8 reasons Emmerdale totally deserved their NTA win

Emmerdale won big at the National Television Awards last night, scoring the Serial Drama prize. In doing so, the soap regained its crown after being beaten by BBC competitor EastEnders last year.

At last night’s ceremony, it was announced that the general public had voted for Emmerdale to win.

Here are the 8 big reasons we think it’s a well-deserved win for Emmerdale.

Belle stands up to Tom as he tries to manipulate her — It’s been hard to watch, but Belle and Tom’s story has been one of the soap’s strongest (Credit: ITV)

1. Strong storylines

This year’s Emmerdale has largely been consumed by the horrifying saga of Belle Dingle‘s abusive marriage to Tom King. Once he’d fooled her into saying ‘I do’ with his nice guy act, Tom let the mask drop, and embarked on a horrific campaign of coercive control which left Belle at his mercy – and questioning everything she thought she knew about her marriage.

Ruby stares Kim Tate down in Emmerdale spoilers — This year saw the arrival of Beth Cordingly as Ruby (Credit: ITV)

2. Great characters

Love or hate them, Emmerdale has some of the best characters on television at the moment – both new and established. One of the recent additions that viewers love to hate is Ruby Fox-Miligan, who quickly set the cat among the pigeons following her arrival in the village. In doing so, she has clashed with Kim Tate and Moira Dingle – earning a signature ‘Glasgow kiss’ from the latter last week.

Meanwhile, John Sugden has sparked countless fan theories since his arrival last month, quickly getting hot and steamy with Aaron Dingle.

Traumatised Belle Dingle has a choice to make in Emmerdale — Belle Dingle star Eden Taylor-Draper has been a powerhouse this year (Credit: ITV)

3. Excellent performances

Fans have hailed Eden Taylor-Draper‘s performance as one of the best the soap has ever seen. At the heart of Tom and Belle’s story, the star has taken it all in her stride. She lost out to Coronation Street’s Peter Ash (who played the late Paul Foreman) in winning a trophy for her performance, but Eden deserves all of the awards for having to put up with Tom King’s vile abuse.

And, talking of, we may hate terrible Tom, but there’s no denying that James Chase has done excellent work in making his character the most slappable soap villain of 2024.

Belle imagined her future (Credit: ITV) — A recent episode explored Belle’s emotional distress (Credit: ITV)

4. Inventive direction

The soap has gotten experimental in recent weeks; Moira experiencing hallucinations of old foe Emma Barton; an episode from Belle’s perspective which followed her as she explored potential futures with husband Tom. It’s thinking outside of the box and we love it.

Emmerdale's barn is on fire — The barn is on fire (Credit: ITV/ Composite EI)

5. Explosive action

While its cast were busy winning an award for the soap, Emmerdale aired one of the most explosive scenes of the year so far. With Moira and Ruby trapped in a burning barn, a devastating explosion rocked the farm – leaving two beloved characters potentially dead.

As Cain, Mack and John raced to rescue Moira and Ruby from the deadly inferno, viewers were left on the edge of their seats. Boom.

Belle looks confused and upset as Charity worries about her in Emmerdale tonight — Belle opened up to Charity about her abuse (Credit: ITV)

6. Powerful writing

Yes, it’s Belle and Tom again, but the soap deserves all the kudos for Belle and Charity’s big conversation – during which she outlined exactly what her husband had been up to. Viewers’ hearts broke afresh as Belle finally confided in Charity, putting all of that pain and self-doubt into words.

And then it did it all over again the next day, once Cain learned what Tom had been doing. Defying expectation, Cain stormed off as Charity revealed the truth – only to turn up on Belle’s doorstep to envelop his little sister in a big, comforting hug. Devastatingly observed by the soap writers.

Mandy hoicks up her wedding dress in Emmerdale spoilers as she runs through the village determined. — Mandy brought the laughs with her wedding (Credit: ITV)

7. Heartwarming comedy

If the scenes of dogs being run over, Moira losing her marbles and Tom being an all-around evil monster were too much, Emmerdale can still be relied upon to bring the humour. And this year it’s been Mandy’s turn to bring the comedy. Embarking on a get-rich scheme, Mandy became a Financial Dominatrix for dosh. Her marriage to Paddy was in doubt for a while, but it all came good in the end.