From kidney theft to love for Dawn and revenge attack, Ned Porteous has given answers to our many Joe Tate questions
From his romance with Dawn to his bond with Kim
It’s fair to say the Joe Tate storyline in Emmerdale has left us more than a little confused. From his kidney theft plot to his romance with Dawn, we wanted some answers.
As the soap lines up a whodunnit for Joe, with plenty of suspects in the frame, Ned Porteous chatted to Emmerdale Insider and other media about his complex character – and complex plots!
Here’s what he told us about all the questions we wanted answering – but he wouldn’t reveal who attacks him this week.
Why didn’t Joe just ask for a kidney?
“That’s way boring!” Ned joked. He has a point – where would we be without this drama?!
“There’s probably a more tactful way to go around doing what he has to do,” Ned continued. “But I have to find a way to empathise with why he gets put in tricky positions, there’s a reason for motivating your character to do what he’s doing. Not excusing him, though!”
Does Joe Tate actually have a heart in Emmerdale?
It would be fair to assume the answer is no. He has tried to con Kim Tate, spiked Noah Dingle causing the deaths of three women and shown little remorse. He also arranged for Caleb to be stabbed and then stole his kidney. Not exactly the actions of a decent man!
“I think there is a heart,” Ned insisted. “His motivation is to live. He was put in quite a tricky situation where had he gone down the legal route to do what he had to do, he might die, so he was forced to do something which is putting other people in jeopardy.
“I think that is a choice which he is able to make; to put his life before others.”
Is Joe afraid of anything?
Despite appearing nonchalant and indestructible, Ned says there is something Joe struggles with – and is very definitely afraid of.
“He gets lost in his own world, a lot of real feelings scare him because he can’t really have control over that and that’s his weak spot, a lack of control.”
Speaking on Joe’s lack of love and family, the actor added: “There are certain things he can’t aquire in life through money and power – family cannot be bought, love cannot be bought. So if he feels that he is attaining anything like that, he believes that he’s got someone’s love and he loves someone else, if he’s got family, which he is quite short of, he’s going to be very protective of that.
“I think that also then scares him. The idea of being in love and being vulnerable in that way. He can’t be captain of that. He’s most scared of losing love.”
So does he actually love Dawn?
There have long been ripples of disbelief about Joe’s true motives with Dawn. He risked everything coming back to Emmerdale after his kidney transplant when he had no reason to – except his love for Dawn. But fans are not buying Joe would do anything to be with her.
But Ned insists it is real and Joe does love Dawn: “In his own weird Joe Tate way”.
He expanded: “I’m not really sure he understands what those feelings are. I think it’s very complicated to him. I personally like to believe he does and that’s definitely a driving force I like to believe in those scenes.
“This is an extremely vulnerable moment for him, having to open himself up because that develops a chink in your armour and that’s scary for him.”
But after all the revelations due to come out, will these two actally make it? “I’m not sure there’s that much charm and charisma that can get someone to forgive him for all that. I like to think so, though.”
Joe Tate and his feud with Kim in Emmerdale
So what about Kim? She has previously tried to have him killed and then when Joe came back at Christmas was working with Will Taylor to fleece Kim for all she had. But suddenly the pair of them are in this together, and Kim has given away land to keep him out of prison for stealing Caleb’s kidney.
But why? Do they suddenly like each other?
“I’m not sure he’ll ever like her,” Ned confessed. “They’ve got a history and there’s some overriding beef, but I think there’s an immense amount of respect he recognises in her.
“Joe sees her as a boss bitch and that’s cool. He sees that as impressive. He would like to see her more as a friend than a foe. It’s better to be on the same team in the great war between the Tates and Dingles.”
Will he seek revenge if he survives the attack?
We don’t know who takes revenge on Joe, nor do we know if he survives it, but if he does, is his own form of vengeance on his mind?
“I’m sure he will [want payback],” Ned said. “I’m sure there will be some sort of vengeance, it’s not a nice thing to be pushed out of a window.”
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns
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.
Visit our Facebook page @emmerdaleinsider for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers and let us know what you think! Or find us on Twitter @emmerdaleinside