Joe Tate returned to Emmerdale after initially being presumed dead in 2019. Since coming back, his chemistry with Dawn Woods has been palpable, and it was clearly only a matter of time before the pair hooked up.
But who else has Joe Tate been with? And why and how did he leave the soap last time?
We have all the answers – here’s all you need to know about Joe Tate in Emmerdale.
Relationship to Debbie Dingle
During his last stay in the village, Joe grew close to Debbie Dingle. Under the assumed name of Tom Waterhouse, Joe and Debbie soon became embroiled in a relationship.
He bought Debbie a house and supported her through her daughter Sarah Sugden’s life-threatening illness.
But things came to a head when ‘Tom’ revealed who he really was – Joe Tate, seeking revenge on Charity and her family for his father’s death. It turned out that the romance was all part of his scheme, and he evicted Debbie and her kids, leaving them homeless.
Devastated by Joe’s betrayal, Debbie swore that she would get her revenge. Charity also vowed to make Joe pay for messing with her family.
Who are the parents of Joe Tate in Emmerdale?
Turning the clock back to June 1995, Joseph Tate was born to Chris Tate and his wife, Rachel Hughes. He was named after Rachel’s stepfather, Joe Sugden.
Two years after he was born, Joe’s parents divorced, and his mum Rachel was given custody. However, she was pushed off a cliff and killed by her psycho boyfriend Graham Clark.
Joe then went to live with his dad Chris. When his father later married Charity Dingle, Joseph decided he wanted to go away to boarding school.
Chris was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour in 2003 – and took his own life, framing Charity for his murder. Meanwhile, Joseph was taken in by his aunt Zoe Tate. They left the village for New Zealand in 2005.
Where does Kim Tate fit in?
Kim was married to Joe’s grandfather, Frank Tate, making her his step-grandmother. She was in prison for fraud when Joe returned to the village – but was the mastermind behind his plot to get revenge on Charity and the Dingles.
Joe had led everyone to believe that he owned Home Farm in Emmerdale, along with the rest of the Tate fortune. But actually, control of the whole estate belonged to Kim, and Joe was just a pawn in her games.
However, Joe hadn’t been completely following her instructions and had been spending her money. When Kim was released from prison she was furious, and wanted rid of him.
She used her henchman, Graham Foster to kill Joe. But Graham cared about Joe like a son. When Graham and Joe first arrived in the village together, he appeared to just be a paid employee, but their friendship clearly ran a lot deeper.
It was later revealed that the pair met while Joe was at boarding school. Graham was the school groundsman, who developed a close bond with mischievous teenager Joe.
After Joe got in trouble for locking his head teacher in a cupboard, his aunt Zoe made Graham the boy’s legal guardian to prevent him from being expelled.
The pair remained close, and when Joe left school and launched his own business, he employed Graham as his right-hand man.
So, despite Graham’s loyalties to Kim (they were actually married!) he just couldn’t off Joe.
Marriage to Debbie
Graham couldn’t go through with the hit on Joe, and gave him £100,000, telling him to leave the village for good. Joe was ready to run – leaving bride-to-be Debbie standing at the altar.
However, Joe had developed genuine feelings for Debbie, and returned to the village for her. But, with Cain having learned that Joe had jilted Debbie, Cain was furious.
Tracking Joe down, he punched him to the ground, causing him to hit his head on a rock. Cain thought he had killed him and left him to Graham, who told Cain that he’d deal with the body.
For a while, it seemed as though Graham had finished the job. A tortured Cain confessed his crimes to Debbie and the pair fell out.
Life in Monte Carlo
In March 2019, it was revealed that Graham had helped Joe to fake his death. Kim was shocked to find out that her adopted grandson was actually alive and well – and living it up in Monte Carlo!
CCTV footage revealed that Graham had helped him to escape and set up a new identity. Kim ordered a hit man to deal with him once and for all, but by that point Joe had already moved on – and we hadn’t seen or heard from him – until now!