ITV soap viewers are convinced Corriedale is about to unleash a jaw-dropping baby swap storyline – one that could ripple through Emmerdale and Coronation Street for years.
After a dramatic new trailer dropped on Monday December 16, fans are already dissecting every second. One theory in particular refuses to go away.
The promo promises chaos on an epic scale. A huge car pile-up puts beloved characters from both soaps in serious danger. But beyond the crashes, screams and rescues, it’s two pregnant women caught in the carnage who have really set tongues wagging.
So what exactly did fans spot – and why are they so sure a baby swap could be on the cards?
What the Corriedale trailer reveals as lives hang in the balance
The trailer teases a catastrophic multi-car crash. From Coronation Street, Kit Green, Carla Connor, Asha Alahan, Shona Platt and James Bailey are all caught up. Emmerdale is represented by Cain and Charity Dingle, Sarah and Robert Sugden, Jacob Gallagher and Joe Tate.
They’re joined by more crossover favourites including David Platt, Tracy Barlow, Aaron Dingle and Lisa Swain, setting the scene for a truly packed and perilous storyline.
In the aftermath, Kit Green steps up as a shaken Carla tries to calm a distressed casualty. Shona and David are seen badly hurt at the roadside, while Emmerdale’s Jacob Gallagher rushes in to help. Nearby, Asha and Cain are dealing with other injured victims.
Elsewhere, Kevin and Abi are frantically searching for Debbie. And, Robert’s desperate cries for Aaron cut through the darkness.
Why fans think a baby swap could be coming
Among all the chaos, one moment has really grabbed viewers’ attention: pregnant Charity and Shona appearing together, with Shona screaming in agony. That brief glimpse has been enough to spark serious speculation about a possible baby swap.
Both women are facing high-stakes pregnancies. In Coronation Street, Shona’s unborn baby has a cancerous tumour. Over in Emmerdale, Charity is pregnant with Ross Barton’s baby. It was conceived while she was meant to be acting as a surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah. Charity has been telling everyone the baby is Sarah and Jacob’s, but that’s not the truth.
Now, fans are convinced Corriedale could collide these storylines in the most dramatic way possible.
Soap fans fuel the baby swap theory online
Taking to Reddit, one fan laid out a detailed prediction. “Here’s my prediction: Sarah and Jacob both die, Shona’s baby isn’t going to make it, so Charity decides to swap her (ie, Sarah and Jacob’s) baby with Shona’s without Shona seeing. Somehow the baby will have some rare disease only Ross has and the truth will be exposed.”
Others acknowledged the complications around Shona’s baby’s tumour, but still believe the soaps would find a way to make it work.
Over on X, the theory gathered even more momentum. “Shona and Charity baby swap,” one viewer bluntly posted. Another said they’d be “impressed” if the soaps planted a crossover twist now and revealed it a decade later.
Another referenced a similar storyline from two Amerian soaps. “So I think one of these two high risk pregnancies will end and the baby will go with the other one. My money is on Charity losing her baby and raising Shona‘s as her own. That is what they did on All My Children and One Life to Live.”
“I think Shona and Charity will both give birth, but their babies will get mixed up and neither will ever know,” said a fourth.
In Soapland, nothing is off the table. And if this baby swap theory turns out to be true, Corriedale may have just laid the groundwork for another explosive crossover down the line.
Read more: Emmerdale fans divided over ‘too dark’ storyline – but poll reveals surprise verdict
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!