Emmerdale‘s Andy Sugden and Debbie Dingle make a massive decision in the coming days as they vow to have another baby together in order to save their young daughter Sarah, who is seriously ill.

Sarah was recently diagnosed with the rare genetic disease Fanconi Anaemia and is now in need of a bone marrow transplant. When Andy and Debbie (Charley Webb) learn that a potential donor has pulled out next week, they start to look at alternative courses of action and agree to have a saviour sibling to help Sarah.

Andy and Debbie’s plans will have massive implications for their respective relationships with Alicia Gallagher (Natalie Anderson) and Cameron Murray (Dominic Power) – not least because they now have to pretend to be a couple to go ahead with the IVF treatment. Will they all be able to stay united for Sarah’s sake?

Here, Emmerdale‘s long-serving actor Kelvin Fletcher – who plays Andy – chats to Digital Spy about his character’s compelling new storyline.

This is a big storyline for Emmerdale. Have you enjoyed being part of it so far?
“Yeah, I have enjoyed being part of it. We’re still only at the start of this storyline really, but up to now it’s been great. It’s always nice to get a storyline – I know all actors say that, but it genuinely is, as it feels like the show’s team are putting their faith in you to do it justice, so it’s quite a compliment. It’s been good and a nice chance to work with some great actors and actresses – Natalie Anderson, Jeff Hordley, Emma Atkins, Charley Webb and Dominic Power.”

There had been hints of a big storyline for Debbie and her loved ones for quite a while. Has this storyline been planned for a long time?
“Yeah, I think they’ve had this storyline planned for a very long time. I think they were originally going to start running the storyline earlier in the year, but it was put back a little bit. It’s something that they’ve thought about for quite a while and they wanted it to be absolutely perfect before running it – and it has been, so that’s why we’re starting it now. Hopefully we can do it justice.”

As Fanconi Anaemia is so rare and few people have heard of the illness, have you been doing a lot of research for this storyline?
“Definitely. The whole team have been doing a lot of research over this – right from the top, so that’s the storyliners, the scriptwriters, the producers and everyone else involved. When you take something like this on, it has to be done right.

“There’s so much medical research that’s needed, so that’s all been done and taken care of. When you do the research, you realise how serious the condition is, how upsetting it would be and the impact that it would have on a child’s parents and the immediate family.”

How does the saviour sibling idea come about, and do Debbie or Andy have any reservations?
“The reservations over this all come from Andy. Debbie is very quick to react when they hear the news that there’s no donor and they’re going to have to do this themselves. They could wait to see if there’s another donor, but that could take time they just haven’t got. So Debbie is quick to suggest that she and Andy could have a baby themselves, as that would give Sarah the best chance.

“Andy is taken aback by the idea. It’s never a question that he’s not prepared to do it, but he’s thinking about the implications that it will have on everybody else and his life with Alicia. He’s also considering the magnitude of having a baby with someone who’s not his partner – it’s a big ask.

“Andy worries that they’re rushing into this, but he soon realises that it’s the best chance they have to save Sarah. He agrees to it, but he’s a little bit nervous about how things are going to pan out.”

How does Alicia feel about the idea?
“Well, recently it’s sometimes seemed that Alicia hasn’t been very supportive of Andy, as we saw when they ended their relationship. So Andy was surprised when she came back and accepted the situation – they weren’t going to go to Spain, it’d be a struggle due to Sarah’s illness and all the trips to hospital, but she wanted to be with him and support him.

“Alicia is showing support, but her support is tested with this storyline. It’s gone far beyond a tricky time – Andy is now going to have to have a baby with his ex. It may not be touched on a great deal, but I also think a bigger issue for Alicia is the fact that she can’t have children herself.”

Andy and Cameron have sometimes clashed, so could this situation make things worse between them?
“Well, I think recently we’ve seen scenes which show that Andy and Cameron have a common ground – they’ve both got Sarah’s best interests at heart. I think Andy was a little bit reluctant about Cameron at first, especially as he feared that Cameron was taking over the role of Sarah’s father. Cameron would never do that, but Andy is very proud and it took him a while to realise it. Now they all have common ground, I think Cameron will agree to go along with whatever it takes to make Sarah healthy again.”

Debbie and Andy also have to pretend to be a couple, don’t they?
“Yes. Initially it’s just for the authorities, as to get accepted on to the IVF treatment, you have to be an active couple to ensure that the baby would be brought up in a stable, loving background. So Andy and Debbie are having to pretend to the health services that they’re a couple and they’re very happy together.

“Afterwards, this also extends to the village. Close friends and family know that Andy and Debbie aren’t really a couple and it’s all a bit of an act, but in the village, the gossip is that Andy and Debbie are back together.”

Is there a chance that Debbie and Andy could develop real romantic feelings for each other because of this?
“I’m not sure, but it’s not something that’s been spoken about so far. At the moment, there’s not really a chance for any kind of spark to develop, as the time they have together sees them focusing on Sarah’s illness and the plan that they’re making. It’s very clear that they’re doing this completely for Sarah – it’s as simple as that.”

Does the saviour sibling plan divide opinion in the village?
“I imagine it will – as would happen in real life, people will have an opinion on what Debbie and Andy are doing. Whether you want to call it IVF, a designer baby or a saviour sibling, they’re having another baby with the purpose of saving the daughter that they already have. There’s no suggestion that the child wouldn’t be loved, but it’s just a really unusual scenario.

“So I imagine characters in the village will have their opinions, but I haven’t really been involved in many scenes where they’ve expressed their opinions. I think those type of conversations will probably take place while Andy is not around to hear them.”

Are you proud of the work that Sophia, who plays Sarah, has been doing on the storyline?
“Definitely. It’s a big ask for any child actor to take on something like this. She has lines to learn and she’s working in an adult environment, so she’s expected to know her lines and listen to the director when she’s told to play a scene or a line in a certain way. That’s enough to take on as an adult actor, but she really takes it in her stride and I think she enjoys it.”

Do you find yourself taking an emotional storyline like this home with you, or are you able to switch off from it?
“I’m able to switch off from it. It does have an effect – sometimes I can go home and feel a little bit down, but I can generally switch off and you’ve got to do that, really. If I am struggling to switch off, my friends and family quickly help me to do so.”

Is it nice to get a storyline that hasn’t really been tackled by a soap before?
“It is. I’ve had a couple of storylines in the past that have never been done by a soap before, which is nice. It’s good to do something unique and original, and it’s an opportunity for us to all work together and do our best. It’d be nice to think that other soaps could maybe follow us further down the line if we do it justice.

“At the same time, though, you don’t really think about whether it’s been done before – you just treat it as you would any other storyline. Certainly I do, anyway. I just want it to look as good as possible, and I feel the same with any storyline that I’m given.”

You’ve been at Emmerdale for 15 years now. Has it felt that long?
“No, it’s really flown over! It feels that long when I look back at pictures from when I was a kid, but it’s really flown. Emmerdale is a great place to work and I genuinely wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be. I love coming to work, I love the character I play and I love the people I work with. I’m as excited now as I was when I first started. And when you get a storyline like this, it provides another boost of excitement and eagerness to please the bosses and the viewers.”