Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw has hinted that Joe Tate will survive the upcoming wedding week, as the feud with his uncle Caleb Miligan is set to escalate into 2027. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Shaw teased that the dangerous conflict between the two characters will become one of the soap's biggest stories.
Feud set to intensify after wedding
Shaw discussed the ongoing war between Joe and Caleb in the lead-up to the wedding of Joe and Dawn Taylor. Caleb is determined to ruin Joe's life by helping Dawn flee on her wedding day with her ex, Billy Fletcher. However, as plans go awry and tragedy looms, Shaw confirmed the aftermath will see the pair clash once more.
She said: "I mean, they're still talking about the kidney! Let it go, let it go now. Obviously as we can see in the run-up to the wedding, that feud becomes bigger and bigger."
"And certainly, what I can say is off the back of the wedding, there's going to be... that chasm is going to open even wider between those two. It will be one of our kind of big stories, certainly through the rest of this year and into next year."
Gothic autumn storylines teased
Shaw also hinted at a dark and gothic autumn for the Tate family, with a mix of drama and comedy. She said: "We've got some quite dark, gothic storylines coming up. There's some comedy as well, I think it's a whole mix, that's what soap is about, isn't it? Drama, and gothic stuff at Home Farm. That feels like the right kind of precinct for those sort of stories."
Regarding the mystery new Tate character, Shaw teased: "I think the new Tate will probably appear before you realise it's a Tate." She did not reveal whether the character is a new face, a recast, or why they are in the village.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
