Joe Tate resorts to his old tricks when he realises his health is on the line. In shock Emmerdale scenes, the villain portrayed by Ned Porteous stoops to a new sickening low.

Actor Ned Porteous has lifted the lid on his character urgent health ordeal

Manipulative, deceitful and mysterious, Joe Tate is now at the end of his rope as he battles a mystery illness but he’s recently come up with a dastardly plan to save his skin.

Ned Porteous, who has portrayed the villain in Emmerdale since 2017, has teased Joe’s next steps as, in true Tate fashion, he plans a drastic move. “He’s pretty ill,” he says, “He’s not in a good place at all. He needs a kidney that is related to him, which gives him the best chance of the operation working.”

Joe’s health is declining rapidly in the ITV soap as he’s in dire need and he’s been left grasping for options. His first hope was Noah. But when tests confirmed his half-brother wasn’t a match, Joe had to turn elsewhere.

Enter Caleb Miligan (Will Ash) – Joe has set his sights on the businessman’s kidney, after finding out Caleb was the illegitimate son of Frank Tate, making him Joe’s half-uncle.

Though he’s thrown himself into a plan that could have dramatic consequences, Ned doesn’t believe Joe’s intentions are sinister. “Joe isn’t a psychopath,” Ned insists. “He would care if something bad happened, but he would also put his own life before Caleb’s. He’s willing to accept the consequences of a worst-case scenario.”For Joe, there’s no waiting list, no patience, no time to play by the rules. “Sometimes, you have to wait to get what you want. There are lots of people on transplant lists,” Ned says, “Joe assumes that his life is more important than others. He’s not going to wait the amount of time sometimes necessary to get a kidney.”

Joe Tate has been battling a mystery illness and tried to steal Noah’s kidney in a desperate move – until he found out the lad wasn’t a match

It’s been six years since Joe was last seen in Emmerdale. His fate had been a mystery and his whereabouts were unknown before his comeback.

In 2019, villagers even believed he was dead – Cain Dingle confessed to his murder, leading Debbie Dingle to believe she had lost the love of her life. 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.

Off-screen, however, Ned’s comeback couldn’t have gone more smoothly. “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 that I slid straight back in.”

Joe’s return, on the other hand, has reignited old rivalries, particularly with Kim (Claire King). Their history has been filled with betrayal, power plays, and deep-rooted animosity. In a surprising move, recent episodes saw them make peace.

But Ned warns that no dealing with Joe is ever that simple. “There’s clearly some bad blood, even if he says he’s forgiven her,” he says. “It’s wise to assume that there is somewhat of a grudge still being held there.”

For Joe, Kim is more than just an enemy – she’s a blueprint. “The overriding feeling is that of respect,” he says, “Joe sees Kim as the powerful businesswoman. It’s a ‘keep your friends close and your enemies even closer’ type of situation.”

If tensions with Kim weren’t enough, Joe has also entangled himself in a messy, illicit romance with her stepdaughter, Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).

But is it love or just another one of his power plays? “It’s always to know if Joe’s feelings are genuine,” Ned says. “He’s playing numerous games with other villagers. When he says he loves someone, he might be honest, but we’ll never know if he’s even capable of properly loving someone.”

Since his return to the Dales, Joe has been entangled in an illicit romance with Dawn Fletcher – but are his feelings genuine?

Still, whether his feelings for Dawn are real or not, she might just be the reason he stays in the Dales. “If he’s ever healthy again, everything going on with Dawn, whether it’s legitimate or not, will be something to keep him around.”

For a man who has spent his life chasing power, family has always been Joe’s Achilles’ heel. He’s desperate to reconnect with his half-brother Noah Dingle (Jack Downham), one of the few people he might genuinely care about.

“Family is important to him,” Ned says, “I like to believe his feelings for Noah are genuine, but it’s tricky to prove that when he’s also capable of doing such mean things.”

Joe’s actions aren’t going unnoticed, and as tensions rise, the village is on the brink of an all-out war. “You can always expect a showdown in this show,” Ned says. But he welcomes the chaos. “I’d like to see a big bust-up between the Dingles, the Miligans and the Tates.”

While Joe is a ruthless mastermind willing to go to any lengths to survive, Ned Porteous couldn’t be more different. “Other than an appreciation for fine whiskies and fancy food, we don’t have anything in common,” he says. “Joe is teetering towards psychopathy and I’m quite an empathetic person. So we are definitely not the same.”

Emmerdale fans have been obsessing over Joe’s return, with social media buzzing with theories about his motives and past six years. Ned, however, stays away from fan speculation.

“I have my own theories of what Joe’s been doing,” he says. And it turns out, so does his family. “My favourite one is actually from my brother, “ Ned says, “He likes to think that Joe was in some kind of cartel prison in South America for years and that he’s got multiple businesses on the go.”

With a failing body, a stolen kidney in his sights and enemies closing in from all sides, Joe Tate’s future in Emmerdale has never been more uncertain. Whatever happens, there’s only one guarantee – he won’t go down quietly.