkshire village was revealed.
The soap has been dropping clues about who the pair really are for months, and here we take a look at all the clues you might have missed that the father and son have been working together from the get go.
An awkward encounter
It is likely Nicky and Caleb spent a lot of time together off screen, as they hatched their plan.
But on screen, to keep their identities a secret, we rarely saw the pair interact with one another. In fact, they have been in a handful of scenes together despite being on the soaps for the last few months.
In one scene, aired just days ago, there was a hint that they could have known each other, despite never appearing to have any connection whilst in the village. Caleb walked in on Gabby and Nicky kissing in the kitchen, with her immediately pleading with him not to tell Kim about their romance, given that the pair were business partners.
Suddenly, Nicky had a rare outburst and told Caleb: "You're big on trust are you?" as Caleb questioned if he had any information to the contrary. It was then that Nicky immediately backed down and said he didn't know anything, leaving fans suspicious.
A complicated family
When Caleb arrived, we knew very little about him - other than he was Cain and Chas' long lost brother. We knew Faith Dingle was his mum, but he arrived as a "lone wolf" and there was no mention of a family he had left behind.
Actor Will Ash had spoken about the possibility of new characters from Caleb's past arriving in a chat with press ahead of his debut. He had said at the time, when asked if anyone might arrive who knows him: "Possibly. I think so. I don’t know any of this but he might have been married or divorced and have kids. At the moment, he’s come in as a lone wolf but there’s certainly potential.
"It is so great about him there’s a bit of a blank canvas and there’s only so much even I know about him at the moment."
He added: "I think he’s holding quite a lot back." It turns out there is a secret child he's been keeping from Cain and Chas and the rest of the Dingles, but when this all comes to light, what will happen?
A clue in the credits
Nicky's identity has remained a mystery to fans for months, and that's mainly thanks to his shady behaviour and keenness to swoop on a romance with Gabby Thomas - despite not knowing her for very long.
However, a clue in the credits of the ITV soap had left fans convinced all wasn't what it seemed with Nicky.
The show always credit him as Nicky, rather than adding a last name, which is very different from how they usually display new characters. Even those without a connection to the Dales, such as Arthur's school friend and love interest Marshall, had a surname added to the credits - even if it was of no relevance to the soap.
So it makes sense that there was a big secret to Nicky's identity - because after all, if they had put the name Milligan, everyone would have rumbled the secret straight away. Bosses could have used his mother's surname - or maiden name if she was married to Caleb - but would that give away another secret? Is Nicky's mum someone we know?
