Emmerdale’s grooming storyline is about to take an even darker turn

Or it's about to resolve itself entirely.

Who can say for sure? Either way, Emmerdale's recent grooming storyline between Maya and Jacob is about to take a turn. Whether this turn will be a positive or negative for the teenager and his general ability to harbour standard relationships going forward is anybody's guess. Following the teacher's decision to kiss Jacob, the teenager becomes more infatuated with his dad's girlfriend, eventually becoming disheartened when he discovers that things are getting better for the couple. Maya notices this and suggests that David spend more time with his son, but also tells Jacob that he has to leave her alone and forget what happened. Unfortunately, Jacob has already confided in Ellis about his feelings for an "older woman", leaving Maya fairly shook - a feeling which only gets much much worse when Jacob threatens to tell his dad about what's been going on. So, either Jacob is going to tell his dad and the whole thing is going to blow up and eventually settle down, or Maya will be able to convince the teenager not to say anything and the grooming continues. Not exactly an ideal scenario either way, tbh. The Maya and Jacob storyline has been making audiences feel incredibly uncomfortable since it kicked off a few weeks back, but Emmerdale producers remain adamant that they want to show the reality of grooming and the damage it can cause young people. Producer Laura Shaw said that the soap had approached Barnardos to ensure that they were tackling the storyline as sensitively as possible. “We met some incredible individuals and were moved by their courage and willingness to help us tell this story sensitively," she said. “Hopefully it will make young people and their parents more aware of these issues and their impact.”