Emmerdale bosses speak out on Kammy’s big secret as soap tackles major issue

The issue of hidden homelessness will be explored in a new storyline in Emmerdale – and bosses have explained how they hope to “challenge the perception of what homelessness looks like”.

Kammy Hadiq, played by Shebz Miah, is popular in the community, has a job, and is embarking on a new relationship. But, as the new plot will explore, he doesn’t have a fixed address and has been sleeping rough.

“This storyline is a vital look at ‘hidden homelessness,’ showing that people can be living on the edge of society, sleeping in their vehicle or barns, while still successfully holding down a job and maintaining relationships,” said producer Sophie Roper.

“For many reasons, a person’s circumstances can change dramatically and we wanted to challenge the perception of what homelessness looks like and prove that what people present to the outside world isn’t necessarily the whole story.”

She added: “We hope this narrative encourages our viewers to look closer and remember that things are not always quite as they seem.”

The ITV soap has been working with charities such as The Salvation Army to depict the story, which will start to come into the foreground next week when Kammy is accused of being the farm’s mystery fire starter.

When Robert Sugden and Aaron Dingle find him with a petrol can and lighter, they assume the worst, which – as actor Miah explained – is quite triggering.

“The accusation brings back a lot of trauma for Kammy, mixed with shame and anger,” he said. “He’s not had an easy ride, and all of this brings back a lot of unpleasant memories for him. He’s got no leg to stand on, and it’s one voice against the rest of the village.”

Eventually, viewers will see Kammy sleeping on the Farm. “At first, I couldn’t get my head around it, as Kammy is always so spick and span – but after working with a charity, I can see the rationale behind it. It’s way more common than we actually think,” Miah said.

Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) raises an intriguing question this week in Emmerdale – what do we really know about Kammy Hadiq (Shebz Miah)?

Not a lot, when you think about it. He came bowling into the village as a thief, stealing quad bikes and selling stuff that had fallen off the back of the lorry. We quickly learned that he wasn’t a law-abiding citizen, but that’s about all we know.

His past life remains a mystery, and this secrecy will catch up with him.

‘He’s backed into the corner and he’s got no way out,’ actor Shebz Miah reveals to Metro.

Part of his mystery will lead Aaron to suspect him of starting the recent barn fires, but it doesn’t seem to make much sense.

He recently restarted his relationship with Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) and it’s all been a bit lovely and cute, except Belle is also getting the sense that something isn’t right about Kammy. She realises she knows nothing about her suitor, and he’s not keen to tell her.

With Eid arriving, Belle uses it as an opportunity to ask about his family, but she sees Kammy squirm under questioning. Then he ducks out when Aaron sends him a message about another fire and Belle clocks his unease.

Aaron and Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) are still stressed about their mystery arsonist and as they head to the pub to drown their sorrows, neither notice they’re being watched.

As they lament over who could be targeting them, Aaron muses that Kammy looks unusually tired. Tired because he’s been kept up all night with the guilt of arson, perhaps?

Belle asks to meet Kammy’s family but it’s a step too far for the secretive lad, and he snaps at her to mind her own business. This uncharacteristic aggression does not sit well with the former wife of an abuser.

‘He’s had a lot of hardship in his life,’ Shebz tells us when speaking of Kammy’s hidden past.

Why won’t Kammy confide in his new lady love? Pride. Actor Shebz reveals: ‘I think Kammy has got a lot of pride, and I think due to the trauma that he’s had, showing signs of weakness isn’t a thing for him.’

But now Belle knows she’s onto something and swipes Kammy’s phone to have a snoop. She stops herself out of shame and moans to Dawn (Olivia Bromley) about what an awful person she is for nearly betraying Kammy’s trust. But her spidey senses are telling her something – he’s hiding a big secret.

She is absolutely on the money because over at the farm, Kammy is making himself at home for the night in a barn. He has a sleeping bag and all his stuff – his big secret is that the poor happy-go-lucky bloke is homeless.

It’s a devastating truth, and a hint that there’s much more to come on Kammy’s past.

Speaking of Kammy’s hardship, Shebz explains: ‘The most obvious being he is a South Asian kid in the middle of this white English farm. There’s automatically an imbalance, and therefore, Kammy doesn’t want his obstacles or anything to put him behind….He doesn’t want to be seen as an outcast.’

Aaron and Robert get a tip off about the arsonist and leg it to the Farm, only to find Kammy lugging around a petrol can and lighter. Boom, they have caught their arsonist red handed!

Or have they? A beaten-down Kammy reveals the truth – he was planning to torch his car. When Robert refuses to believe him and loses it, Aaron is forced to step in. This gives Kammy the opportunity to run. But when there’s another fire, Aaron and Robert report it to the police, and Kammy is swiftly arrested.

‘The mask comes off, and we get to see this different version of what we’ve seen so far.,’ Shebz says, discussing what’s next.

‘Uncomfortable at times, but at the end of the day, he’s human, and there’s only so long you can keep the bravado for.

‘But yeah, fans won’t expect it, and it will snowball into other things as well, but we start to see why and where it all came from. A different version.’