This article contains spoilers for tonight’s (Wednesday, February 4) episode of Emmerdale, which has not yet aired on TV but is available to watch now on YouTube and ITVX.

Emmerdale fans will certainly need to have their tissues ready for tonight’s instalment of the ITV soap, as it is a real tearjerker.

In a genius move from show bosses, Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) takes centre stage as we follow him through his day, including his hospital appointment and the aftermath of his devastating diagnosis.

Viewers will know that Cain recently underwent tests for prostate cancer.

During the dramatic Corriedale episode last month, Cain was shot by John Sugden and taken to hospital for treatment. There, doctors found a mass and told Cain he would need further tests to confirm whether or not it was cancer.

In tonight’s special episode, Cain is given the heartbreaking news that he has prostate cancer, and though it hasn’t spread, there is a risk that it could.

As the doctor explains his options, we get to hear Cain’s inner monologue as he struggles to take in all of the information.

His reaction is exactly what we would expect from the character – to bottle it all up and pretend it’s not happening.

Back in the village, we see Cain snap at his neighbours, friends and family members, which again, is nothing new. But this time, we have an insight into his innermost thoughts – and how much he wants to let someone in.

As a long-time Emmerdale fan, I’m very familiar with Cain Dingle and his hardman image. In fact, I’ve had concerns in the past that the character had plateaued, that there was no way of getting him off the merry-go-round of violence, infidelity and all-around thuggish behaviour.

His friendship with Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) gave us a brief reprieve, but even that wasn’t enough to reinvigorate the character and set him on a new path.

While I love a bad boy as much as the next soap fan, what I prefer are layered, complex and nuanced characters. Characters who show the whole spectrum of human emotion.

This is exactly what we get from Cain in tonight’s episode. We are given direct access to his true fears, emotions and vulnerabilities – something that I think we’ve needed to see from Cain for a while.

The opportunity for Cain to accept support finally comes at the end of the episode when granddaughter Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) finds him at dad Zak Dingle’s grave.

She refuses to let Cain push her away, and finally, he reveals all.

It’s a refreshing and beautiful scene that genuinely brought me to tears when I watched it. Director Paul Copeland has made some stunning choices in this episode that have pushed the bar higher for all of the soaps.

Now that Cain has let down his walls to Sarah, I’m hopeful that we will continue to see this vulnerable side of him, while he no doubt works hard to maintain his hardman image in front of his neighbours.

This episode is just the beginning of Cain’s journey, it would seem. With Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) behind bars and this diagnosis hanging over him, how will Cain cope going forward?