Emmerdale fans have been sent into meltdown trying to crack the Aidan Moore mystery after John Sugden’s dog tags revealed the baffling name in recent scenes.

‘Who is Aiden Moore’ became the burning question among viewers of the ITV soap online, as they scrambled to unravel whether newcomer John (Oliver Farnworth) was telling lies about his true identity.

The plot thickened when Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) John’s sister, grilled him about his army days, having stumbled upon a tin with the mysterious dog tags inside.

However, Victoria missed the fact that the name on the tag wasn’t John’s and his shifty reaction spoke volumes. Now, fans have been left scratching their heads of the mysterious John Sugden.

John’s backstory’s been like a locked box up till now, with only little snippets being dropped here and there. But with John on edge trying to keep those tags under wraps, fans got to wonder what secrets is he siting on, and who is Aidan really?.

Posting ideas on X, formerly known as Twitter, viewers have been debating: “So is he John Sugden or Aidan Moore?” One fan claimed Aidan is John’s “real name” and other picked up on John being overly curious during a chat with Victoria about “their family”, spurring whispers of secret information-gathering.

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Someone else speculated: “l think he is not John Sugden and l think he must be Aiden Moore.” Another fan accused John of: “Identity theft” while some reckon John or Aidan is trying to escape military life, with comments like: “He’s AWOL,” and another suggesting: “Think he wanted out the Army and that is not his ID.”

Viewers suspect John is harbouring a sinister past, with theories flying about him possibly having blood on his hands. Could John have been responsible for Aidan’s death, or is it the “real John” who has met his demise?

One theory circulating among fans is: “John Sugden died in action. Aidan Moore is him and the reason John was killed in action but has now taken his identity, and he’s really a long lost relative of Ella. You never know in soap land.”

The drama doesn’t stop there, as some audience members are convinced John is on a mission of vengeance, potentially against Aaron Dingle or Robert Sugden. With rumours swirling about a connection between John and Robert, beyond possible brotherhood, there’s chatter about whether John could be an old prison mate of Robert’s.

Is John plotting against Robert’s family and Aaron in a chilling revenge scheme? Is he bitter about his father Jack Sugden allegedly knowing of his existence yet failing to find him, and now seeks retribution or something more from his kin?

A fresh theory has emerged suggesting Aidan could be a ghost from John’s past. Eagle-eyed viewers have speculated that he might be related to John, perhaps a sibling on his mum’s side that no one knew about.

Others reckon he could be an old flame of John’s who passed away. Fans have taken their theories to social media, with tweets flying around like: “Wonder if he has siblings on his mum’s side.”

Another chimed in with: “Hmm, ex lover who maybe died? ” while someone else pondered: “Ooh Aiden Moore, I wonder who that was. A previous fling of John’s maybe” and yet another tweet read: “Who’s that a boyfriend that died or he killed him?”.

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm