Emmerdale's Mack plot mirrors tragic Coronation Street twist involving same actor

There was quite the twist on Emmerdale on Friday night as Mack Boyd's fate was finally confirmed after him seemingly being killed off by John Sugden.

Mack was shot with a bow and arrow after finding out John's killer secrets a couple of weeks ago. As Mack begged for his life John claimed he needed to be silenced, and appeared to slam a massive rock over his head.

We didn't see Mack again after this point with fans led to believe he was dead. We even saw John acting strangely, appearing to hide something in the woods - sparking a theory Mack's body was buried there.

But all was revealed on Friday when John headed down into a secret underground bunker, where we saw Mack very much alive. The episode ended before any details were shared, but we now know Mack has been held captive by John.

READ MORE: Emmerdale's Mack Boyd alive as he's held captive by evil John - but will he survive?

READ MORE: Coronation Street star Adam Hussain speaks out on exit and teases return

The irony isn't lost on us with this twist, and fans will no doubt be thinking the very same thing. Just a matter of years ago, in 2017, a similar storyline, while different circumstances, saw Coronation Street air a similar twist.

Why is this ironic you may ask? Oliver Farnworth, who plays killer John, featured in this storyline. But on this occasion, it was his character, Andy Carver, who was the victim of an apparent murder and then a kidnapping.

Oliver's character Andy was targeted by Corrie killer Pat Phelan, with Andy finding out all of his deepest darkest secrets and trying to expose him. But instead of killing Andy just as he seemed to be his next victim, we found out he was being held in a secret location, pleading for his life.

It's eerily similar to the situation Mack now finds himself in at the hands of Oliver's character John. Mack had been hunted down in the woods moments after realising John had killed Nate Robinson.

Having rumbled his crimes, he ran for his life only to be attacked and seemingly killed. Friday's episode ended just as we saw Mack was alive, and being held in the bunker.

So now the tables have turned, and Oliver is playing the other side - the baddie holding the victim against their will as they beg for their life. As for Corrie, Andy's horrendous ordeal did not have a happy ending, no doubt sparking fears that Mack will go the same way.

Phelan had Andy commit murder for him, allowing him to think that if he did so he would be freed. Andy went to desperate lengths to free himself, agreeing to kill someone so that he could never expose Phelan, and both of them would cover each other's crimes.

With Phelan eventually agreeing and using it as a means of getting rid of an old business partner who wronged him, he fed Andy lies which led to Andy shooting and killing the guy named Vinny. But in a cruel twist Phelan then turned the gun on Andy and went back on their agreement, killing him.

Soap fans recalling this plot spotted the irony with Oliver's character John now playing the villain role and holding someone captive. But could history repeat itself in a way, and could this irony see Mack suffer a similar fate to Andy?

Viewers wondered if this was the case as others noticed the tragic link between the plots. One fan joked: "Pat Phelan should’ve done a better job finishing off John/Andy in Corrie."

Another fan said: "I really want John to keep Mack hostage like Phelan did to Andy in Corrie!" A third viewer shared: "When the guy playing John was in Corrie years ago as Andy, he was being kept locked up by Phelan.

"What a great twist it would be and a little tongue in cheek nod to the fans if this time it was the other way round and HE'S doing the locking up?!" A fourth fan guessed: "'Andy' was still killed off in the end even after the 'fake out' reveal so there's still hope that Mackenzie will still be dead after all this."

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads.