Emmerdale has confirmed that Joe Tate will be at the heart of an upcoming whodunnit as he’s attacked at a Home Farm birthday party – but is Ned Porteous leaving the soap?
Joe has made no shortage of enemies in recent months, from stealing Caleb’s kidney to his marriage-destroying affair with Dawn Fletcher. There’s also the matter of the three women killed in a limo crash which he was indirectly responsible for.
The upcoming attack has led fans to wonder whether he might be leaving the soap. What does the future hold for Joe Tate?
Is Ned Porteous leaving Emmerdale?
Joe returned to Emmerdale late last year, kicking off months of intense speculation as to what he was after. As it turned out, seriously ill Joe needed a kidney – which he eventually got from Caleb.
What the soap neglected to say was how long actor Ned would be sticking around. It’s been four months since his return, so if he is on a shorter-term contract, then he could potentially leave at any time.
At the time of his return, Ned 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. It’s safe to say the audience can expect fireworks this holiday season!”
With Joe’s business complete and the fireworks (mostly) let off, is his time on the soap done? Alternatively, if Joe survives the attack, this could clear the board, putting him on a path to some kind of redemption – securing a more permanent stay in the village.
Ned Porteous has fans in a panic ahead of Emmerdale ‘exit’
Ned got fans worried as he posted a series of professional snaps to his Instagram account today. “@dancollinsphoto Thanks for the snaps. I promise I’m happier with them than I look in the photos,” he captioned the smouldering headshots.
View this post on Instagram
In the comments below, fans worried that the actor might have an ulterior motive for posting the professionally shot images.
“Always makes me nervous when you see new snaps … usually means your leaving please no!!!” wrote one fan in the comments.
“yea I thought the same,” agreed another.
“oh no – new headshots etc means your leaving emmerdale,” stressed a third.
All we know about Joe Tate whodunnit so far
Gathering for Lydia’s birthday party, the suspects include Dawn, Billy and Clemmie, whose family was broken up by Joe and Dawn’s affair.
Also present are Cain, Caleb and Ruby – all of whom have it in for Joe after he stole Caleb’s kidney. Caleb signed a deal with Kim Tate agreeing not to pursue revenge in exchange for some land, but will he and his family keep their promise?
Meanwhile, Charity and Noah both suspect that Joe spiked Noah and caused the limo crash. The limo crash which took Amy’s life – giving fellow partygoer Kerry motive for a spot of revenge too.
The soap hasn’t announced whether Joe survives the attack – but with his life left hanging in the balance, his future in Emmerdale is far from certain.
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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