Emmerdale’s Nicola King looks set to become a big problem for her villainous nephew Tom next week.

Tom gets one step closer to finally being caught out as Nicola grows suspicious over his behaviour.

While many people in the village have become wary of Tom since his wife Belle exposed him as an abuser, the manipulative vet has so far maintained the support of his closest family members.

Tom’s uncle Jimmy has backed Tom and cruelly accused Belle of lying about him.

tom, jimmy king, emmerdale

Nicola has also put family loyalty first by supporting Tom, although there have already been tell-tale signs that she isn’t fully convinced by his version of events.

Next week, Nicola becomes unsettled as she notices how her young stepson Carl seems to be afraid of Tom.

Nicola immediately senses that something isn’t right – and she’s bound to start to keeping a closer eye on the troubling situation.

Earlier this month, Tom frightened Carl when he realised that the schoolboy had been in possession of his missing tablet computer. The device contained evidence of Tom spying on Belle with secret cameras.

tom king, emmerdale

Carl later witnessed Tom smashing up the tablet. Although unaware of this, Tom later tried to buy Carl’s silence over their discussions regarding the computer by giving him an expensive toy.

As Tom’s bribery efforts clearly haven’t fully paid off, could Carl play a key role in his downfall?

Last month, Nick Miles – who plays Jimmy – confirmed that there’s a rift coming up in the Kings’ marriage amid the ongoing Tom storyline.

jimmy king, nicola king, emmerdale

Nick told Inside Soap: “It’s a really tough time. We’re as strained at the moment as we’ve ever been.

“As this story with Tom develops, we get more prised apart because Nicola sees the holes in Tom’s story before Jimmy does.”

Emmerdale airs these scenes on Thursday, October 24 at 7.30pm on ITV1. You can explore next week’s episodes in more detail with our collection of 18 new spoiler pictures.