6 of the greatest Emmerdale comebacks – from Kim Tate’s return from the dead to Robert Sugden’s revival

Dramatic comebacks of iconic characters is what all Emmerdale fans live for. Recently, we’ve been treated to the return of Kim’s nemesis Joe Tate – who’s back in the village after a six-year absence.

Joe was unveiled as the mastermind behind Will and Peter’s plot to bring down Kim, and we can’t wait to see what other wicked tricks he’s got up his sleeve.

His perfectly staged return has also got us thinking about the other Emmerdale comebacks that really hit the mark. Here are six characters we were delighted to see back on our screens…

Best Emmerdale comebacks includes Kim Tate

Kim is the queen of the comeback, and one in particular has gone down in Emmerdale history.

It was 1997 when Kim did a disappearing act following the death of her lover Dave Glover. She paid a lookalike to drive her car around the village to make it look as if she was still around. But then the woman was found dead behind the wheel and Frank was charged with ‘Kim’s murder’.

Kim made a spectacular return and confronted Frank in the living room at Home Farm. The shock of seeing her back from the dead caused him to suffer a fatal heart attack. Instead of ringing for an ambulance, Kim just stood over and watched Frank die.

Once she was sure he was gone, Kim calmly pulled out her make-up compact, powdered her nose, then used the mirror to check Frank had stopped breathing. Oh, and she ended up receiving half of Home Farm in Frank’s will. What an icon!

Aaron Dingle

There was a lot of hype surrounding Danny Miller’s return to Emmerdale in 2014.

After two years away from the soap, would the award-winning actor be able to recapture the magic he’d brought to the role of Aaron first time round? As it turned out, yes!

Aaron returned to stop his best mate Adam getting involved in a robbery with Ross Barton and Donna Windsor. That particular plot was pretty forgettable, but what was to follow was certainly not.

The Emmerdale writers had decided it was time for Aaron to have a new love interest. And just weeks after his comeback, the moody mechanic shared that first forbidden kiss with Robert Sugden. And with that Robron was born!

Robert Sugden makes the list for best Emmerdale comebacks

Robert’s return to Emmerdale in 2014 was another triumph!

The legacy character had been away for five years when the soap announced his return. It was confirmed the role of Robert had been recast, with actor Ryan Hawley taking over from Karl Davies.

Any concern that Rob might have lost his ruthless charm disappeared the moment he reappeared on screen. He was still the same slippery charmer, and had managed to nab himself a millionairess fiancée, Chrissie. Now heir to the Home Farm fortune, Robert took great delight flaunting his wealthy status as he reignited his feud with Andy and Katie

Within weeks it was hard to imagine anyone but Ryan portraying Robert. The character’s addictive love affair with Aaron led to one of the most popular partnerships in all of Soapland.

Charity Dingle

In 2015 Charity was sentenced to two years in prison for perverting the course of justice. She was released after a year, but when Cain and Moira went to pick her up, they discovered she’d already left.

As it turned out the crafty minx was straight back to her old tricks. Moments after leaving the clink, Charity went on the rob and stole a red Ferrari from a nearby dealership. She took it for a spin, but disaster struck enroute when Charity ploughed the vehicle into a field and got stuck in the mud.

Later that day, Cain and Moira spotted the stolen Ferrari. They were gobsmacked when Charity stepped out, declaring she couldn’t come back from prison with nothing! Moira dealt with the situation by taking the car back to the dealership, while the police were hot on their heels.

But the shocks kept on coming when Charity then entered The Woolpack and declared she’d bought Diane Sugden’s half of the pub! She then blackmailed former lover Ross Barton into coughing up the cash for the purchase.

Ross Barton

The long-awaited return of the Barton bad boy was one of our 2024 highlights.

Ross was a favourite amongst the fans during his first stint in the Dales and always at the centre of the drama. When news of his return was announced, actor Michael Parr, teased there would be fireworks for his character. And he wasn’t wrong!

During his time away, Ross had turned his hand to bareknuckle boxing and was unveiled as Billy Fletcher’s opponent. Strutting in to whoops and cheers from the crowd, Ross ripped off his sleeveless hoodie to show a rather impressive six pack.

Now that’s how to make an entrance!

Tina Dingle

Zak Dingle’s funeral on Emmerdale was full of surprises – the biggest one being the comeback of his long lost daughter, Tina.

The character, who was previously played by Jacqueline Pirie, hadn’t been seen in the Dales for 28 years. So you can imagine everyone’s shock when she rocked up at Zak’s graveside. Belle didn’t even recognise her half-sister, which is hardly surprising seeing as they’d never met.

Now played by Brassic star Samantha Power, Tina claimed she was back to pay her respects. But there was an ulterior motive to her return. After causing carnage at the funeral, which resulted in her being carted off by the police, Tina tried to lay claim to Zak’s will.  Then came the bombshell that she was Vinny’s real mum, a secret which she tried to blackmail Mandy with.

She may have wreaked havoc amongst the Dingles, but Tina Mark Two did not get a positive reaction from the fans. They took to social media to voice their disappointment, with some saying the recast was an insult to the original actress.

Samantha has shared she’d be up for Tina coming back to cause more mischief, so let’s see what 2025 has in store.

Read more: Where is original Tina Dingle actress Jacqueline Pirie now?

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

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