This story contains discussion of transphobia.

Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale‘s Matty Barton will choose to confide in his new cellmate Les next week, as his prison ordeal continues.

Matty was sent to prison earlier this month after an altercation with Samson Dingle and troublesome newcomer Josh Cope, which resulted in Samson being accidentally stabbed by a knife Matty was holding after Josh pushed Samson.

With a terrified Matty now in jail awaiting trial for stabbing Samson, he is trying to adjust to prison life and sharing a cell with hardman Les.

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In scenes that will air next week, menacing prisoner Robbo tries to get the lowdown on Matty, but fails to get much response. Thankfully, Les stares Robbo down and makes him move along, but Matty is left more worried than ever about what might happen to him.

Later on, Les starts coaching Matty on how he should act while in prison. Concerned about how he is being perceived by his fellow inmates, Matty asks Les what sort of questions he might face from other prisoners.

After he tests out the advice that Les has given him, Matty decides to risk opening up to his cellmate and he nervously tells Les that he’s transgender.

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Les questions Matty, asking about his decision to be sent to a male prison. He then confirms that he will mind his own business when it comes to Matty, but he warns that other prisoners might not be so kind.

Has Matty made an alliance with Les, or could there be more trouble to come for him as he continues to struggle with prison life?

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Matty will be left further upset later this week over advice from his stepdad Cain Dingle, who encourages him to use violence against anyone who threatens him in prison.

Actor Ash Palmisciano, who plays Matty, has spoken about the importance of the soap tackling transphobia in the plot, explaining that the show is aiming to portray “how vulnerable Matty can be in a situation like [Josh’s taunts]”.

“Not everyone is super accepting,” he said, adding: “It is great Matty’s got that support. It’s lovely to tell, we showed the wedding recently, it was an exciting joyous moment. It looked so incredible on screen.

“But sometimes we need to show the flip side of that, how it could go the other way and could be quite cruel for someone like Matty. It shows the bigger picture of what it is like to be him. I was really excited, and it’s fantastic we get to mirror that and to tell that story.”

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

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