fans are still reeling from the shocking scene where village rogue was savagely attacked by the seemingly ‘harmless’ Jimmy King. As regular viewers of the popular soap will know, Cain is renowned as the local tough guy, having bullied and fought his way through life since his arrival in the fictional village.
However, fellow villager Jimmy King leads a more subdued existence in the Yorkshire Dales, with his character taking on a more humorous role, a stark contrast to his initial introduction to the show. Upon his arrival, Jimmy was portrayed as a ruthless businessman, embroiled in various business ventures, a feud with the Sugden family, and even survived a stabbing by Daz Eden.
It was during this period that he had a heated altercation with Cain. In an episode first broadcast in April 2009, Jimmy didn’t hold back and assaulted Cain following a dispute over money.
At the time, Cain had made a dramatic comeback to assist his daughter Debbie in gaining custody of Sarah, and it wasn’t long before things started to unravel as Cain demanded updates on the Kings’ affairs. Debbie disclosed that Tom had been murdered on his wedding day and the business was beginning to falter now that Jimmy and Carl were driving lorries for King and Sons after going bankrupt, which resulted in them losing Home Farm.
Later that day, the situation escalated when Cain confronted Carl and Jimmy, and they quickly demanded their money back, but Cain refused, reports .
Cain Dingle has been an Emmerdale fixture for years (Image: ITV)
Jimmy lashed out at Cain with a punch to the stomach, and despite Debbie’s attempt to intervene, Cain shrugged her off and kept provoking the Kings until Carl also landed a blow on him.
As Jimmy and Carl gave Cain a beating, he chose not to retaliate, leaving Debbie in shock. However, Eli and Marlon soon arrived to help Cain, while Jimmy pulled Carl away from the scene.
fans are still reeling from the altercation, expressing disbelief over the new Jimmy’s lack of fighting prowess.
Nick plays Jimmy in Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
Fans took to social media to share their thoughts, with one saying: “I couldn’t imagine Jimmy hitting Cain in this day and age now.”
Another quipped: “Jimmy? He couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag.”
Another fan remarked: “That scene was strange as we’ve never seen Jimmy get physical with Cain in the past. Although if I’m being truthful, I don’t rate Cain as highly as other soap hardmen. I’d still expect him to beat Jimmy in a full-blown fight.”
Jimmy King tucked into beer and platefuls of food at The Woolpack (Image: ITV)
One more chimed in: “I remember Jimmy King was a completely different character during his early years. He was like a harder dodgy dealer but he changed into a lovable buffoon bumbling clown around 2009.
“If he was the old Jimmy King from the past he would have beat compared to buffoon Jimmy King who would run away like a chicken lol.” (sic)
airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.