The identity of DS Thea Ramsden has been revealed in Emmerdale, and the twist has sparked speculation that Jamie Tate could be making a return to the village. During Tuesday's (September 1) episode, now available on ITVX, Thea (Chelsea Edge) was seen questioning Kim Tate (Claire King) in a police interview room.
A flashback revealed that Thea is actually Kim's long-lost daughter, whom the Home Farm matriarch gave up for adoption in the early 2000s. In the flashback, a young Kim was seen looking through the window of a special care baby unit, considering putting her daughter up for adoption. A nurse approached her, saying: "I know it's not my place to say, but you've been here ages. I mean, clearly you care about that child. Are you sure adoption's what you really want?"
Kim bluntly replied: "You're right. It's not your place to say, and I have made my decision." The nurse then said: "Well, do you want to at least give the poor girl a name? I mean, doesn't she deserve that much?" Kim said she always liked the name Anthea, before the camera panned to Thea angrily looking at her biological mother in the present day.
Could Jamie Tate return?
Now that Kim is set to be reunited with her long-lost child, fans are wondering whether her son Jamie (Alexander Lincoln) could also return. Jamie faked his own death in 2021 to escape his mum and the drama of the village. While driving out of the village, Jamie crashed his car into a lake. Although his vehicle was recovered, his body was never found, leading residents to assume he had drowned. It was later revealed that Jamie had survived the crash and was on the run.
Reflecting on the possibility of Jamie's return, Claire King, who plays Kim, told the Daily Star and other press: "I think it'd be lovely to have all the kids together, but it'd be absolute carnage, as we know!"
Kim's bond with Thea
Despite her history with Jamie, Claire thinks that Kim will want to establish a bond with Thea. "I think she'd particularly want to establish a bond with her because of the fact she thought she had a bond with Jamie," she said. "[She] loved him, gave him the world, but it all went sour. So, I think she would. She'll be hesitant and she'll be, you know, treading very carefully, but I think she would love to have a bond with her daughter."
This comes after Emmerdale fans have been calling for Jamie's return for several months. Jamie was notably mentioned earlier this year, leading viewers to ask about the possibility of a comeback. "Is his return looming?" one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another added: "I think he might come back." Whether Jamie will be introduced to his long-lost sister in upcoming scenes remains to be seen.
Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
