Emmerdale favourite Joe Tate has faced a crushing blow after his romantic proposal to Dawn Taylor was publicly rejected, but actor Ned Porteous has now hinted at a festive turnaround for the character.
Joe Tate's Devastating Rejection
In a dramatic episode of the ITV soap that aired on Monday, Joe Tate's hopes for a future with Dawn Taylor were left in tatters. After being recently ejected from Home Farm by a grieving Kim Tate, Joe decided to pop the question outside The Woolpack pub. The public proposal, however, did not go to plan.
An evidently uncomfortable Dawn confessed she could not marry him and promptly made her exit. Left kneeling on the ground, a heartbroken Joe was then subjected to mockery from onlookers including villagers Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden, compounding his humiliation.
A Glimmer of Festive Hope
Despite the character's bleak week, the actor who portrays him, Ned Porteous, has teased that some 'happy news' is on the horizon for Joe this Christmas. Speaking about the fallout from Dawn's rejection, Porteous suggested the festive period will bring a positive development.
"It's going to be a different Christmas for Joe," Porteous revealed. "I think he's probably gutted about the fact he's annoyed Kim. But at the time he believed he was doing the right thing, as Joe always does."
He added a tantalising clue for fans: "Let's just hope that he can win her around in the New Year. Christmas is a strange one for Joe. Not only does he end up spending it somewhere a little different this year... but this Christmas there is also a nice happy piece of news for him."
Filming Festive Episodes in October
The actor also shared insights into the peculiar experience of filming Christmas episodes months in advance, having shot the festive scenes back in October. He described the challenge of pretending it's winter during unseasonably warm weather.
"It always does [feel strange], especially when we have a very warm October and we're all trying to get all wrapped up and we're all beading with sweat out in the village," Porteous said. He contrasted this with the opposite problem of filming summer scenes in the cold.
Discussing his own Christmas plans, Porteous confirmed they would be far removed from his character's. He is looking forward to a break spent with family, including his brother, and plans to enjoy plenty of food, drink, and classic video games.
Emmerdale continues to air weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and the ITVX streaming service, with extended hour-long episodes every Thursday.
