Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) are one of Emmerdale fans favourite duos, with the two having forged a strong friendship over the years.

In recent months, Aaron helped to save Mackenzie from a particularly grim fate in the underground bunker his unhinged husband, John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), was holding him in.

Once Mack learned the truth about John’s machinations, manipulations and murder, John wounded him and kept him imprisoned, unwilling to kill him but without any idea as to what to do with him. Though Mack plotted escape, and even managed to break out of the bunker at one point, John always managed to scupper his plans.

Although Aaron became aware that John had kidnapped his best friend, John threw both himself and husband off a cliff, leaving him unable to tell anyone of Mack’s fate.

Desperate and alone, Mack injected himself with a syringe left by John to end his torture.

Though Aaron woke up and told everyone what’d happened, they found the bunker empty, as guilty John dropped Mack at the hospital before fleeing as his conscience got the better of him.

Though both Aaron and Mack were deeply traumatised by their idea, their friendship remained stronger than ever, and next week sees Mack step up for Aaron, who’s suffering upon learning of the relationship between his ex-husband,  Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), and his new prison hubby, Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill).

Though Aaron and Robert had seemingly re-kindled things, the emergence of Kev, who Robert married for protection inside, with an eye resting on an enormous inheritance, has blown them apart.

When Aaron, who’d previously believed that Kev was merely a friend, saw the two kissing, he insisted that he and Robert were done forever, especially when Robert admitted that he couldn’t be sure he had no feelings left for Kev.

After a spell away, Aaron returns to the village, crestfallen and deeply wounded.

Upon his return, and after another confrontation between Aaron and Kev leads to the former issuing a chilling death threat to his love rival, Aaron turns to Mack, who’s spurred on to step up for his bestie and confront Kev.

Finding the ex-con in an apron, swinging a feather duster around and in the process of baking a lemon drizzle cake, Mack probes Kev about whether Robert is being honest with him, reaffirming his view that Aaron and Robert belong together (thus, exposing himself as a Robron stan).

Kev calmly points a skewer at Mack’s face, positing that Aaron wants to make Robert as miserable as he is, following his marriage to John. Swapping the skewer for a knife that he proudly waves around, he tells Mack to tell Aaron to leave his man alone…if he wants to avoid having to eat soup through a straw for the rest of his life.

Mack stands ten toes down and tries to continue pressing the issue in the face of Kev’s intimidation, but Kev continues, informing Mack that the last time anyone crossed him was five years ago…and they’re yet to wake up.

He then warns Mack that messing with him could result in the loss of his good looks. Mack, finally cowed, retreats.