ITV confirm the return of Emmerdale superbitch Kim Tate
Actress Claire King has reprised the iconic role.
The lady is for returning, Kim is back in Emmerdale Village for the first time in nearly 20 years.
A short-term comeback for the character will play out in a special week of episodes next month (from 8 October) as Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) holds a masquerade ball at Home Farm.
ITV say that Kim will be seen “in all her glory” as she deals with some unfinished business.
“As a Yorkshire lass myself, I’m absolutely thrilled to be back for a fun-filled cameo, once again wreaking havoc in the Dales. As there are still some familiar faces from 20 years ago, it’s felt like coming home and I couldn’t have had a more lovely welcome from such a talented cast and crew, so thank you everyone! It’s literally been a blast!” – Claire King
The affluent Tate family – which also included Kim’s husband Frank (Norman Bowler) and his children from a previous marriage, Chris (Peter Amory) and Zoe (Leah Bracknell) – arrived in Beckindale and assumed ownership of Home Farm in November 1989. Kim was last seen fleeing the Dales by helicopter in February 1999 after a murderous encounter with stepson Chris (Joe’s father).
The tate family as they were back in 1989.
Unsatisfied in her marriage, Kim had affairs with fellow horse enthusiast Neil Kincaid (Brian Deacon) and farmhand Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey), who was subsequently suspected of fathering her son James. Frank bribed Kim into saying the baby was his although a DNA test – after Dave had died rescuing the baby from a fire – later confirmed that he was anyway.
Frank and Kim’s marriage remained on rocky ground and after going missing a woman fitting Kim’s description was found dead at the wheel of a car in February 1997.
Despite Frank identifying the body as her’s, Kim made an explosive comeback later that year with her sudden appearance at Home Farm causing Frank’s heart to give way – something that didn’t concern Kim who coolly confirmed his death by holding a compact mirror to his mouth.
Kim ends up in the mud of the pigsty following an altercation with Tina Dingle in 1996.
Kim inherited a share of Home Farm and went on to marry Steve Marchant (Paul Opacic), but when in financial difficulty, the couple attempted to pull off a horse heist which went awry, leaving both of them facing criminal charges. Kim denied any involvement in the robbery, but Chris, who already suspected her of having a hand in his father’s death, discovered the proceeds hidden in Frank’s grave – setting the scene for an hate-fuelled final showdown between the pair.
It remains to be seen what fresh havoc Kim will cause but her long-awaited comeback is sure to be one to watch…
“Kim’s explosive return shakes the very foundations of the village as she swaggers back into Home Farm, leaving a devastating trail of destruction in her wake. We are delighted to welcome Claire back to the show, an actor exuding charisma and ebullience. We are all absolutely thrilled that she’s filling Kim Tate’s designer shoes once again.” – Emmerdale Producer, Kate Brooks
