'Joe isn't a psychopath'

Emmerdale bad boy Joe Tate is utterly ruthless - but is there a softer side to him? Actor Ned Porteous thinks so

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Joe Tate is backed into a corner in Emmerdale, and his health is spiralling fast.

"He's pretty ill," says actor Ned Porteous, who plays Joe. "He's not in a good place at all." And now Joe is plotting a drastic move - stealing his half-uncle Caleb Miligan's kidney to save himself.

It's been six years since Joe was last seen in Emmerdale. His fate had been a mystery before his comeback. In 2019, villagers even believed he was dead - Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) confessed to his murder. Joe was then caught stealing money from step-grandmother Kim Tate, as CCTV surveillance snapped him in Monte Carlo. So it's no surprise that he received an icy reception when he returned last Christmas.

Off-screen, however, 30-year-old Ned's comeback couldn't have gone better. "I was welcomed back so kindly, everyone was very nice," he says. "It was like I'd never left! They're such a friendly bunch of people and a professional crew. I slid straight back in."

Joe's return, on the other hand, has reignited old rivalries, particularly with Kim (Claire King). Their past has been filled with betrayal and animosity.