Emmerdale fans spot secret connection in Joe Tate's return after six years off soap
Fan favourite character Joe Tate returned to Emmerdale on Tuesday 24 December, and viewers are thrilled he is back for revenge, just as he was when he last appeared on the soap six years ago. Ned Porteous has reprised his role as Joe, and it has been revealed he is the man who has been pulling the strings behind Peter (David Michaels) and Will’s (Dean Andrews) plans to bring down Kim Tate (Claire King).
Previously, Joe turned up in the Dales in 2017 pretending to be businessman Tom Waterhouse so he could wreak revenge on Charity Dingle, who he believed drove his father Chris to suicide. In October 2018, Joe was seemingly killed by a blow thrown by Cain Dingle, the dad of Joe’s former love interest Debbie, but it was later revealed that he had survived and was living abroad in Monte Carlo. And now he is back.
Fans were quick to make the connection that Joe is once again out for revenge. One wrote: “They need a villain on Emmerdale now Tom is banged up so they brought back Joe Tate,” while a second said: “Wonder if Joe will get one over on Kim?” A third commented: “I adored Joe, I am so happy he is back,” and another added: “You have me invested Emmerdale, with Joe Tate back we now need the return of Debbie Dingle. Make it happen.”
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Certainly, Joe’s arrival is sure to cause shockwaves in the village, whatever his ultimate goal, and a clip from the Christmas Day episode shows that Home Farm itself isn’t safe. Ned Porteous isn’t revealing much about what happens, however. He said: “I’m so excited to be returning to Emmerdale. There’s a lot of unfinished business for Joe, and it feels like the right time for him to make a comeback. Joe has always been a character with a dark side, but there could be something much bigger at play here.”
He teased: “Joe is back for a reason, and the devastation at Home Farm is just the beginning of a much bigger story. It’s safe to say the audience can expect fireworks this holiday season!”
Producer Laura Shaw added: “We are thrilled to welcome Ned back to Village as the complex and captivating Joe Tate. From the moment Joe arrives on screen, it’s clear there’s trouble ahead but Joe’s hiding an even darker secret that could see 2025 start off with a huge bang.”
