What’s wrong with Joe Tate in Emmerdale? (2025)

Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) staged quite the comeback to Emmerdale over Christmas last year, initially hellbent on giving Kim Tate (Claire King) a taste of her own medicine.

Having left the village six years prior, the businessman’s return saw him unmasked as the person who had been secretly helping Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) scheme against wife Kim.

But afterWill then died of a heart attack, Kim and Joe appear to have put their differences aside – but Ned has hinted there’s more twists ahead for his character.

Speaking prior to his return, the actor 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.

‘Joe is back for a reason, and the devastation at Home Farm is just the beginning of a much bigger story.’

So, where are we up to in the storyline? Here’s everything we know so far.

What is wrong with Joe in Emmerdale?

Since Joe’s return, it has become apparent he is hiding news of a health condition and hasbeen seen taking pills.

His struggle was witnessed by Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) recently, but Joe claimed he was simply living with after-effects following Cain’s attack on him, and takes painkillers to help.

A few weeks ago, the storyline gathered pace as we were re-introduced to Doctor Crowley, a mate of Joe’s.

The surgeon (we guess) was seen in February, when Noah Dingle (Jack Downham) suffered a flashback after being spiked.

It seemed as though Joe was in a hospital with his brother, and Doctor Crowley was able to be identified due to his glasses.

The new face visited Home Farm when Joe’s health issues saw him collapse.

Crowley pulled Joe to his room and eventually helped him feel better. He then pointed to a suitcase and said the secret item inside is not a very good ‘long term plan’.

Joe hoped their long term plan would hurry up, then telling Crowley he isn’t sure ‘how much time’ he’s got left.

Fans of the ITV soap are continuing to speculate as to what’s wrong with Joe, with some wondering if his life would be in jeopardy if he wasn’t to succeed in getting an organ donated.

The last we saw of the character, he was on the outskirts of the village after announcing he’d be off to Dubai for a few weeks.

In future episodes of the show, we will finally find out the truth about his plotting, including what might be in the suitcase he’s been hiding in his bedroom.

Who is Joe Tate and what happened before his return?

Joe is the son of Christopher Tate and Rachel Hughes, which makes him the step grandson of Kim Tate and the nephew of Caleb Miligan (William Ash).

He appeared in Emmerdale as a child in the mid 90s and was looked after by Zoe Tate (Leah Bracknell) following his parents’ death.

Joe staged quite a comeback in 2017, with EastEnders star Ned Porteous taking over the role as part of a storyline where he went by the name of Tom Waterhouse, seducing Debbie to get revenge on Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) who he believed had a role to play in his dad’s death.

Despite his twisted plan, however, Joe ultimately fell in love with Debbie, with the two embarking on a relationship and he also moved into Home Farm, taking over the property from previous owners the Whites.

Kim, meanwhile, staged quite a comeback decades in the making shortly after Joe’s arrival and she made it her mission to get her hands on Home Farm, ordering Graham Foster (Andrews Scarborough) to kill young businessman Joe.

Joe seemingly died after an altercation with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), with Graham subsequently disposing of the body, but a shock twist confirmed that Joe was still alive and living aboard, doing whatever he could to stay out of Kim’s orbit.

Six years have since passed, and while there seems to be peace between Kim and Joe at present, who knows if Joe is still intent on retribution…

This article was originally published on January 14, 2025.

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