Emmerdale spoiler alert: Tubby Turner's emotional funeral is a fitting tribute to actor Richard Thorpe - The Mirror

Watched by most of the villagers, it is a spectacular if noisy cortège, joined by that old duffer Sandy on his mobility scooter

13:00, 26 Oct 2013

Victoria Sugden puts pressure on Jude to lie about being ill so Ashley Thomas can take Alan’s funeral service. The villagers all head out for the funeral and a procession of motorbikes arrives with Alan’s coffin. His daughter Steph makes a surprise return, handcuffed to a prison guard. Her arrival makes Victoria even more stressed as she tries to hold the funeral together. Alan is given a heartfelt send off and later at Home Farm the wake commences. During the wake, Steph escapes from her prison guard but can she get away for good?

Mourning: The villagers pay their respects to Alan(Image: ITV)

How fitting that five months after veteran actor Richard Thorpe’s sad death this soap should now pay tribute with the funeral of the character he played for more than 30 years.

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And the send-off on Wednesday for the man affectionately known as Tubby Turner – or Big Al to some of his pals in the village – is both an emotional and eventful occasion.

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For the keen motorcyclist’s coffin is taken along that highway to heaven in a sidecar accompanied by a bikers guard of honour.

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Watched by most of the villagers, it is a spectacular if noisy cortège, joined by that old duffer Sandy on his mobility scooter.

There are also two surprise mourners. One is Katie, returning for the first time since walking out on husband Declan.

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Then Tubby’s errant daughter Steph arrives – with actress Lorraine Chase reprising her second most famous role after that 1970s Campari ad.

And was she truly wafted here from paradise? Nah, Her Majesty’s prison, handcuffed to a warden.

Steph may have last been seen after being wrongly convicted of murdering her brother in 2006, but it’s ironic that she did once try and bump off her old dad – and failed.

Typically, she’s a far from reformed character as she makes her escape.

Blimey, Tubby will be turning in his grave.