Emmerdale:’rumble’ brutal Joe Tate whodunnit revenge ahead of exit

Emmerdale fans have been speculating about the latest storyline involving Joe Tate(Image: ITV/Mark Bruce)

It’s been teased by fans that Emmerdale could introduce a whodunnit storyline for a potential attack on the character Joe Tate if his scheming comes to light. He has affected the lives of numerous residents since returning to the village.

Joe (played by Ned Porteous) returned last year and ITV viewers have since discovered that he’s been experiencing chronic kidney disease. He had initially hoped to obtain a kidney from his brother Noah Tate (Jack Downham) though things didn’t go to plan, with the plot ultimately leading to a limo crash that resulted in the d.e.a.t.h.s of three characters.

More recently, Joe – who was said to have been close to d.e.a.t.h without a transplant – stole a kidney from his uncle Caleb Miligan (William Ash) with the help of Dr Crowley (James Hillier). They’re now recovering from the procedure.

Caleb had been taken to Dr Crowley after being stabbed by an assailant in a fake car theft that was orchestrated by Joe. It was revealed towards the end of last week that police are looking into the incident. Caleb has been told that his kidney was damaged in the attack and that’s why it’s now gone.

Spoilers for upcoming scenes have revealed that there will be some suspicion on Joe over him having ‘rescued’ Caleb after the stabbing. And it’s been teased that several characters could expose his scheming in the coming months.

Ahead of the storyline progressing, there’s been speculation on Reddit that Joe could be attacked by one of the many characters wronged by him. It has been teased that Emmerdale couldintroduce a whodunnit storyline.

Joe Tate (played by Ned Porteous) has been scheming to get a kidney transplant in an ongoing storyline on Emmerdale(Image: ITV)

In a thread on the platform just a few days ago, one viewer suggested: “When everything is revealed about what Joe has done, drugging Noah, the limo crash, affair with Dawn, deceiving Manpreet, arranging an attack on Caleb and taking his kidney without his knowledge I wonder if there could be a who attacked Joe storyline?” They added: “I don’t think he’d get k.i.l.l.e.d off as Cain thought he k.i.l.l.e.d him the last time and they seem to be able to like using the character. Not sure if he’s staying long term or not but even if only for a few months they might still like to have the option to bring him in the future.”

The poster continued: “There’s so many people it could be if there was an attack that left him unconscious, in hospital.” They went on to name various potential suspects Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins), who has been concerned for her son Noah, and Caleb.

Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle), whose wife Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) has been having an affair with Joe, was another character mentioned. Others included Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) whose late mother Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) d.i.e.d as a result of the limo crash that Joe inadvertently caused by drugging Noah, who caused Charity to swerve the vehicle after ending up in the middle of the road.

The character secretly stole a kidney from his uncle Caleb Milligan (William Ash) recently and it’s yet to be revealed if he will get found out (Image: ITV)

The post has 29 upvotes at the time of writing and some fans theorised over the prospect of a whodunnit in their responses. One person wrote: “Maybe even Mary because of Suzy dying? Jacob or Matty cuz of Leyla and Amy?” Another person suggested: “Kyle could do it out of revenge for Amy.”

Someone else wrote: “It’s obvious that Joe isn’t staying I wonder how he will exit will he go to jail or will there be a who dunit there will be a lot of people after him. I can’t wait till everything comes out there will be so much drama.”

Whilst one fan said: “It’s a daft storyline. But seeing the number of people who are going to be out for revenge when the truth comes out, it is gearing up to be rather fun. There aren’t that many people left in the village who haven’t been affected, directly or indirectly, by Joe’s scheming… If Ned Porteous is sticking around, something quite remarkable is going to have to happen to keep Joe in the village.”

Tonight’s episode of Emmerdale – which is already available on ITVX – features an apparent exit for Joe. During a discussion with Dr Crowley, he announces that he has a plane on standby ready to take him back to Dubai, saying: “I can’t stay here.” He’s later seen deleting Dawn’s contact from his phone whilst in the back of a taxi to an undisclosed location.

Joe however is expected to return at some point. ITV previously told Metro, whilst addressing criticism over Joe’s efforts to get a kidney transplant: “Joe Tate’s desperate actions are not being held up as an example and as with any soap villain he will ultimately get his comeuppance.”