Viewers of Emmerdale were left gobsmacked tonight as Robert Sugden made an unexpected return to the village just as Aaron Dingle was gearing up for his wedding. The fans' shock was

palpable, considering actor Ryan Hawley had previously departed from the iconic role. Discussing his comeback, he expressed his excitement: "Rejoining the cast of Emmerdale feels

fantastic. I've been having so much fun being back here. Oddly, more fun than I thought it was going to be, in a good way. "We've been filming some great stuff, there's a

lot more to Robert's return than just the value of opening the door. I've been having so much fun, everyone's been lovely, and there are a lot of familiar faces and loads of

was on his way back.... DANNY'S THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER Danny Miller, long advocating for Robert's re-entrance to the Dales, has enjoyed a rich working relationship with Ryan

Hawley; their characters' on-screen partnership provided them with plenty of shared screen time. Speaking historically about the possibility, he remarked: "For me, as an actor,

Ryan coming back as Robert would be great but I know he's got a young family himself and he's off doing bits and bobs himself so maybe one day we'll be able to tempt him back.

But not anything imminent," reflecting both hope and understanding of Hawley's situation , reports the Mirror. Yesterday, Danny made an appearance on Loose Women, where the

subject of Robert's return to the soap was broached. With a touch of humour, he responded: "It's so weird, the line's just gone down as you've asked that

question." He continued: "What I will say is there are some surprises, whether that happens or not, I don't know. But certainly what I can say is that originally when this

idea was pitched and thought about, Robert, whoever that is, wasn't part of the plan." RECENT MENTION The storyline of John's arrival raised worries among viewers regarding

the possibility of Robron coming to an end. Nonetheless, John rapidly won over Aaron, leading to a new relationship blossoming. Recently, dialogue around John revealed his apprehensions

concerning his relationship with Aaron and discrete nods towards Aaron's past serious relationships. John remains secretive about his own history, which is hardly surprising considering

his attempt to kill - then rescue - his ex-lover Aidan Moore, resulting in Aidan falling into a coma after John hesitated over a critical decision. CALLS FOR COMEBACK Fan appeals for a

character revival aren’t limited to Danny's desire for Robert's return. either, as Mike Parr, who portrays Ross Barton, has also expressed keen interest in seeing Ryan Hawley

reprise the role. He said: "It has to be Robert, doesn't it, he is a fan favourite. "I think I would love to bring him back just to satisfy the audience as I see how thirsty

they all are for him, for Ryan Hawley's return. He was a lot of fun to work with, when Robert and Danny (Aaron Dingle) were together they made a good villain for Ross to go

against." SECRET CODE NAMES Emmerdale went to great lengths to keep Robert's return under wraps, even using special codenames. "Yes we have been really trying to keep the fact

I'm back under wraps for the viewers. I was given a code name of 'Marco', In fact I think everyone's sick of hearing the name Marco. I've been using a secret

entrance to get into the building and I've had a driver picking me up from my house and driving me to Emmerdale," he said. "Plus most of my scenes have even been scheduled in

the village so that I wouldn't run the risk of bumping into people and it getting out. There's so much effort that's gone into it. I didn't tell anyone." He added:

"I didn't tell my family or friends. Just fairly recently, I said, 'it's Ryan, I play Robert' and the security guard said 'what's your code name.' I

said, 'Marco.' And then he let me in! I can't wait for the audience's reaction, I hope some of them are shocked to see him."