Emmerdale viewers have reacted strongly after discovering the nickname Joe Tate uses for Lydia Dingle on his phone.
Nickname revealed in Tuesday's episode
In Tuesday's episode (August 18), DS Thea Ramsden (Chelsea Edge) arrived at Home Farm wanting to speak to the owner about the investigation into Dr Caitlin Todd's (Caroline Harker) murder, reports the Daily Star.
With Kim absent, Lydia rang Joe Tate (Ned Porteous). When Lydia contacted Joe, his mobile phone showed he had her stored as 'Cleaner'.
Fans react to 'totally disrespectful' contact name
Responding to the nickname, one viewer commented on X: "Lydia down as 'cleaner' on Joe's phone. He's such a k**b."
Another person remarked: "I'm sorry but why would Kidney Stealer have cleaner rather than 'Lydia' on his phone? Talk about totally disrespectful!"
A third contributed: "Joe having Lydia in his contacts as 'cleaner' is lowkey crazy."
Mirroring their sentiments, another fan posted: "Lydia Dingle is saved in Joe's phone as cleaner? Joe Tate is saved in my books as moron."
Lydia's journey on the soap
Lydia (Karen Blick) first appeared on the ITV soap in 2016. Wed to Sam Dingle (James Hooton), Lydia has since become a firm favourite among viewers. The cherished cleaner has experienced major storylines including her friendship with Kim Tate (Claire King), her employment as a cleaner at Home Farm, her harrowing rape ordeal and her brief romances with Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and Rishi Sharma (Bhasker Patel).
Speaking about being part of the Dingle family, actress Karen Blick said: "It's so great to be a part of the Dingles in Emmerdale because you find yourself in so many different situations with so many different characters. It's fantastic."
Asked why the Dingles strike such a chord with Inside Soap magazine's readers, she added: "It's the storylines because you can weave a Dingle in any story; whether it's high drama, high action, comedy, there'll be a Dingle you can sew into the rug, definitely."
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
