Jackson Walsh's assisted suicide shocker

Emmerdale's Jackson Walsh is to be killed off in a shocking assisted suicide storyline.

The tetraplegic former builder - who lost the use of his limbs following a horrific road crash in the ITV1 soap last year - will beg his doting mother Hazel (Pauline Quirke) and boyfriend Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller) to help him end his life by administering a lethal dose of tablets in his drink.

An 'Emmerdale' insider explained: "Jackson (Marc Silcock) will start discussing plans to end his life in the next few weeks. His resolve to see it through will strengthen, which will lead to many rows and emotional scenes.

"Throughout the plot, there will be a phone number on screen for a helpline for anyone affected."

However, despite 'Emmerdale' bosses' best efforts to deal with the harrowing plot as sensitively as possible, the storyline has been slammed by industry watchdogs for exploiting a serious topic in an attempt to "boost ratings".

Media Watch UK spokesman David Turtle told The Sun newspaper: "'Emmerdale' has been trying to push the boundaries for some time just to boost ratings. It's a soap, not a serious discussion about a serious topic."