Emmerdale fans made their feelings clear on Wednesday, as Ned Porteous, who plays Joe Tate in the beloved ITV soap, shared an update on social media.
The actor, 30, who returned to the hit ITV soap last month as Joe after six years, took to to share a mirror selfie. Ned captioned the shot with: “Hit em with the Stanley Tucci.”
Responding in the comments section, Ned’s 103K followers were quick to issue a plea to the actor as they demanded he stay put on amid his dramatic return.
One person said: “So glad I can watch again! Although I have a bad feeling your not back for long”, a different account wrote: “Please don’t die in !”, another put: “So happy you are back in Ned just hope your hanging around for a while” while a different soap fan added: “The fact Joe’s back has made my YEAR! Please STAY!!!!!”
Emmerdale’s Joe Tate star Ned Porteous took to Instagram to share an update with fans (Image: Instagram)
Actor Ned returned to his role of Joe last month after a six-year hiatus, leaving , portrayed by Claire King, in shock, reports .
First appearing in the village in 2017, Ned’s character Joe is the orphaned son of Christopher Tate and Rachel Hughes.
However, in 2018, Joe made a dramatic exit when he was compelled to flee after Kim, who had been married to his grandfather Frank Tate, ordered his death.
At first, it appeared that , Debbie Dingle’s father, had accidentally killed him during a heated argument, where a single punch resulted in him hitting his head on a rock. However, it was later disclosed that Graham Foster, Joe’s right-hand man, had hidden the fact that Joe was still alive and living abroad, funded by Kim’s businesses.
Emmerdale fans were quick to issue a plea on Wednesday as Joe Tate star Ned Porteous posted an update (Image: ITV)
Joe made a surprise return last month during the Christmas episodes, but he seems to be hiding a significant secret as his health has been worrying fans with the character seen having seizures and taking various medication.
This has led fans to wonder if Joe might be dying, particularly as he’s been trying to mend fences with his younger half-brother Noah Dingle, or perhaps this is all part of his plan…
airs every weekday at 19.30pm on ITV1, ITV X, STV and STV Player with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. It is also available each morning from 07.00am on ITVX.