Arthur came to Marshall’s defence after Colin made some horrifying remarks (Picture: ITV)

Arthur Thomas (Alfie Clarke) came to Marshall Hamston’s (Max Fletcher) aid in Emmerdale following his hospitalisation after dad Colin (Mark Noble) tried to use religion as a smokescreen for his bigotry.

Colin, as viewers will recall, disowned Marshall earlier this year after he came out as gay, with Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) subsequently stepping up to take the teen in to live with her.

Marshall has struggled to cope with his dad’s decision to cut him out of his life, with that hurt being all the more raw this week on the anniversary of his mum’s death.

Determined to reach out, Marshall left Colin a heartfelt voice note, which the councillor played but chose to ignore. Heartbroken, the schoolboy sought solace in a bottle of alcohol, drowning his sorrows with Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling) at the cricket pavilion, before sneaking a bottle into his bedroom.

Thursday’s (April 27) hour-long outing of the ITV soap picked up the following day, with Laurel horrified to find Marshall unconscious on his bed with vomit around his mouth. Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) summoned an ambulance, and the teen was taken to hospital, where it was confirmed that he was suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Colin was notified by the doctors of his son’s condition and made his way to the hospital, where he proceeded to point the finger at Laurel, claiming this was her fault.

Laurel found Marshall unconscious (Picture: ITV)

Laurel, however, gave both barrels right back like the queen that she is, reiterating that Marshall would’ve never felt the need to reach for the booze if he hadn’t been disowned and ignored by his own father.

Arthur, meanwhile, received word of what had transpired and made his way to the hospital, where he found Colin sharing a moment with his son, who was given a clean bill of health.

Colin, at first, appeared to be more sympathetic and supportive towards Marshall, confirming that he would no longer pass comment on the way he lives his life, much to Marshall’s surprise.

Arthur walked in on Colin implying that Marshall wouldn’t end up in heaven with his mum if he didn’t live what he deems to be a ‘clean’ life (Picture: ITV)

Arthur gave Colin both barrels over what he said to Marshall (Picture: ITV)

Things, however, took a sinister turn, with Colin arguing that God will ‘show him the way’, claiming that divine intervention was the reason he survived his ordeal, resorting once again to gaslighting tactics as he attempted to strike fear into Marshall’s heart, using religion to do so.

‘The Lord saved you’, he said. ‘He gave you a second chance. A chance to live a good clean life. You want to be with me and your mum in heaven, don’t you?’

Arthur held Marshall’s hand as he offered him support in the wake of his dad’s cruel comments (Picture: ITV)

Unable to believe what he was hearing, Arthur – whose dad was legendary vicar Ashley – stormed in to the hospital room and berated Colin for ‘badgering’ his son, stating that God would never turn his back on Marshall for who he is, unlike Colin.

Everybody needs an Arthur in their life.

Devastated that his dad still hadn’t learned from his mistakes, Marshall asked Colin to leave, with Arthur reinforcing his friend’s wishes as he instructed the councillor to vacate the room at once.

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Marshall was appreciative of Arthur’s efforts, and assured Laurel and Jai that he wouldn’t be drinking again, thankful to have people who care about him in his life.

Upcoming scenes will see Marshall and Arthur, who previously decided to remain as friends, discuss the possibility of going on a date, hopeful of what the future has to offer.

Emmerdale continues Friday April 28 at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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Arthur came to Marshall’s aid when homophobic dad Colin resorted to extreme gaslighting techniques once again, using religion as a smokescreen for his bigotry.