Joe Tate

Joseph Mark "Joe" Tate (alias Tom Waterhouse) is the orphaned son of Christopher Tate and Rachel Hughes as well as the half-brother of Noah Dingle. After his parents' death, Chris' sister Zoe Tate became Joseph's guardian.
Joseph was born prematurely to parents Chris and Rachel in 1995, and was named after Rachel's stepfather Joe Sugden and brother Mark Hughes. Since Chris and his father Frank Tate were away at a meeting when Rachel went into labour, Chris' former wife Kathy helped Rachel and became Joseph's godmother. After Chris and Rachel divorced, Rachel obtained custody of Joseph. The following year, Rachel began a relationship with Graham Clark, who later murdered her by pushing her off a cliff. Joseph begins living with Chris, although when Chris married Charity Dingle in 2001, Joseph opted to attend boarding school. Two years later, Chris committed suicide, framing Charity for his murder and leaving Joseph an orphan. Chris' sister, Zoe Tate, obtained custody of Joseph and in 2005, they left the village with Zoe's daughter, Jean.
Twelve years after leaving the village, Joseph returned to Emmerdale, using the alias Tom Waterhouse. He met Charity's daughter Debbie Dingle about leasing a Bentley. "Tom" and Debbie later began a relationship although Joseph soon revealed his true identity, took back the Bentley, evicted Debbie and her children, Sarah and Jack, out of Jacobs Fold and ended his relationship with Debbie, telling her that she was collateral damage in his pursuit of seeking revenge on Charity, for driving his father to suicide. Joseph bought his childhood home, Home Farm, from the Whites and later moved in. Eventually, Joe made up with Debbie and started growing close to his half-brother Noah Dingle. 
On 11th October 2018, Joe was seemingly killed when he hit his head on a rock after a single punch by Debbie's father, Cain Dingle. However, when Joe's right-hand man Graham Foster put Joe in the boot of his car, Joe's hand twitched. Graham was then seen emotionally breaking down at the wheel of his car and later confirmed to his step-grandmother Kim Tate that Joe had been taken care of, thus Joe was presumed to be dead. However, on 18th March 2019, Joe was revealed to be alive and living abroad, living off money from Kim's business.
On Christmas Day 2024 Joe returned to Home Farm, having been working with Will Taylor to take Kim down for weeks.
==Biography==
===1995-2005: Early life and becoming an orphan===
Rachel gave birth to 6lb 2oz Joseph five weeks prematurely on 8th June 1995 with the aid of Chris' soon-to-be ex-wife Kathy. Rachel named her son Joseph Mark after her step-father Joe Sugden, who had died a few days prior, and her late brother Mark Hughes. Kathy became Joseph's godmother. Chris' father Frank was disappointed that Chris and Rachel didn't get married before their son was born so when Joseph was six months old, Rachel and Chris tied the knot in secret. Frank got emotionally attached to his grandson and tried to help Chris and Rachel bring Joe up but Chris told his dad to back off a bit. 
Chris and Rachel split after less than a year of marriage due to disagreements about family planning. Joseph went to live with Rachel and had regular visits with Chris. In May 1999, Rachel was murdered by her boyfriend Graham Clark so Joseph went to live with Chris. However, in September 1999 Chris was kidnapped and Joseph went on to stay with his aunt, Zoe Tate. Whilst Chris was still missing Zoe and Joseph moved back into Home Farm. Chris was rescued and joined his sister and son at Home Farm in November. In 2000, Chris was worried that Joseph was a victim of the Bus Crash, and was later relieved that his son survived. The following year, Chris married former prostitute Charity Dingle and Joseph was sent to boarding school.
In 2003, whilst Chris and Charity's marriage was on the rocks, Chris learned he had an incurable brain tumour. Chris knew Charity was having an affair with her cousin Cain so he committed suicide and framed Charity for his murder, leaving Joseph an orphan. Pregnant Charity was falsely found guilty of Chris' murder but was acquitted after she agreed to let Zoe adopt her and Chris' newborn son Noah in return for the evidence that would clear her. A few months later, Social Services turned down Zoe’s adoption application and returned Noah to Charity, who promised Zoe that she can still have access rights. In September 2005, Joseph immigrated to New Zealand with Zoe and her daughter, Jean.
===2005-2017: School years===
Growing up, Joseph started to develop attachment issues. In 2008, One night, after school groundskeeper Graham Foster had drunkenly set his hut on fire, Joseph saved him and they soon bonded. Graham became a father-figure in his life and Zoe made him Joseph's guardian to prevent him from being expelled. 2 years later, when he was 15, he locked his headmaster in a cupboard.
===2017-2018: Life as Tom Waterhouse===
By 2017 Joseph, now known as Joe, had returned to Yorkshire and had used his substantial inheritance to set up Waterhouse International. Under the alias of Tom Waterhouse, he contacted Charity's daughter Debbie Dingle about hiring her Bentley. 
Whilst Charity and Debbie were in a meeting with Tom's right-hand man Graham Foster, their Bentley was stolen. Tom gifted Debbie a new Bentley and they soon began a relationship. Tom lavished Debbie with expensive gifts and even bought Jacobs Fold for her and her children Sarah and Jack to live in. Against Graham's advice, Tom gave Debbie a job. On her first day at Waterhouse International, Debbie discovered Tom was behind the Dale Woods Golf Course project which was trying to force the demolition of Debbie's family's home to make way for an access road. Debbie forgave Tom as he spun her a tale about only finding out the project would affect her family when it was too late, lying he kept it all from her because he didn't want to lose her. 
Charity was suspicious of Tom so she set off the fire alarm at his office building and searched his office where she found his passport and discovered Tom was lying about his identity - he was really her former step-son Joseph Tate. Charity tried to warn Debbie but Joe intercepted Charity's call and sent Graham to stall Charity. Whilst Graham was keeping Charity busy, Joe arranged for the Bentley to be taken away and for Debbie's belongings to be moved out of Jacobs Fold. Joe revealed to perplexed Debbie that he was really Joseph Tate, she was just collateral damage in his quest to get revenge on Charity for his father's death. Joe then bought back his childhood home of Home Farm.
===2018-2019: Relationship with Debbie and presumed death===
After Joe revealed himself, Debbie trusted him less until Graham helped Debbie and Joe get back together. Joe knocked down the Dingle home which Debbie confronted him about and to get revenge Debbie asked Simon to hurt Joe. Instead, Simon threw acid in Ross Barton's face. 
Debbie and Joe rekindled their relationship and got engaged, and he asked to marry Debbie at the hospital chapel but had to deal with the masquerade ball. Unfortunately, Joe had to go on the run after his step-grandmother Kim, who had just returned after being released from prison, wanted Graham to kill him, he left with £100,000. Furious about what Joe did to Debbie, Cain punched Joe which caused Joe to fall and hit his head off a rock, and it was believed that Graham later finished the job to avoid Kim from hiring someone else to give him a more painful death.
===2019: Living abroad===
Joe was presumed dead for the next five months, with everyone in the village assuming that he had fled. Cain, on the other hand, was riddled with guilt as he thought that he killed Joe. Joe was subsequently reported as a missing person, and Cain confessed to Debbie that he killed Joe, which resulted in the breakdown of their relationship. 
Kim returned to Home Farm after she was re-released from prison and found out that it was Cain who "killed" Joe. Kim met with an associate to find out who was making withdrawals from an offshore account and discovered through CCTV pictures that Joe was alive and had been taking money out from the account in Monte Carlo. Kim confronted Graham about this, and he revealed that Joe is no longer in Monte Carlo as he moved him on.
=== 2024: Return to the village ===
On Christmas Eve 2024 it was revealed that Joe had been the one using Will Taylor as part of a plot to destroy Kim Tate. He had been communicating with Will for weeks through Kim’s ex-financial adviser, Peter, but Will had got cold feet and emailed Peter telling him he was out. The next day Joe arrived at Home Farm after Kim and Will renewed their wedding vows. He told Kim about the scheme, but said that it was all Will’s plan and that Joe was just gathering evidence against him. Kim ordered Joe to leave and confronted Will. When Joe returned a short while later, Will was lying on the ground having a heart attack while Kim watched on claiming it was all an act. Joe checked on Will and told Kim the heart attack was real, much to her shock. Joe then called an ambulance, while Kim performed CPR and talked to Will. However, it was too late and Will had passed away by the time paramedics arrived.
In the days following Will’s death, Kim came to rely on Joe as he was the only one who knew what really happened. Kim’s dependence on Joe and his sudden appearance on the day Will died made Will’s daughter, Dawn Fletcher suspicious of him and she became convinced he had killed her father after hearing about his previous actions from Charity Dingle. Meanwhile, Joe also tried to reconnect with his half-brother Noah Dingle but he told Joe he wanted nothing to do with him. This was only made worse a few days later when Noah overheard Joe insulting Caleb Miligan calling him a “Dingle leech” during a heated conversation. Later Joe attempted to apologise but Noah told him he didn’t need him and walked away.
Dawn and Joe continued to clash in the lead up to Will’s funeral as she saw him approach a sleeping Kim with a pillow, but he explained he was going to put it under her head. The next day during an argument Dawn outright accused Joe of killing Will and taking advantage of Kim but he insisted she was paranoid and retorted that she was the one taking advantage of her grieving step-mother. Dawn tried to slap Joe in response but he caught her hand just as Kim walked in. When Will’s post-mortem results came through the next day, Dawn was forced to admit she was wrong as there were no signs of foul play and Joe accepted her apology.
==Other information==
*Joe was a shareholder in Emmerdale Farm as his step-great-grandmother Annie Sugden gave him some shares when he was born.
*Joe "caught" the flower bouquet at his mother Rachel's wedding to his father Chris in December 1995.
*Joe supports Leeds United.
==Background information==
*Joe was axed alongside Jean Tate Jr. in September 2005 following Leah Bracknell's decision to leave the role of Zoe Tate.
*Joe was reintroduced by producer Iain MacLeod in September 2017. He was the only character with the Tate family name to be reintroduced until Kim Tate's return in October 2018.
==Quotes==
"Hello. Glass of champagne?" - first line spoken by Ned Porteous as Joe Tate, to Debbie Dingle while pretending to be Tom Waterhouse.
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"Here I am dressed like a penguin" - to Debbie Dingle, after she thinks he is a butler.
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"FINALLY she gets it!" - to Debbie Dingle after she realises his plan.
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"This clown fired a gun at me!" - to everyone at The Woolpack about Sam Dingle.
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"If I wanted a prostitute, I would just pay for one." - to Debbie Dingle, who slaps him moments later.
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"If you're going to back a horse, Ross... always back the thoroughbred, not the inbred." - to Ross Barton about Debbie Dingle.
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"You are my little brother, and you're the closest family I've got." - to his little half-brother Noah Dingle.
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"Have you been binge-watching Midsomer Murders?" - to Priya Kotecha after she tells him she thinks Lachlan White is a killer.
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"Just let me explain." - final line, to Cain Dingle before Cain punches him severely.
==See also==
*Full list of appearances
Category:Emmerdale characters
Category:Current characters
Category:Characters played by different actors
Category:1995 births
Category:1995 debuts
Category:Tate family
Category:Hughes family
Category:Residents of Home Farm
Category:Residents of Mill Cottage
Category:Businessmen
Category:Waterhouse International employees