Emmerdale has teased a chilling new twist in the Baby Tate saga, after a mysterious intruder targeted the newborn, leaving Graham Foster and Kim Tate fearing the worst.
Since Dawn Fletcher's heartbreaking death, Joe Tate has been unable to face the prospect of raising the baby and has been exploring an unofficial adoption arrangement. Kim Tate, however, has other ideas, instructing Graham Foster to hide the child away in an isolated cottage until Joe has a change of heart.
Sinister Turn in Secret Mission
But Graham's secret mission takes a sinister turn in a preview clip from the soap's special Sunday episode.
After waking from a restless night, Graham tells the baby to be good while he takes a shower. Moments later, a shadowy figure appears outside the window and begins trying to break into the property.
Whoever is lurking outside clearly has their sights set on Baby Tate, but their identity remains a mystery.
Kim's Desperate Struggle
The kidnapping sets the stage for a tense new whodunnit, with Kim soon discovering that the baby has vanished. Furious and desperate to regain control, she realises she cannot turn to either Joe or the police without risking the truth about her secret arrangement coming to light.
Instead, Kim finds herself dealing with a terrifying series of ransom messages, while family photographs begin appearing around the cottage where Graham had been keeping the child.
With the situation spiralling out of control, a rattled Kim turns to Thea Ramsden, unaware that involving her secretly hidden daughter will only make matters worse.
Violent Confrontation and Fan Theories
As tensions rise, the pair begin accusing each other of being behind the kidnapping. Their confrontation quickly becomes violent, and Kim ends up stabbing Thea in a shocking turn of events.
With Thea needing urgent medical attention, Kim is forced to rush her to hospital - potentially leaving herself exposed as the consequences of her actions begin to catch up with her.
Now, fans are trying to figure out who could be behind the kidnapping. On a Reddit thread, u/slytherinslytherout theorised: "my moneys on Joe being the babynapper. it’s very convenient Kim’s shipped him off to Monaco. he absolutely would do something like this if he found out Kim and Graham went behind his back."
However, other viewers think it's someone we might not have seen on screen for a while. u/dear_promise5544 added: "I think either Joe, Tom King or a returning character like Jamie. But I don't know if Joe will bother wearing a hoodie and gloves, it's his own baby after all why would he care about not leaving fingerprints even if he wanted to teach Kim and Graham a lesson?"
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream from 7am on ITVX and YouTube.
