ITV/Shutterstock Share By Carena Crawford Jan 16 2026 By Jade Brown Jan 16 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 16 2026 By Jade Brown Jan 16 2026 What happened to Graham Foster in Emmerdale? The truth behind his 'death' as he returns to the soap Joe Tate's right-hand man supposedly met a grisly end Andrew Scarborough Graham Foster Share By Carena Crawford Jan 16 2026 By Jade Brown Jan 16 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 16 2026 By Jade Brown Jan 16 2026 Graham Foster in Emmerdale was killed six years ago – except now we know he wasn’t. Graham is in fact alive and well and about to return to the Dales. It’s come as quite a shock to fans who saw his dead body – very definitely dead and beginning to rot. So as talk turns to just how Emmerdale are going to explain this one, let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember Graham and what happened to him. Graham in Emmerdale arrived in 2017 (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Who was Graham Foster in Emmerdale? Graham first arrived in Emmerdale in 2017 as Joe Tate’s right-hand man. He had a dark past which was gradually revealed on screen. The eldest of two children, we discovered he had had a brother named Steven who had Down’s Syndrome. Steven died aged 15 and it devastated Graham. Graham joined the army and fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was also in the SAS for six years. But the lifestyle led to him developing a drinking problem and he was discharged. article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Graham met Kim Tate and they hit it off, inevitably beginning an affair. But Graham had got another woman, Cheryl, pregnant. He married her, but while she was heavily pregnant he got drunk and drove her home. Graham lost control of the car and crashed it. Graham did not call an ambulance, he called Kim, but in the meantime the car exploded killing both Cheryl and his unborn daughter. Kim supported him and got him a job at Joe’s school. He was also charged with watching over Jamie Tate, Kim’s son, when Kim went to prison. Graham and Joe Tate were like father and son (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) What was the relationship between Graham and Joe Tate? Graham was a father figure to Joe, having previously worked at the school where Joe had been a pupil. Although it was not seen on screen, Joe’s legal guardian Zoe had asked Graham to look out for her nephew. The friendship was later sealed when Joe rescued a drunk Graham from his burning hut. Graham then ditched the booze and started working for Joe. Graham’s first Emmerdale episode saw him introducing himself to Debbie and Charity Dingle in a bid to help them keep their hire car business afloat. Of course, he was secretly working with Joe, who blamed Charity for his dad Chris Tate’s suicide years before. However, the two didn’t always see eye-to-eye, and with Graham’s history in the army, he was a force to be reckoned with. Graham later thwarted Joe’s plans and saved Wishing Well Cottage from demolition. On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Graham started drinking again. This resulted in a fight between him and Joe and Joe was heavily beaten. The two soon made up and Graham was back to helping Joe clean up his messes. One occasion saw him ‘sort out’ a guy called Connor who’d been bothering Joe. Kim and Graham were once VERY close (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock) Were Graham Foster and Kim Tate a couple? Following Kim’s release from prison in 2018, the pair reconnected and so begun an on-off relationship. Kim and Graham ended up married purely as a business arrangement. But that didn’t stop her using it to attempt to ruin his relationship with Rhona Goskirk. Kim later instructed Graham to get rid of Joe. Despite telling Kim the job was done, Joe was later revealed to be alive and living abroad using Kim’s money. Graham continued to do Kim’s bidding. Though he eventually put his foot down when he fell for Rhona and they planned to leave for a new life together. This was how we last saw Graham in Emmerdale (Credit: ITV) Who killed Graham Foster in Emmerdale? Graham made a lot of enemies during his time in the Dales, so when he was murdered there were plenty of suspects. He caused tension with the Tates when he revealed to Kim that Jamie was the reason she was sent to prison. After realising he played her, Kim ordered Al Chapman to kill Graham. Graham revealed to Laurel all about her partner Jai’s cocaine addiction, angering Jai. He also made an enemy of Charity when he locked her son Ryan Stocks in a shed. Marlon Dingle was angry at Graham due to Rhona and Graham’s plan to move away with Leo. But Graham’s ‘death’ came at the hands of Rhona’s ex husband and rapist Pierce Harris. Pierce hit Graham over the head with a log and then dragged him through the woods. Graham regained consciousness and following a conversation, it was revealed that he had previously visited Pierce and beat him up. The two came to blows again and Graham fell off a cliff. However, he somehow survived the fall, with the final blow coming after Pierce hit him over the head with a torch. Billy Fletcher and Priya Kotecha discovered his body and the police began investigating. Marlon was initially sent to prison before the truth about Pierce emerged. Graham has returned (Credit: ITV) Graham back from the dead as he returns to Emmerdale Only now it seems Graham very definitely wasn’t dead because when Corriedale aired at the beginning of January he was seen alive and well. Graham was driving a van with a young woman tied up in the back. She turned out to be the sister of Coronation Street’s Shona Platt. Whatever Graham was doing with her, he put an end to as he later called his employer and told them her was “terminating the contract”. He was at the hospital watching Joe Tate at the time and told the caller he had something else to take care of now, indicating he was back for Joe. So when will he reappear in Joe’s life? Show boss Laura Shaw has told us there will be an explanation soon. “A familiar face is returning to the village full-time! None other than Graham Foster will make a sensational comeback,” she confirmed. “His return will have massive repercussions for both Kim, with whom he shares a complex love and hate relationship, and Rhona, who was about to run away with him. “Graham will explain exactly what happened six years ago when he was ‘killed’, but the question will be whether Joe can ever forgive his father-figure for allowing him to believe he was dead.” Andrew Scarborough has continued to act (Credit: ITV/YouTube) Actor Andrew Scarborough and his other roles Graham Foster was played by Andrew Scarborough between 2017 and 2020. Andrew is reprising the role now. Prior to Emmerdale, Andrew had various TV roles in shows such as Casualty, Silent Witness and Heartbeat. He played Dr Jonathan Ormerod in 50 episodes of The Royal Today, as well as starring as Tim Drewe in Downton Abbey. He also appeared in 13 episodes of Coronation Street. Post Emmerdale, Andrew has appeared in British war film The War Below. He has also been seen in the likes of Midsomer Murders, Father Brown, 7 Keys and Chimera. Most recently he has been seen in hit ITV drama Code Of Silence starring ex-EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis. Andrew was sporting a very different look and played gang member Joseph/Wolf. Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale in 2026? A complete guide to departures, returns and new arrivals in the Dales Share Good to Know Share By Carena Crawford Jan 16 2026 By Jade Brown Jan 16 2026 By Carena Crawford Jan 16 2026 By Jade Brown Jan 16 2026 Previous Story Next Story
