An Emmerdale Christmas wedding was promised when Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) presented his delighted partner Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) with an engagement ring recently and the couple agreed to tie the knot over the festive season.

At their upcoming engagement party Eric has another lovely surprise for his fiancée when he announces that they’ll be taking a honeymoon cruise.

Rodney Blackstock (Patrick Mower) has a question for Pollard, though. Where is he getting the money to pay for all of this? Pollard evades the question, but suddenly panics and leaves the party.

It later becomes clear that Pollard has staked his and Brenda’s future on cryptocurrency – and the gamble is not paying off as the funds he expected to see in his account haven’t materialised.

Meanwhile, Brenda has found the perfect wedding dress but is dismayed to find there’s no money in her bank account to pay for it. She informs Eric, who assures her that it must be a technological glitch.

He’s clearly out of his depth, though, and soon Liam (Jonny McPherson) sees him preparing to be reckless with the shop’s cash, as he plans to bet the lot on a horse. Liam can’t let him do that and blocks his exit from the shop.

Finally Eric realises that he’s going to have to tell Brenda that they’ve lost everything. She’s upset and furious, and when Eric wonders whether any of this reckless behaviour has been influenced by the medication he’s on for his Parkinson’s, Brenda is even more worried.

She asks him whether the marriage proposal was genuine or whether it was another reckless act brought on by the effects of the medication. Pollard has no answer for that, and Brenda is devastated by the turn of events.